Foreign Direct Investments and Ownership in Swedish Schools - A Study on Risks

Authors:

  • Maria Refors Legge
  • Alma Dahl
  • Michal Budryk
  • Helene Lackenbauer
  • Jens Lusua

Publish date: 2023-04-27

Report number: FOI-R--5466--SE

Pages: 50

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • primary school
  • secondary school
  • risk
  • vulnerability
  • antagonist
  • influence
  • democracy
  • company
  • foreign ownership
  • investment

Abstract

Foreign investments are welcomed by Sweden as they contribute to positive economic development. With a changing security environment in Europe, more attention has been brought to the negative aspects in the Western Hemisphere. Foreign antagonists can exploit national vulnerabilities for their own interests, e.g. geopolitical, ideological or criminal. In Sweden, there are a significant number of private actors, both domestic and foreign, in the public sector, which is particularly vulnerable as it is crucial for the functionality of the society. The Swedish government has commissioned the Swedish Defence Research Institute (FOI) to study the risks with foreign ownership and investments in the education system. The purpose of this study is to identify vulnerabilities and risks in the primary and secondary school system, with a focus on teaching of democracy. The study has found, that it is not unlikely that a foreign antagonist could invest in Swedish schools with the aim of influencing democratic values in a negative way or/and an interest in controlling diaspora groups. The following major vulnerabilities have been identified: the Education Act, which is a framework legislation, allows for different interpretations; the Swedish Schools Inspectorate experiences difficulties detecting and counteracting antagonistic actors because the needed competence rests with other authorities; there are major difficulties in identifying the nationality of a company's principal or ownership abroad.