Eric Larsson

Eric Larsson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education at Stockholm University, affiliated with the History of Education and Sociology of Education research group. His academic work focuses on understanding the complex interplay between educational systems, social structures, and spatial dynamics within contemporary educational landscapes.

Dr. Larsson's primary research interests include elite education systems, social class dynamics within educational settings, and the relationship between education and urban gentrification processes. His scholarship examines how educational strategies and spatial representations shape opportunities in urban environments, particularly in inner-city contexts. He investigates how educational marketization affects school choice, social stratification, and access to quality education, with particular attention to Swedish post-16 educational contexts.

His research reveals how educational institutions function as both reflections and producers of social hierarchies, especially in contexts of neoliberal reform. Larsson's work demonstrates how upper-secondary elite schools employ specific strategies to maintain their position within increasingly marketized educational landscapes.

Larsson has been actively involved in significant research projects addressing educational inequalities. His current work on 'Inclusion for Innovation' examines how underrepresentation of certain groups in STEM fields affects sector resilience and innovation capacity. Previously, he contributed to research on 'Local prerequisites for successful schooling of newcomer pupils,' investigating how municipalities can better organize reception systems for newly arrived young people to improve educational outcomes and transitions to upper secondary education.

Dr. Larsson has presented his research at major international conferences including the Nordic Geographers Meeting in Stockholm, the European Conference on Educational Research in Copenhagen, and the European Sociological Association conference in Athens, all in 2017. His presentations focused on topics related to elite schooling, educational marketization, and strategic positioning of upper-secondary schools within competitive educational markets.