About Arena Idé in English
Arena Idé is a progressive, non-partisan think tank based in Stockholm, Sweden. We focus on issues related to the labour market and education, economic policy, welfare and democracy. Arena Idé is part of Arenagruppen.
Arena Idé is funded by Swedish trade unions, mainly by the blue-collar Swedish Trade Union Confederation LO and its three largest members Kommunal, IF Metall and Handels, but also by unions within the white-collar confederations TCO and Saco.
We carry out research and do advocacy, mainly by producing and publishing reports, articles, podcasts and books. We host seminars, conferences, round-tables, workshops and other events. Subscribe to our newsletter in English.
Our work is carried out by our own team or in collaboration with an extensive network of researchers, journalists and writers.
Our team presently consists of Lisa Pelling, German Bender, Elinor Odeberg, Daniel Lind, Håkan A Bengtsson, Ola Bo Larsson, Helena Eitrem and Simon Karlsson.
Lisa Pelling is the head of Arena Idé since 2021.
Lisa Pelling has a doctorate in political science from the University of Vienna. She regularly contributes to the daily progressive newspaper Dagens Arena and to Social Europe, and has a background as political adviser at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lisa was Secretary General of the International Union of Socialist Youth 1997–2001. Lisa presently chairs the board of the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society REMESO at Linköping University.
– Arena Idé is the only Swedish think tank that enjoys broad support both from blue-collar and white-collar trade unions. This allows us to have an important impact on policy formation and the political debate.
– As a research-based think tank we are a respected actor with significant impact on decision makers and a leading voice in the political debate.
Get in touch with Lisa at lisa.pelling@arenagruppen.se or +4673-654 13 16.
Download press images of Lisa Pelling.
German Bender is Chief Analyst and head of labour market and education policy.
He is also an affiliated researcher at the House of Governance and Public Policy at Stockholm School of Economics, and a senior research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy.
In addition to conducting and overseeing research and policy reports, German regularly writes columns or op-ed pieces in all major Swedish newspapers. Internationally, he has been published or interviewed in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC, The Economist, Süddeutsche Zeitung, La Republicca, Social Europe, and IPG Journal, among others.
Before coming to Arena, he worked for ten years at the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO) and at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO), in positions such as senior research officer, speechwriter and journalist.
Get in touch with German at german.bender@arenagruppen.se or +46-70-202 31 11.
Download press images of German Bender.
Elinor Odeberg is chief economist of Arena Idé since November 2022.
Elinor has previously worked as a political advisor at the Ministry of Finance responsible for macro economic forecast and international economic policy. Elinor is an economic historian and has, among other things, worked as policy analyst and researcher at Sweden’s largest trade union Kommunal. Elinor can be reached at elinor.odeberg@arenagruppen.se
Daniel Lind is the research leader for the Productivity Commission, a three-year initiative by the Trade Unions in Industry. For the past 15 years, Daniel has worked as a chief economist and policy director within the trade union movement. During this period he has also done research on globalization, the importance of the manufacturing sector, productivity and structural change.
Get in touch with Daniel at daniel.lind@arenagruppen.se
Håkan A Bengtsson is CEO of Arenagruppen and works with progressive thinking on economics, working life, democracy and the welfare state.
Get in touch with Håkan at hakan.bengtsson@arenagruppen.se or +4673-654 13 00.
Helena Eitrem is the head of communication and has many years of experience in political communication.
Simon Karlsson is Arena Idé’s own sound engineer, podcast producer and graphic designer.
Get in touch with Helena at helena.eitrem@arenagruppen.se or +4673-654 13 13.
The think tank has developed a large international network, mostly in Europe.
As the Swedish representative for the Innovation in Politics Institute, we help identify and develop innovations in politics and facilitate best practice exchange across borders and party lines.
Here are some of our other partners:
Collaboration partners through Innovation in Politics Institute:
