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Transportation accounts for a large and growing part of carbon dioxide emissions. With an increasing vehicle fleet worldwide private car use is becoming an acute problem in need of urgent attention and action. Policy interference and cleaner cars are not enough; alternative fuel vehicles such as electric vehicles need to be adopted by consumers as well. Previous research on pro-environmental consumer behavior and sustainable consumption has proven the importance of norms and pro-environmental attitudes. However, little research has focused on understanding interpersonal influence found influential in consumer behavior research relating to innovation adoption. Consumer opinion leading and opinion seeking are two such interpersonal influence attitudinal constructs that have not been empirically analyzed in relation to sustainable consumption and alternative fuel vehicles. The main aim of this study is thus to analyze the influence of a set of attitudinal constructs on electric and flexfuel vehicle adoption: personal norms, social norms, ecological attitudes, opinion leading, and opinion seeking. Data from a questionnaire survey on three groups of electric vehicle adopters and non-adopters is used (N=1,192). The results confirm the importance of personal norms, opinion leading and opinion seeking in the three groups also when controlling for socio-demographic factors. The main contribution of this study is that it shows the importance of both interpersonal influence and attitudinal factors as drivers for eco-innovation adoption. The study also contributes in showing that electric vehicle and flexfuel vehicle adopters differ in relation to non-adopters on several factors.

In this study a model was applied on consumer acceptance of commonly implemented EV focused measures. The model is based on a norm-activation process as defined in the Value-Belief-Norm theory and the Norm-Activation Model. The study was based on a questionnaire survey study on three groups of car owners; conventional fossil fuel vehicle owners (CV, n = 312, owners of vehicles run on alternative fuels except electricity (AFV_{non-electric,} n = 386), and owners of some form of electric vehicle (EV, n = 494). The results indicate that activating a personal normative reasoning in people can have a positive influence on the level of acceptance of EV aimed policy measures. It is important that policy makers develop policies that are perceived as just and effective, which as a consequence are then more acceptable to citizens.

Regional adjustment models are applied to explore causal interaction between two types of people distinguished by educational attainment, and two types of jobs: creative class jobs and other jobs. Data used are for labour market regions in Finland, Norway and Sweden from the 2000s. Creative class jobs follow people with high educational attainment (one way causation), but creative class jobs also follow other jobs and vice versa (circular causation). The results suggest that stimulating creative class job growth could be accomplished through attracting people with higher education, but also by attracting other jobs with the added benefit that the initial stimulus would be reinforced through circular and cumulative causation between job creation in the two sectors.

During the early 21st century, the world market prices for minerals increased dramatically. As a consequence of this development, large investments were made in mining all around the world. Increased exploration activities, the opening of new mines and large investment schemes in already operating mines and related physical infrastructure also gave rise to a “mining boom” in the remote and sparsely populated areas of northern Sweden. New jobs were generated in the mining sector, but the question of whether the “mining boom” also has stimulated economic development in a broader sense in these areas has been more open. The present article investigated whether labour incomes have increased not only in sectors clearly connected to mining, but also in other parts of the local and regional economy. This was done by following the income changes of residents in the mining areas of northern Sweden over the time period 2004–2010 and by using a propensity score matching estimator method (PSM). The results show rapid income growth for employees in the mining industry and construction sectors, but also some growth in several other sectors, indicating spread effects to the rest of the local and regional economies. The impact, however, is much stronger in the largest mining towns than in communities where mining is of less significance.

Although the number of different types of EVs is increasing, they still constitute only a small share of the total vehicle market. There are a number of barriers to car owners' adoption of an EV: travel needs, charging infrastructure, the individual car owner's socio-economic characteristics, attitudinal factors, and environmental concern. In this study, the characteristics and geographic location of all private car owners in Sweden (N = 4,447,118) are charted. Through analysis of survey data (N = 1192), the importance of socio-demographic attributes, geographic conditions, car interest, personal and social norms, and environmental concern is estimated. Mapping EV ownership shows that, so far, EV adoption has mainly occurred in metropolitan areas and also to some extent in hotspots outside the metropolitan areas, and that these hotspots are tourist regions that may be exposed to EVs via, for example, Norwegian tourists in the Swedish case. Logistic regression analyses show that age and education level have positive impacts on EV ownership. Residential area also has an influence to some extent, pointing to a slight neighborhood effect in EV adoption. However, the most important factor influencing EV ownership is the individual's personal norms. In addition to showcasing EV adoption patterns in Sweden, the contribution of this study is to point to the importance of the attitudinal factor of personal norm even when geographical conditions and socio-demographic characteristics are controlled for. Implications of the findings are discussed.