Operational plan 2026

The difficult economic situation continues to affect the department’s activities through several cost-cutting measures implemented on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The department’s operational plan is in line with the faculty’s operational plan for 2026–2027, which can be read here:

Styrdokument och handlingsplaner | Internt Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten (In Swedish)

First and second-cycle education

In light of the strained financial situation, several cost-cutting measures and reforms were implemented in 2025. The department reduced the number of alternative courses in political science and peace and conflict studies, and bachelor’s theses in the department’s three subjects are now written in pairs. A new factor conversion system for teaching was introduced. The reform also included a general review of course budgets at all levels to achieve a more equitable allocation of hours, resulting in some courses receiving more hours while others received fewer.

Ahead of 2026, the institution will adjust the course budget model as part of a measure to achieve a balanced education economy. The change includes a slightly reduced allocation for course responsibility and teaching and a differentiation between first-cycle studies and advanced levels. As part of the savings, the department will also pause or remove some courses from its offering. We will review the range of methodology courses separately in light of the lower allocation of hours to ensure pedagogical aspects such as progression and opportunities for specialisation. The student mentoring programme will remain unchanged.

The evaluation of first and second-cycle studies carried out in the spring of 2025 forms the basis for developing an action plan for the department’s educational activities (to be established at the faculty level in early 2026). The plan focuses, among other things, on the aforementioned development of methodology courses and on issues of educational quality, specifically regarding the follow-up of the department’s educational activities in the form of course evaluations and course reports.

Despite the savings plans, it is important that the quality of education/training/programme is maintained as far as possible and that the new conditions are utilised in a constructive and developmental manner. We plan several forward-looking measures. During the year, we will begin revising the course content of the elective alternative courses to offer students a broad foundation in political science. In addition to the usual teacher meetings, we plan educational seminars for the exchange of experiences between colleagues, including regarding forms of examination and assessment of student performance. The department will continue to support the pedagogical development of teaching staff members by encouraging participation in higher education pedagogy courses and in various types of development projects and/or merit-based activities within the framework of the faculty’s pedagogical merit system. A continued priority area is the question of how generative AI can be integrated into teaching and learning in a constructive way and how it affects various forms of examination.

The department’s education/training/programme shall continue to have a strong international dimension with good opportunities for teacher and student mobility. We review existing student exchange agreements on an ongoing basis. The educational collaboration with the University of Denver continues.

The ambition is to work during the 2026 financial year to attract courses and study programmes to the department. The department has been allocated funds to develop a MOOC on the theme of AI, democracy and elections during the year.

During the year, the department will continue to adapt its human resources to the shrinking budget for education/training/programmes. A hiring freeze on professors, senior lecturers and assistant lecturers remains in place for the time being, and there is a risk of staff redundancies. In line with the observations of external evaluators, we also note that the staffing situation in peace and conflict studies and intelligence analysis is vulnerable and unsustainable in the long term, and the issue of recruitment in these two subjects needs to be addressed in parallel with the reduction of staff resources in political science. Temporary substitutes may therefore be needed to address the shortage of teachers in specific areas of the peace and conflict studies and intelligence analysis programmes.

Research studies

The strained economic situation is having a major impact on doctoral education. Recruitment of doctoral students using faculty funds will continue to be on hold. However, the department will recruit at least one doctoral student through external funding, and it will continue to accept visiting doctoral students for shorter or longer periods. In light of the fact that the cohort of newly recruited doctoral students will decrease in the coming years, we have adjusted and adapted the range of courses offered in doctoral education.

The department will continue to work on the recommendations made in connection with the evaluation carried out in 2025. These include reviewing the dissemination of information and continuing to discuss admission criteria and quality assurance in the final phase of thesis work. Issues relating to doctoral students’ stress and health remain a priority area.

The general research seminar with guests from Sweden and other countries continues to play an important role in doctoral education. The same applies to the department’s various internal working seminars organised by the research groups. A research retreat will be possible thanks to special funding. In the future, however, the department will continue to replace the retreat with seminars at the department due to the strained financial situation.

