|   | | | | SITE September 2025 Newsletter
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| | | | In this September edition of the SITE Newsletter, we share new research and timely commentary from SITE and the FREE Network.
This issue explores Ukraine's path to recovery, emphasizing that rebuilding is not only about physical infrastructure but also about creating a secure and modern society. We also feature a new SNS analysis by Olle Folke (Professor, SITE) on Swedish politics, addressing why working-class voices continue to be overlooked.
Our latest policy brief takes a closer look at Ukraine's East - West divide, showing how trust, rather than values, shaped regional differences before Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. At a seminar hosted by the EU Commission in Sweden, SITE Director Torbjörn Becker argued that frozen Russian assets should be used to help rebuild Ukraine, while in a separate Swedish Radio interview he discussed Russia's deepening fuel crisis.
Finally, we highlight upcoming SITE and FREE Network events, recent media appearances, and invite you to explore the SITE Research Hub for our full range of publications and resources.
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| | SITE RESEARCH HUB |
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| | Explore Our Full Range Of Publications And Resources |
| | Our research hub brings together a wide range of resources on economic and policy developments with relevance for Eastern Europe and other transition countries. From academic research articles and working papers to policy briefs, datasets, in-depth reports, and media contributions, SITE provides knowledge that supports both scholarly debate and real-world policy discussions. |
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| NEW RESEARCH
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| Rebuilding Ukraine Means More Than Bricks - It Means Building A Modern, Secure Future
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| | A new study shows that Ukraine's postwar recovery isn't just about repairing roads and homes, but about creating a stronger economy, democratic institutions, and a future-proof nation. In this study, Torbjörn Becker, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Beatrice Weder di Mauro offer a sweeping review of hundreds of policy proposals in the Annual Review of Economics, outlining what it will take to rebuild Ukraine after war. |
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| SWEDISH POLITICS
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 | Photo of Olle Folke
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| | Falling Through The Cracks: Why Swedish Politics Is Still Failing Working-Class Voices |
| | Although half of Sweden's population belongs to the working class, only a tiny fraction of its politicians come from that background. This new SNS Analysis by Olle Folke (SITE) and Johanna Rickne (Stockholm University) explores the hidden "class ceiling" that keeps working-class Swedes out of political power. |
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| UKRAINE
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| | How Trust, Not Values, Shaped Ukraine's East - West Divide Before The War |
| | Just weeks before Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, a nationwide survey showed that while Eastern Ukrainians were more skeptical of democracy and EU integration, they didn't reject liberal values like LGBT rights or personal freedoms more than those in western Ukraine. This policy brief analysis, published by Anders Olofsgård (SITE) and Cecilia Smitt Meyer (SITE), uses this snapshot of Ukraine to show that the real divide wasn't values—it was trust in institutions. |
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| SEMINAR HIGHLIGHT
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 | Photo of Torbjörn Becker
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| "Use Frozen Russian Assets To Rebuild Ukraine"
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| At a seminar hosted by the EU Commission in Sweden, SITE Director Torbjörn Becker argued that the only fair and sustainable way to finance Ukraine is by using the frozen Russian assets. He proposed creating a legally robust reparations fund that holds Russia accountable while ensuring the EU doesn't pass the burden onto EU taxpayers.
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| RUSSIA
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 | Photo of Torbjörn Becker
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| Russia's Fuel Crisis Deepens
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| | Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian oil refineries are hitting hard — and the consequences are visible across Russia, with long queues at gas stations and reported fuel shortages. In a recent episode of Radiokorrespondenterna Ryssland (Sveriges Radio), Torbjörn Becker, Director of SITE, explains how crucial oil revenues are for financing Russia's war in Ukraine — and how recent strikes are increasing economic pressure on the Kremlin. |
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| | | | Oct 7 | Book talk: Sovjet – Som det verkligen var (Soviet – As It Really Was) | |
| | | | Oct 14 | Swedish-Ukrainian business conference: Strategic partnership for recovery and growth | |
| | | | Oct 15 | Clearing the path to recovery: The economics of humanitarian demining and Ukraine's reconstruction | |
| | | | Oct 20 | SITE Seminar with Jens Ewald | |
| | | | Nov 4 | SITE Seminar with Mounir Karadja | |
| | | | Nov 12-13 | HROMADA Conference 2025 coming to SSE | |
| | | | Nov 18 | SITE Seminar with Shon Ferguson | |
| | | | Nov 26 | SITE Seminar with Christian Ochsner | |
| | | | Nov 28 | FREECE 2025 Workshop | |
| | | | Dec 5 | SITE 2025 Development Day Conference | |
| | | | N/A | FREE Network Academic Conference | |
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| | | | (Listed from oldest to most recent as of this month.) | |
| | | | "Workers heavily underrepresented in the Swedish Parliament" / "Arbetare kraftigt underrepresenterade i riksdagen" (Dagens Arena) | |
| | | | "Russia weakened by sanctions. But gas and oil exports have not been hit hard enough."/ "Russia indebolita dalle sanzioni. Ma l'export di gas e petrolio non è stato colpito abbastanza" (la Repubblica) | |
| | | | "Russia cuts back: 'Stretched at both ends'" / "Ryssland drar ner: "Man drar i båda ändarna"" (Svenska Dagbladet, SvD)
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| | | | THANK YOU FOR READING
THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER
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| | | | Follow us on our social media accounts to get the latest updates from SITE (click on the icons below).
Until then, see you in the next newsletter!
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