The two main focal points of my research are (1) Strategy and governance in membership based organisations such as associations, federations and cooperatives; and (2) The significance of foundations within wider society which involves the size, structure and development of the foundation sector both within Sweden and internationally, and also issues of strategy, philanthropy, grantmaking and internal governance.
My teaching experience ranges from undergraduate courses in general management and organization theory to more specialized teaching in civil society governance and management on master level. I regularly function as reviewer for journals such as Voluntas, Voluntary Sector Review and Journal of Civil Society. I currently function as COO of the department of Management and Organization at SSE.
For more information on my research and also full text versions of some of my publications see my page on Academia.edu.
Current research:
Between knowledge and ideology: The project focus on think tanks, defined here as organizations with the explicit dual mission of (academic) research and (political) advocacy and whose activity thus includes the two distinct and seemingly incompatible institutional logics of knowledge production and ideology production. The aim of the study is to examine the ways in which the relationship between two logics of knowledge production and ideology production is constructed, negotiated and organized within think tanks, with focus on the intra-organizational actors (individuals) who produce and reproduce these organizationally situated logics, and on the intra-organizational arenas where this is done.
Strategy and governance of mutual insurance companies is focusing on the governance processes of three large mutual insurance companies and how strategies are developed by their principals and how these strategies are relayed to the management of the organizations. The project is done in cooperation with Markus Kallifatides at Stockholm School of Economics.
Swedish Foundation Sector - size and 2002-2012 is aiming at updating our previous mapping of the Swedish foundation sector (link to previous report https://www.academia.edu/1063488/Foundations_in_Sweden_their_scope_roles_and_visions) and also comparing it with data from the Norwegian foundation sector.
Strategy and governance of producer co-operatives. The focus of the project is strategic governance within the Swedish agricultural co-operatives where the empirical focus is on two of the largest Swedish producer cooperatives. The focal point is the different roles or dimensions of the members and the member organizations and how these roles or dimensions affect strategic governance.
Key words: strategy, governance, civil society, social movements, foundations, philanthropy.
Selected publications:
Wijkström, F. & Einarsson, S (forthcoming) “Swedish Foundations in Comparison: A Carefully Negotiated Space of Existence” American Behavioral Scientist
Einarsson, S. & Kallifatides, M. (2017) Parternas bolag. Ett diskussionsunderlag. Stockholm: Stockholm School of Economics Institute for Research.
Einarsson, S, Reuter, M. and Åberg, P. (2017) “Think tanks: a new organizational animal in Swedish civil society” Paper presented at the 33rd EGOS Colloquium, Copenhagen July 6-8, 2017.
Einarsson, S. (2016) Medlemmar, ideologi och strategi. En studie av IOGT-NTO 1970-2009 Stockholm: Stockholm School of Economics Institute for Research.
Einarsson, S, Reuter, M. and Åberg, P. (2016) “Between knowledge and ideology: Institutional logics and organizational practices in Swedish think tanks” Paper presented at the 12th ISTR conference, Stockholm June 28 - July 1, 2016.
Einarsson, S., Einarsson, T., Gustafsson, M. and Wijkström, F. (2016) “Cooperatives in Motion. Member Governance in two Swedish Farmer Co-ops (1990–2011)” Paper presented at the 31st EGOS Colloquium, Naples, Italy, July 7–9, 2016.
Einarsson, S. and Wijkström F., (2015) "The role of member’s in the governance of large producer cooperatives" Paper presented at the 30th EGOS Colloquium, Athens, Greece, July 2-4, 2015
Einarsson, S, Einarsson, T and Grönberg, L (2014) "Governance of sports hybrid organizations, in a context typical for Swedish elite football clubs" presented at 32nd Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism (SCOS), Utrecht, Netherlands, July 7-10, 2014.
Einarsson, S. (2014) "Governance within multi-tiered federative membership-based organizations" Paper presented at the 11th ISTR conference, Muenster July 22-25 2014.
Einarsson, S. (2012) "Ideology Being Governed. Strategy Formation in Civil Society" Stockholm: Stockholm School of Economics.
Einarsson, S., McGinnis, J. & Schneider, H (2011) “Minor adjustments or major changes. Exploring grantmaking strategies across three countries” ARNOVA, Toronto, Canada November 17-19, 2011.
Einarsson, S. (2011) “The Revitalization of a Popular Movement. Case Study Research from Sweden” Voluntas, Vol 22, number 4, pp 658-681
Wijkström, F. & Einarsson, S. (2004) ”Foundations in Sweden. Their Scope, Roles and Visions” Stockholm: EFI