Assistant Professor in Political Science

Joel Martinsson

What should we do when we face impossible choices? And what do we actually do? These questions drive my research. I study how people navigate ethical dilemmas when values clash and there are no clear right answers. From parliamentarians wrestling with party loyalty to first responders making split-second decisions during crises, I explore the gap between ethical ideals and messy reality.

Why does this matter? Because understanding how people actually handle dilemmas helps us build better institutions, train better leaders, and have more honest conversations about the limits of what we can expect from those who serve the public.

Currently developing Saving of Swedovia, a simulation game exploring ethical decision-making in crises.

Find me online

~ Linnaeus University, Sweden

Current Research Project

Saving of Swedovia

A Simulation Game Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in Climate Hazard Crisis Situations

Saving of Swedovia is a research project developing an interactive simulation game to explore how people navigate ethical dilemmas during climate hazards. In the game, participants take on the roles of politicians, civil servants, and first responders in the fictional country of Swedovia, facing difficult decisions where competing values clash and there are no clear right answers.

The project brings together expertise in political science, game design, and emergency management to create a research tool that is both scientifically rigorous and engaging for participants. By simulating realistic crisis scenarios, we can study how different groups approach ethical trade-offs and what factors influence their decision-making under pressure.

Research Questions

What are the main ethical dilemmas that can arise for politicians, civil servants, and first responders during climate hazards, and how do these dilemmas play out in practice?
How do politicians, civil servants, and first responders manage ethical dilemmas during climate hazards?
How do citizens think that politicians, civil servants and first responders ought to manage dilemmas during climate hazards?

Current Focus Interviewing professionals. Game development begins spring 2026.

Funders Vetenskapsrådet & Crafoord Foundation

Project Team Joel Martinsson (PI), Veronica Sundstedt, Anders Bremer

Interested in Saving of Swedovia?

Are you a professional in crisis management, emergency services, or leadership training? Get in touch to learn more about the project or explore collaboration opportunities.

Name

Organization

Area of Interest

Message

Research Foundation

Political Ethics & Democratic Governance

My research on ethics, transparency, and accountability in democratic politics

Dissertation → Book

When Political Ethics Meets Political Practice

Dilemmas, Virtues & Vices in the Swedish Parliament

Drawing on 74 in-depth interviews with Swedish parliamentarians, my dissertation introduces three new analytical categories for understanding how politicians reason about ethical dilemmas: the ethical sphere in which the dilemma occurs, the optics of the action taken, and how politicians have demarcated their responsibility. These under-theorized aspects prove critical to understanding everyday political ethics.

📚

Coming from Routledge Currently under contract, being developed into: The Everyday Ethics of Politics: How Politicians Think About Dilemmas & Why You Should Care

Read dissertation →

Dilemmas of Powerlessness

The Core Argument

The paper that introduced "powerlessness" as a central concept in understanding political ethics. Published in one of the field's leading journals.

"The most challenging ethical dilemmas for politicians stem mainly from powerlessness, not from choosing between good and evil."

Read article →

Recent Research

Political Judgment Above Transparency?

Democratic Accountability

A mixed-method study with 1,659 Swedish politicians exploring how transparency affects their cooperation with interest organizations. The findings reveal that politicians prioritize independent political judgment over transparency concerns.

"Most politicians seem to think that close cooperation [with interest organizations] is not primarily a transparency issue that requires public scrutiny but rather a matter of political judgment."

Read article →

Research Output