Sveinung Legard

Sveinung Legard is a Researcher II at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), affiliated with the Center for Welfare and Working Life Research within the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). His work focuses on housing, location, and regional research within the broader context of social sciences. He has extensive experience in commissioned research and evaluation of organizational changes across municipal, state, and private sectors in Norway since 2008.

Dr. Legard's primary research interests revolve around power, participation, and democracy. He specializes in citizen participation in local democracy, with comparative studies conducted in Brazil, Norway, Spain, and Australia. His methodological approach combines qualitative and quantitative methods, with particular expertise in case studies. His work addresses critical issues in urban development, public sector organization, and social policy, examining how digital technologies impact democratic processes and citizen engagement.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on e-participation and digital democracy, analyzing how cities like Oslo, Melbourne, and Madrid implement digital participation platforms. His research shows how digital tools both enable and constrain citizen influence in urban development processes. He has also published extensively on participatory budgeting, the challenges of part-time employment in public services, and socioeconomic benefits of increased employment for people with disabilities.

Dr. Legard has led and contributed to numerous research projects, including:

• DEMUDIG: Examining citizen participation through ICT and social media in urban development
• Impact of youth participation on municipal decision-making
• Analysis of part-time positions in the bus industry
• Cooperation between municipalities and NAV offices
• Socioeconomic analysis of employment for people with disabilities

His research has practical applications for municipal planning, particularly in developing tools to safeguard children's and young people's interests in planning processes, and in analyzing residential environments for strategic area development.