Workplace crime and work environment - a comparative study on interorganisational collaboration in a complex context

Research problem and specific questionsThe project explore collaborations against organised work-life crimes between agencies and social partners in seven Swedish regions. Two segments of the labour market, the construction sector and elderly care, will be studied. These sectors suffer from work-life-related criminality, and  an deterioration of the working environment.

Theoretical and empirical contributions are made by combining knowledge on agency collaboration and social partners with perspectives on organisation and gender.

The project illuminate how power relations generate work-life criminality and how agencies and social partners combat negative processes.The research questions are: What characterizes the contextual conditions and prerequisites for interorganisational collaborations between authorities and the social partners that aim to counteract crime in working life?

What dilemmas do representatives of relevant authorities and social partners experience with organisational collaboration, and how can these experiences be understood?

In what ways can these interorganisational collaborations be developed and context adjusted in order to strengthen the practical work with counteracting crime in the two sectors?

Societal relevance and utilisationIllegal acts undermine possibilities to develop decent work environments in the construction industry and elderly care. Organised crime poses a significant contemporary societal problem.

Its presence in the workplace jeopardises not only the working environment and the labour force but also society, working-life and the Swedish model.

The  project address these issues and contribute to the development of better methods for combating organized crime in the workplace.Data and methodThe project uses qualitative methods and a diverse set of materials.

Selected methodological tools are focus group interviews, semi-structured interviews, analysis seminars and analysis of secondary text sources, such as public and archival documents. The analysis methods aim to capture qualitative values and practice-oriented knowledge. Thus, the project will use triangulation of both first and secondary sources.

Plan for project realisationThe project works according to a timetable with four sub-projects. The methods are different for each sub-project in accordance with the triangulation approach.