Hege Hofstad

Hege Hofstad serves as a Research Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University's Centre for Welfare and Labour Research, specifically within the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research. Her work focuses on the Welfare, Democracy and Governance research group.

Her research centers on governance and co-creation processes between public authorities, civil society, business actors, and knowledge institutions. Key interests include public health, climate change, sustainability transitions, and leadership dynamics in local community development and spatial planning. Her work examines how multi-stakeholder collaborations implement long-term societal goals at municipal levels across Scandinavian cities.

Her recent publications demonstrate consistent engagement with urban climate governance, circular economy transitions, and social sustainability frameworks. Key themes include democratic limitations in climate policy, leadership tensions in co-creation, and evolving citizen roles in public service design. Her methodological approach combines comparative case studies across Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Cape Town with theoretical innovation in hybrid governance systems.

Hofstad actively contributes to policy-oriented research through projects like CIRCULAR (circular economy innovation), DEMOCLIM (climate protest responses), and GreenGov (comparative green transition governance). Her work bridges academic research and practical implementation through guides for city leaders and community development frameworks.