Research

In order to enable research for the majority of teaching staff members, the department’s ability to obtain external research funding is of utmost importance. Supporting the department’s teaching staff members in their efforts to obtain external funding has always been a priority, but has become even more important in light of the economic situation. In addition, the increasing control of research funding affects the opportunities for several of the department’s employees to obtain grants. This applies in particular to reduced grants in international development research and sustainability research, areas that for many years have accounted for a large part of the department’s external research funding. The trend towards increasingly authoritarian regimes around the world is also affecting opportunities for collaboration and fieldwork.

The department’s research council will therefore need to continue to strengthen its systematic work to support and further develop the department’s research, including assisting in the process of writing competitive research applications. This also applies to larger research programmes that may include several of the department’s researchers, as well as EU-funded projects, strategic research areas (SFO) and centres of excellence. In practice, however, this may prove challenging as the department currently has limited additional funds for this type of support.

Work on a new research strategy for 2026–2030 began in the second half of 2025 and is expected to be completed at the beginning of the year. The goals and measures identified in the strategy will continue to guide efforts to further strengthen the department’s research in 2026 and beyond. An important issue will be the ethical aspects in connection with the development of AI and publishing traditions.

In light of the economic situation, strategic discussions are continuing regarding the scope and focus of the department’s co-financing of external research grants. However, the situation has improved somewhat as the faculty has decided to contribute to the co-financing of EU projects in particular. (OH).

In 2026, the department will continue its collaboration with SASNET (Swedish South Asian Studies Network), CFE (Centre for European Studies) and CMES (Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies), where department staff have various types of remits/assignments. The newly established LUPREP (Centre for Preparedness and Resilience) is also an important partner, not least through the funding of two of our doctoral positions.

We expect to fill several fixed-term appointments for postdocs, funded by external grants, during the financial year, as well as positions as researchers, research engineers and project assistants. We continue to promote the possibility of promotion to professor through dialogue with the faculty.

Work environment, gender equality, equal opportunities and diversity

The department continues to actively and systematically promote a healthy work environment and work on issues related to gender equality, equal treatment and diversity. We will update the action plan for work environment efforts as usual. We have reviewed the plan for gender mainstreaming and equal treatment and will implement a new action plan during the year. We will continue efforts to promote gender equality and equal treatment in teaching, as well as skills development efforts regarding students’ mental health. In addition, the department will make further efforts to increase transparency in the distribution of teaching commitments and, in a broader sense, to safeguard the department as a continuing inclusive work environment. The department will hold a by-election for health and safety representatives for the year 2026.

Administration, external engagement and joint activity

The revised management structure introduced for 2025 remains in place. Alongside the Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department, who are appointed through elections, the department has appointed two assistant heads of department: Assistant Head of Department for first-cycle studies and advanced level education (also deputy head of department) and Assistant Head of Department for postgraduate education. Both combine the roles of assistant head of department and director of studies for first-cycle studies and advanced level education, respectively, and director of third-cycle studies, albeit with a new coordinator. New for 2026 is that the assistant head of department for doctoral education will take over the employer responsibility for postdocs and assistants (from the head of department). During the spring, elections will be held for the Head of Department and the Deputy Head of Department for 2027–2029.

The study administration has been reduced by one position/post* and has thus been reorganised somewhat. Work on consolidating the new division of labour is continuing, and the institution will evaluate it continuously throughout the year.

The collaboration initiative that began in 2022, with a special remit/assignment as external engagement coordinator, will continue, and the institution will develop it in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences’ external engagement council. In addition, individual initiatives for external engagement/collaboration between the department’s employees and the outside world are encouraged, in line with existing collaborations between the department’s employees and municipalities and/or cultural institutions.

Sustainability work at the department continues with a focus on reducing climate impact, including through the reuse of furniture, sustainable meals and the implementation of new guidelines for air travel.

The department will replace the annual kick-off retreat in August with a “home retreat” outside the department but in Lund, due to the poor economic situation. Regular staff breakfasts will continue. Other activities that can strengthen solidarity among employees are also encouraged.