Julia Carlsson

I hold a PhD in Public Administration and work as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Business Administration, University of Borås. I teach courses in areas such as governance, organization and leadership, qualitative methods, as well as audit and evaluation – with a particular interest in how public activities are shaped and transformed in practice.

My research focuses on understanding governance and organization in the public sector, especially in the context of ongoing processes of change. I am interested in how policy work takes form within municipal administration, how digitalization influences different parts of public operations, and how professionals engage with new forms of governance and digital tools. A common thread across my studies is the attention to everyday practices in welfare organizations, often with a focus on tensions, paradoxes, and organizational dilemmas.

Currently, I lead a three-year research project on digitalization in social services, funded by Forte, in collaboration with Petra Svensson (Halmstad University) and Teres Hjärpe (Lund University). The project is carried out within the framework of FoU Sjuhärad Välfärd, where I also work as a researcher. We study how professionals in social services – particularly in the areas of economic assistance and child and family services – handle digital tools in their daily work and how they contribute to making these technologies function in practice. The project will be completed in autumn 2026.

Previously, I have conducted studies on digital inclusion for older adults, as well as followed the City of Borås’ work on social sustainability within the framework of the Centre for Welfare Studies (CVS). The latter project focused on how actors from public administration, the private sector, and civil society collaborate around complex welfare issues.

My research is characterized by close collaboration with practitioners, and I find it particularly valuable to conduct studies that capture the concrete work of governance and policy in the public sector – in all its complexity.

Researcher's publications in DiVA (Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet)

Doctoral thesis title

När idéer får liv-om intraprenader i tre kommuner

External Publications

Carlsson, J. (2019). När idéer får liv – Om intraprenader i tre kommuner, akademisk avhandling, Göteborg: Förvaltningshögskolan.