معرفی
Karin Skill is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Technology and Social Change within the Faculty of Culture and Society at Linköping University. Her work focuses on the critical intersection of digitalization, sustainable development, and civic participation. She actively researches how municipalities and libraries can reduce digital exclusion while integrating digital inclusion efforts with sustainable development goals. Her expertise spans sociotechnical systems, municipal governance, and the social aspects of technology implementation in public services, with particular attention to how at least half a million digitally excluded Swedes impact the achievement of global sustainability goals.
Education:
- Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Technology and Social Change, Linköping University (2008)
- Licentiate of Philosophy, Department of Technology and Social Change, Linköping University (2006)
- Master's degree, Stockholm University (2003)
Karin Skill's research centers on digital inclusion as a prerequisite for sustainable development. She investigates how digital competence is essential for equal participation in society as citizens and employees, examining municipal and library efforts to reduce digital exclusion through cross-level political collaboration. Her work addresses social and environmental aspects like gender equality and equitable resource distribution, with a focus on the sociotechnical context of technology in both urban and rural settings. She employs innovative methodologies, including multilingual face-to-face interviews that achieved a 65% response rate in traditionally hard-to-reach suburban communities.
Her publication portfolio reveals a strong interdisciplinary trajectory, moving from early work on household environmental practices to current research at the digital-sustainability nexus. Recent work examines digital platforms for circular economies, educational approaches for climate literacy, and innovative welfare technology implementation. She consistently addresses the tension between technological opportunities for efficiency and the risks of exclusion, particularly highlighting how digital participation affects access to healthcare, political communication, and trust in public institutions.
Scientific Recognition:
- Nominated for Best Poster at ICEGOV 2021 for research on 'Uber for Public School Buses and Limits to Sharing?'
Karin Skill leads multiple research initiatives funded by Familjen Kamprads stiftelse, Formas, and Linköping University. Her current projects include the DigidelCenter in Motala (bridging digital divides), 'A Sustainable Digital Society for All' (municipal development for digital inclusion), and investigations into occupational health risks in circular glass flows. She collaborates extensively with municipal authorities, libraries, and networks like Välfärdsbiblioteket.se to translate research into practical applications for welfare technology and inclusive digital society development.
Her research team employs innovative approaches to reach marginalized populations, as demonstrated by the 'Förorten svarar' (The Suburb Responds) project in Skäggetorp. This work examines technology access, digital healthcare usage, political communication, and privacy concerns in suburban communities, revealing how digital exclusion impacts multiple dimensions of civic participation and sustainable development goal achievement.
