معرفی
Elin Helgesson is a Lecturer in Media and Communications Science at Mid Sweden University, based in Sundsvall. She is employed in the Department of Communication, Quality Management and Information Systems (KKI) and affiliated with the DEMICOM research center. Holding a PhD earned in 2023 through her thesis "The Many Faces of Public Affairs," she focuses on the intersection of public affairs, strategic communication, and democratic processes.
Her research examines occupational branding among public affairs consultants, stigma management in lobbying practices, and ethical dilemmas in political communication. She analyzes how Swedish media frames lobbying controversies and investigates role conceptions of practitioners as either democratic enablers or hired guns. Recent work expands into climate communication, exploring strategic messaging for sustainability initiatives like the Örnsköldsvik 2030 climate neutrality project.
Publication trends (2021-2024) reveal consistent analysis of public affairs legitimacy alongside emerging climate communication research. She integrates historical case studies (e.g., Thorbjörn Fälldin's political communication) with contemporary Nordic strategic communication practices, bridging academic theory and real-world policy applications.
Dr. Helgesson leads the "Communication for Climate Neutral Örnsköldsvik 2030" project developing municipal climate strategies and has directed research on Swedish public affairs, collaborating with Falasca, Johansson, Grandien, and Jämtelid. Her grant work emphasizes practical communication solutions for policy implementation.
She contributes to DEMICOM's interdisciplinary research on media, political communication, and digital society, focusing on how strategic communication shapes public discourse and democratic engagement in Swedish contexts.
