John Brauer

About John Brauer

About John

John Brauer is a qualified social worker who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in social work 2022. The thesis concerned labour market policies, focusing on local governments’ efforts to increase employment rates among social assistance claimants.

Research

John Brauer´s research can be divided into two over-arching strands. The first concerns employment and poverty. Since 2024 he is principal investigator of a project funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte). The project, on which he collaborates with Katarina Hollertz (University of Gothenburg) and Lisa Wallander (University of Lund), concerns work-capacity assessments. Further, John studies collaboration between municipalities, the Public Employment Services and the Swedish Prison and Probation Service to enhance labour market (re-)integration of people who served time in prison. This project is funded through a personal scholarship by the Åke Wiberg foundation. Since March 2023, John Brauer is principal investigator for an evaluation of an ESF-funded programme delivered in collaboration with civil society organisations and psychosis care.

The second strand concerns area-based and preventive social work. It includes a project concerning the changing role of Swedish public libraries caused by a pressured welfare state. Within this strand, John Brauer investigate collaboration between public libraries and other public as well as non-public organisations when facing visitors in severe social depravation, together with Sofia Lindström Sol and Jenny Johannisson, University of Borås. During 2024-2025, John Brauer will be principal investigator of a project funded by Allmänna Barnhuset where these issues will be studied through a national survey. Since 2024, John, together with colleagues, collaborates with the municipality of Örebro on an analysis on a programme aimed to coordinate interventions in local areas. During 2025-2026, this analysis is funded by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). Lastly, John is part of UTOPIZE, a Horizon-funded project concerning citizenship participation within planning, which will begin during 2025.

Teaching

John Brauer teaches at the social worker-program at Örebro University.

Collaboration and assignments

In terms of internal research groups, John Brauer is a contact person for Profession and Organization in Social Work, coordinator of Vasa, and a member of Social work and care in a life-course. Concerning external research groups, John Brauer is currently coordinating a regional research environment that gathers social work scholars researching unemployment, social assistance, and debts. He is also a member of Aktiv and the Swedish network on collaboration research.

John Brauer engages in issues of social innovations by representing Örebro University in a regional partnership that gathers regional and municipal representatives as well as civil society organisations. He is also member of the scientific advisory board for a national centre on social innovations funded by the ESF.