Public administration is essential to the development of Swedish society; there is a great need for increased contact between the practice of administration and research into it. We want to offer a platform where these meetings can occur, and thus encourage long-term cooperation. Increased proximity also brings opportunities for developing skills and expertise in both administration and academia.

Södertörn University has a wide range of research and education that focuses on administration. Along with our multidisciplinary profile, it provides a good home for this meeting place.

Our task is to:

• conduct qualified multidisciplinary education in administration, primarily in the form of contract education at Master’s level
• develop research into administration-related issues with a particular focus on Swedish public administration
• be an arena for meetings between different areas of administration and academia in the form of seminars and research partnerships

Education at the Academy of Public Administration has a scholarly basis. Research is therefore an essential part of the Academy’s activities. One aim is to gather research into public administration and follow developments in this research area.

Our contract education

We conduct qualified multidisciplinary education in administration, primarily for Swedish public authorities who want continuing professional development for their staff. This is partly in the form of contract education, commissioned by individual public authorities, and partly in the form of education at Södertörn University where the participants may come from several different authorities.

We have provided courses, both long-term and shorter, for: Swedish Agency for Government Employers, the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, the Institute for Language and Folklore, the Royal Institute of Art, the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums, the Swedish ESF Council.

Introductory courses and continuing professional development

We offer continuing professional development for civil servants the rough courses in “Att arbeta i staten” (Working for the State). Their purpose is to provide knowledge of the structure of Swedish public administration. It provides particular understanding of authorities’ place in the Swedish model for public administration, the role of the civil servant, how administration is governed and changes to public administration in recent decades. In addition, there is an introduction to public law and legislation that is especially relevant to employees in public administration.

Transnational Public Administration and Organising (7.5 credits) is a course designed for civil servants and third sector actors throughout the Baltic Sea region who work with issues related to transnational public administration. This course places the transnational dimension of public administration in the context of the growing importance of (macro)regions in EU policy, and approaches transnational public administration through perspectives that include border studies, comparative legal aspects, culture, and organising. The course is held in English.

For more information about our research and contract education, please visit our Swedish webpage or contact us at forvaltningsakademin@sh.se.