Comparative services research

Our main focus is on municipal primary care services. We also engage in dynamics running across welfare sectors, services, levels, municipalities, and national borders.

The focal point is the diversity/complexity, conditions, content and contexts of public primary care services - including relations between service systems and care logics; relations between local and central authorities; institutional dynamics and regulations; policy and discourse analysis; services staff, users and the civil society.

The group is based at Center for Care Research West (CCR west), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), and we arrange regular seminars discussing research projects, thematic literature and work in progress. 

Themes and ways of working

Our research group conducts research on a range of thematic areas and we initiate and develop career plans for younger researchers. Examples of research themes are: service collaboration and coordination, social and cultural diversity in the primary care workforce, social differentiation, municipal prioritization and dilemmas, and variation within and between services. We apply a span of methods and theoretical perspectives.

Participation in the PhD programmes «Health, function and participation» and «Responsible innovation and regional development»

• Philosophy of Science and ethics, 5 ECT. Anette Fagertun, course lead. Lecturers: Frode F. Jacobsen, Christine Øye.
• Contextual conditions, 5 ECT. Christine Øye, course lead. Lecturers: Anette Fagertun, Frode F. Jacobsen, Oddvar Førland.
• Health, Functioning, Participation (core subject), 5 ECT. Tobba T. Sudmann, course lead. Lecturers: Christine Øye, Anette Fagertun.
• Committee member for admission to the phd programme «Health, function and participation», Oddvar Førland.
• Social innovation, 5 ECT. Frode F. Jacobsen, course lead. Lectures: Anette Fagertun, Christine Øye, Oddvar Førland. 

Head of Research Group

Oddvar Førland

Professor, Centre for Care Research