MISTR CLEAN

MISTRA CLEAN is a four-year, interdisciplinary research programme hosted by the Institute for Futures Studies (IFFS) and led by Programme Director Prof. Andreas Duit with Co-Director Prof. Sverker Jagers. The programme tackles how institutional failure—manifesting as regulatory capture, corruption, and environmental crime—undermines Sweden’s environmental governance and accelerates ecological degradation.

The programme brings together a strong consortium of Swedish partners. Core institutions include the Quality of Government Institute (QoG) and the Centre for Environmental Political Studies (CEPS) at the University of Gothenburg, and Södertörn University. Together with IFFS, this network unites expertise in political science, law, criminology, computer science, environmental economics, and philosophy. The programme is further embedded in international research networks such as the Environmental Politics and Governance (EPG) network, the Environment for Development initiative, and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network, ensuring global visibility and collaboration.

MISTRA CLEAN pursues four objectives: (1) deliver the first comprehensive mapping of capture, corruption, and crime in Swedish environmental governance; (2) conduct empirical studies of causes and consequences of institutional failure, with selective international comparisons; (3) co-produce diagnostic tools (survey-based and AI-enhanced) to assess vulnerabilities and strengthen institutional resilience in public and private organizations; and (4) train a new cohort of scholars via PhD and postdoc positions and cross-disciplinary doctoral courses. Six work packages span: national mapping (WP1); vulnerability analysis and corruption risks (WP2); register- and law-based analyses of environ-mental crime (WP3); environmental impacts of institutional failure (WP4); development of science- and AI-based corruption-risk toolkits (WP5); and outreach, engagement, and capacity-building (WP6) with annual policy days, briefs, and practitioner co-creation. Deliverables include peer-reviewed publications, novel datasets, actionable diagnostics and guidelines for organizations, strengthened public trust, and evidence-based restoration strategies—positioning Sweden at the forefront of research and practice on clean, accountable environmental governance.