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Securitized or Not Securitized?: A Case Study of Sweden's COVID-19 Strategy During the First Year of the Pandemic
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Government.
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

This thesis analyzes Sweden's unique and puzzling approach to the COVID-19 pandemic by using the securitization framework, exploring if Sweden's strategy during the pandemic's first year reflects securitization, (de)securitization, or non-securitization. It employs content analysis to evaluate Sweden's response, analyzing primary sources and academic literature, and uses a discourse table based on existing theoretical studies by Barry Buzan, Ole Waever, and Jaap de Wilde (1998) and Lene Hansen (2012) to assess indicators of securitization, (de)securitization or non-securitization. The study finds that initially, Sweden combined (de)securitization and non-securitization, led by the state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell and the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHAS), treating the virus as a manageable health issue within existing healthcare systems. However, as the pandemic progressed, the Swedish government, led by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, adopted a securitization strategy, framing COVID-19 as a significant national health threat. This shift illustrates the dynamic roles of various actors in pandemic discourse. The thesis argues against a binary view of securitization and (de)securitization, showing their fluid application in real-world crises. It highlights the interaction between scientific and political decision-making in crisis management, suggesting a spectrum of responses involving (de)securitization and non-securitization.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. , p. 47
Keywords [en]
Securitization Theory, (De)securitization, Non-securitization, COVID-19, Sweden
National Category
Political Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-520604OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-520604DiVA, id: diva2:1827339
Subject / course
Political Science
Educational program
Master Programme in Political Science
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2024-01-16 Created: 2024-01-12 Last updated: 2024-01-16Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • de-DE
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  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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