About
Professor Jan Ottosson is a distinguished scholar at the Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, specializing in modern economic history with particular emphasis on the service sector in Sweden. His academic career spans several decades, with significant contributions to banking and business history, transport and communication history, retail and distribution, labor markets, and industrial relations.
His research interests prominently feature institutional theory, network theory, and path dependence, with recent work focusing on the history of clusters within Uppsala University's CIND programme. Ottosson has held various academic positions including Adjunct Professor at Umeå University and former Head of Department at the National Institute for Working Life until its closure in 2007. He is co-editor of the international referee journal Economic and Industrial Democracy, published by Sage.
Professor Ottosson's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output across economic history, with recent articles examining Swedish economic defense systems, labor market transitions, corporate archives, and elite executive backgrounds. His work shows a clear trajectory from historical analysis of specific sectors to broader institutional and theoretical frameworks, with increasing attention to contemporary policy implications.
His academic service includes extensive editorial work and supervision of doctoral students, with four completed dissertations under his guidance. Ottosson has secured research funding from prestigious Swedish agencies including the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and Forte.
His collaborative work spans multiple institutions and often involves interdisciplinary approaches, reflecting his position at the intersection of economic history, institutional analysis, and policy studies. Current research projects continue to explore the relationship between the state, business, and economic defense mechanisms in Swedish history.
