The Inception of the European Research Council: The Role of Swedish Political Actors

The authors explore the strategies, concepts, and perspectives of the Swedish academic community during the creation of the European Research Council. This case is of particular research interest because representatives of Swedish research funding organizations and academies actively participated in the project and exerted a measurable influence during its final stages. The article examines the roles played by Swedish political actors and analyzes the factors that shaped their positions and strategies. Its main objective is to investigate how domestic political processes affect supranational institution-building and to identify the specific dimensions of this influence. The authors assess whether the positions of these actors reflect public policy goals, the interests of particular organizations and advocacy groups, or whether they act on behalf of transnational communities. These questions are addressed through the lens of three distinct versions of institutional theory. The authors conclude that the influence exerted by Swedish actors followed a bottom-up pattern: the driving forces behind the changes were scientists and representatives of the academic community, while the government played the role of guarantor – approving and legitimizing the proposed initiatives. Additionally, the positions taken by these actors are viewed as a continuation of Sweden’s national development trajectory. In other words, the nature of prior domestic events helped shape the European agenda that was emerging at the time.Â