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DTSTAMP:20260508T091425Z
SUMMARY:PhD defense of Karolina Södergren
DESCRIPTION:Contact: karolina.sodergren@iiiee.lu.se\n\nTitle"From the Insid
 e Out. Municipal Strategies for Governing Industrial and Urban Symbiosis"A
 bstractIndustrial and urban symbiosis (IUS) is increasingly promoted as a 
 means to reduce resource use\, lower environmental impacts\, and support l
 ocal sustainability transitions. Municipalities are often assigned a key r
 ole in facilitating such arrangements\, yet research has primarily focused
  on inter-firm collaboration and external coordination\, paying limited at
 tention to how municipal organizations themselves shape the conditions for
  symbiosis. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining how municipa
 lities govern IUS from the inside out.Drawing on five empirical studies (P
 apers I–V)\, the dissertation explores municipal roles and strategies in
  IUS governance\, the organizational arrangements that shape how such work
  is carried out\, and the value orientations of municipal actors\, as expr
 essed in governance practice through internal collaboration and coordinati
 on. The research combines two in-depth municipal case studies with compara
 tive interviews and a national questionnaire\, enabling both contextual in
 sights and cross-municipal comparison. The material consists of a systemat
 ic literature review\, qualitative interviews\, document analysis\, partic
 ipatory observations\, and a national questionnaire. The analysis is guide
 d by a framework that combines perspectives on governing modes\, public se
 ctor organization\, and value orientations.The findings show that municipa
 lities engage in IUS through multiple forms of action\, including facilita
 tion\, regulation\, infrastructure provision\, partnership\, and experimen
 tation within their own operations. However\, sustained engagement is not 
 primarily determined by the choice of governing role\, but by whether symb
 iosis becomes anchored in established municipal practice. This anchoring t
 akes place through the allocation of responsibilities\, coordination acros
 s departments and municipally owned companies\, and the integration of IUS
  into strategies and administrative routines. The results further demonstr
 ate that organizational form and value orientations shape how IUS is inter
 preted\, prioritized\, and operationalized within municipal administration
 s.&nbsp\;By foregrounding these internal dimensions\, the dissertation con
 tributes to research on IUS and to broader debates on public-sector sustai
 nability governance. It shows that municipal contributions to symbiosis de
 pend not only on technical solutions or policy instruments\, but on the or
 ganizational work required to sustain direction\, coordination\, and respo
 nsibility over time. The dissertation also outlines implications for susta
 inability policy\, suggesting that long-term IUS development requires supp
 ort for organizational continuity and internal coordination alongside exte
 rnal collaboration.\n\nMore information about the event: https://www.iiiee
 .lu.se/calendar/phd-defense-karolina-sodergren
DTSTART;TZID=GMT:20260508T110000
DTEND;TZID=GMT:20260508T130000
LOCATION:IIIEE Aula
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