Engagemang, motivation, handlingskraft : En fallstudie av samverkan mellan Länsstyrelsen och Försvarsmakten under skogsbränderna i Gävleborgs län 2018

This thesis considers conditions for collaboration between two actors during the extensive fire-fighting effort in the Gävleborg region (Sweden) in summer 2018. The main purpose of the study is to explore how Länsstyrelsen and Försvarsmakten respectively identify the conditions for collaboration, and to what extent this image responds to a defined ideal type of collaboration. Material is collected through interviews with professionals from Länsstyrelsen Gävleborg and Försvarsmakten, and the responses are analysed through selected parts of the theoretical framework presented in the model An Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance, which as a sub-purpose of this thesis is applied, as well as evaluated in relation to, a case study of crisis management. The results of the study indicate that the conditions for successful collaboration between Länsstyrelsen and Försvarsmakten are perceived as mainly positive: The desire to collaborate and cooperate is by both actors expressed as high, trust between the actors is mutually defined as strong, and respective actor identifies and recognises the other’s contribution of valuable resources to the collected effort. However, the analysis also shows that there is room for improvement within the working processes in samverkansstaben, as well as within the actors’ communication. The evaluation of the application of the theoretical framework indicates conceivable difficulties in distinguishing between the model’s terms and elements, as well as their varying potential operationalization, yet it confirms that the theoretical framework is to a high degree applicable to this case study of crisis management