Impact
SSE Society Lab
A workshop and dialogue-based arena where problems are defined, assumptions are challenged, ideas are tested, and new insights are developed.
Education
Once challenges are clearly defined, capabilities must be strengthened. Together with our partners and world-leading researchers, we design programs that build individual and organizational capacity to act.
Research
The foundation of all our activities. Through world-class research, we do not simply replicate existing practices, we generate new knowledge that helps Sweden and our partners stay ahead and remain competitive.
Below you can find a selection of our research projects and events:
How “slack” helps nonprofits stay resilient and true to their mission
Too little slack makes nonprofits fragile, while too much risks waste. A new study from the Center for Security and Resilience at the Stockholm School of Economics introduces the idea of “tappable slack” - resources that organizations can activate when needed to stay resilient and mission-focused.
The balancing act of slack in nonprofits
Nonprofits often operate with limited resources, yet they also need flexibility to adapt to unexpected challenges. A new study from the Center for Security and Resilience at the Stockholm School of Economics explores this tension and rethinks the concept of “slack” - the resources beyond what is strictly necessary for daily operations.
Traditionally, slack has been seen as either a luxury or a weakness. But this research shows it can instead serve as a buffer that makes nonprofits more resilient, especially in uncertain environments. The authors introduce the idea of tappable slack - resources that can be mobilized quickly when circumstances change.
Why it matters
For practitioners, the study highlights that slack is not inherently good or bad. What matters is how it is designed and managed. Financial reserves, flexible staff time, or strong volunteer networks can all serve as tappable slack if organizations know how to access them.
This insight is especially relevant for leaders navigating crises - from funding cuts to sudden increases in demand. Instead of seeing slack as inefficiency, the research encourages nonprofits to view it as strategic preparedness.
Designing for resilience
The authors suggest three ways nonprofits can make slack more “tappable”:
- Differentiate types of slack: Identify which resources are available but idle, and which can be activated quickly.
- Link slack to the mission: Ensure that reserves, partnerships, or staff time are aligned with core goals.
- Recognize the context: Different nonprofit environments - from humanitarian aid to local associations - require different levels and types of slack.
A more nuanced view of efficiency
The study argues for moving beyond a narrow focus on efficiency. Instead, nonprofits should consider resilience as equally vital. Tappable slack helps them withstand crises without losing sight of their mission - ultimately benefiting the communities they serve.
Research Team
Sweden’s Cybersecurity at Crossroads: Governance, Technology and Geopolitics, 2000-2040
Cybersecurity, innovation in strategic technologies, and geopolitical uncertainty are three issues of great concern.
Separately, each issue is among the top worries of decision-makers globally, and at every level of European society. Together, as a nexus of issues, the combined risk poses an even bigger challenge that demands immediate action. In particular, cybersecurity is increasingly shaped by the sophistication and evolving strategies of adversaries as well as the geopolitical realities of AI, computing power (including semiconductors), and 5G communication technologies, which jointly define the capabilities and vulnerabilities of digital infrastructures.
Sweden cannot afford for this cluster of digital technologies to be her Achilles’ heel. Not since the late 1930s, and again in early 1950s, have the uncertainties - and the need for careful analysis - been greater.This project builds on a comparative, interdisciplinary analysis of this cybersecurity/strategic technology nexus, focusing on the evolution of continuities and discontinuities in Sweden’s historical paths, as well as on the sources of variation between different states. Building on those perspectives, the research aims at explaining how, if at all, Sweden can develop policies to pivot her current approaches to the nexus while more effectively grappling with the domestic and geopolitical challenges defining this space.
The project is supported by Cybercampus Sverige | Sweden.
Research Team
Dr. Annika Andreasson is a Post.Doc researcher, affiliated to Center for Security and Resilience Research at Stochholm School of Economics. She was previously a Doctoral student at the Center for Cyber Defence and Information Security (CDIS), at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
Dr. Henrik Glimstedt is Associated Professor of International Business, as well as of Technology Strategy at Stockholm School of Economics, and Distinguished Strategic Technology Research Partner, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Melissa K. Griffith is a Lecturer in Technology and National Security at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), as well as affiliated faculty with the Alperovitch Institute, and a senior advisor to the Emerging Technologies Initiative.
Dr. Mark Nitzberg is Executive Director of Berkeley’s Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI), Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab, and Director of Technology Research, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. John Zysman is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Political Science and co-director of the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at the University of California, Berkeley.
Collaboration
Dr. Fredrik Heintz is Head of Linköping University’s Division of Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Systems (AIICS) leading the Reasoning and Learning unit (REAL) at the Department of Computer and Information Science (IDA) and president of the Swedish AI Society.
