Bo Rothstein
Encyclopedia
Bo Rothstein is an internationally acclaimed Swedish
political scientist
who holds the August Röhss Chair in Political Science at University of Gothenburg, Sweden
. The August Röhss Chair was established in 1902 by a generous donation from August Röhss, a leading merchant in Gothenburg.
Bo Rothstein was born in Malmö
, Sweden, to an Austria
n-born Jewish father who fled to Sweden in 1939. Rothstein's paternal grandparents (Rosa and Samuel R.) were murdered by the Nazis in Chelmno
in 1942. His maternal grandparents came to Sweden around 1910 from Ukraine
and Lithuania
.
Rothstein received his Ph.D.
in political science from Lund University
in 1986. Between 1986 and 1995 he was assistant and in 1992 became associate professor at the Department of Government at Uppsala University
. He took up his current position at University of Gothenburg in 1995. He has been a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation
, Cornell University
, Harvard University
, Collegium Budapest Center for Advanced Study, the Swedish Center for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences, the Australian National University and at the University of Washington
in Seattle. In 2006 he served as Visiting Professor at Harvard University. His books in English
include: The Quality of Government: Corruption, Social Trust and Inequality in International Perspective; (University of Chicago Press 2011); "The Social Democratic State: the Swedish model and the bureaucratic problem of social reforms" (University of Pittsburgh
Press, 1996), "Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State" (Cambridge Univ. Press 1998); "Restructuring the welfare state: Political Institutions and Social Change" (Palgrave/Macmillan 2002, co-editor: Sven Steinmo), "Creating social trust in post-socialist transition" (Palgrave/Macmillan 2004, co-editors: János Kornai and Susan Rose-Ackerman), and "Social Traps and the Problem of Trust" (Cambridge University Press 2005). He has published more than twenty articles in international scholarly journals.
Rothstein is a regular contributor in the Swedish public debate about politics
and academic freedom
. He has been especially critical of what he perceives as politicized research at some universities in Sweden. In 2003 he received the Swedish Association of University Teachers' prize for academic freedom. Rothstein received the prize for having "in the public debate argued for the importance of independent university teaching and research".
In 2004 he was awarded a six years research grant for "long term support to leading scholars" from the Swedish Research Council
. In 2009 he received a similar five year grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the largest private research fund in Sweden. Together with professor Sören Holmberg, he is in charge of the The Quality of Government Institute at University of Gothenburg. His current research interests are comparative quality of government
institutions, social capital
and social dilemma
s, and political corruption
.
The Quality of Government Institute
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
political scientist
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
who holds the August Röhss Chair in Political Science at University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The August Röhss Chair was established in 1902 by a generous donation from August Röhss, a leading merchant in Gothenburg.
Bo Rothstein was born in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden, to an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born Jewish father who fled to Sweden in 1939. Rothstein's paternal grandparents (Rosa and Samuel R.) were murdered by the Nazis in Chelmno
Chelmno
Chełmno is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 20,000 inhabitants and the historical capital of Chełmno Land. Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, Chełmno was previously in Toruń Voivodeship ....
in 1942. His maternal grandparents came to Sweden around 1910 from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
Rothstein received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in political science from Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in 1986. Between 1986 and 1995 he was assistant and in 1992 became associate professor at the Department of Government at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
. He took up his current position at University of Gothenburg in 1995. He has been a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation
Russell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation is the principal American foundation devoted exclusively to research in the social sciences. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in New York City, the foundation is a research center, a funding source for studies by scholars at other institutions, and a key member of the...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Collegium Budapest Center for Advanced Study, the Swedish Center for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences, the Australian National University and at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle. In 2006 he served as Visiting Professor at Harvard University. His books in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
include: The Quality of Government: Corruption, Social Trust and Inequality in International Perspective; (University of Chicago Press 2011); "The Social Democratic State: the Swedish model and the bureaucratic problem of social reforms" (University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Press, 1996), "Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State" (Cambridge Univ. Press 1998); "Restructuring the welfare state: Political Institutions and Social Change" (Palgrave/Macmillan 2002, co-editor: Sven Steinmo), "Creating social trust in post-socialist transition" (Palgrave/Macmillan 2004, co-editors: János Kornai and Susan Rose-Ackerman), and "Social Traps and the Problem of Trust" (Cambridge University Press 2005). He has published more than twenty articles in international scholarly journals.
Rothstein is a regular contributor in the Swedish public debate about politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
. He has been especially critical of what he perceives as politicized research at some universities in Sweden. In 2003 he received the Swedish Association of University Teachers' prize for academic freedom. Rothstein received the prize for having "in the public debate argued for the importance of independent university teaching and research".
In 2004 he was awarded a six years research grant for "long term support to leading scholars" from the Swedish Research Council
Swedish Research Council
The Swedish Research Council is a Swedish government agency established in 2001, with the responsibility to support and develop basic scientific research. Its objective is for Sweden to be a leading nation in scientific research...
. In 2009 he received a similar five year grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the largest private research fund in Sweden. Together with professor Sören Holmberg, he is in charge of the The Quality of Government Institute at University of Gothenburg. His current research interests are comparative quality of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
institutions, social capital
Social capital
Social capital is a sociological concept, which refers to connections within and between social networks. The concept of social capital highlights the value of social relations and the role of cooperation and confidence to get collective or economic results. The term social capital is frequently...
and social dilemma
Social dilemma
Social dilemmas are situations in which collective interests are at odds with private interests. Such situations arise when faced with prioritizing either short-term selfish interests or the long-term interests of a group, organization, or society. Many of the most challenging issues, from the...
s, and political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
.
External links
The Quality of Government Institute