Paper separationsblad - Chalmers tekniska högskola

Acknowledgements
I had no idea that I would learn so much when I began my PhD studies. Of
course much of what I have learnt came from reading, writing and collecting
and analysing data. But the far greater share has come from the people
around me. They have taught me both about my self and about researching
the organization of economic activity in society. I could not have written this
thesis without these people.
Joakim Björkdahl, my main supervisor, is beyond doubt the person that I
have relied on the heaviest in writing this thesis. He is the person who has
taught me the most about how to craft an argument, identifying its
weaknesses and formulating the refutatio and limitations – the most crucial
of skills for a researcher. Thank you Joakim for always taking the time to
discuss my challenges and patiently showing me how my work can become
better.
Sofia Börjesson began as my main supervisor and eventually became my
examiner. She adeptly guided me when writing my licentiate level text, a
precursor to this thesis. Perhaps equally important, Sofia has been the
director of the Center for Business Innovation (CBI), a research environment
that has in many ways shaped me as a researcher. Both as director and
supervisor, Sofia helped me create a balance between knowledge exploration
for the sake of learning and focusing on the industrial relevance of the
research. Thank you Sofia for giving me space to explore my topic and my
limits, and for supporting me when I felt lost.
Mats Williander came in as my assistant supervisor after three years. He
identified and created a fantastic research opportunity and allowed me to be
part of that process (Paper V). Beyond that, he taught me that it is possible
to combine the sceptical mind-set of a scientist with a visionary drive to
change the world. Thank you for that Mats. In this, you will always remain a
source of inspiration.
Besides the three people acting as my supervisors at various stages, there
have been many others at Chalmers who have taught me much about
research. Daniel Ljungberg, my co-author in Paper III, introduced me to
quasi-experimental designs and taught me many practical tips about how to
structure a statistical analysis. Magnus Holmén introduced me to the
problem-solving perspective, and continuously provided me with new ideas,
reading tips and invaluable feedback on my research ideas. Jonas Hjerpe
showed me how to structure my thoughts about choice of methods and
intended scientific contributions, and remained a reliable source of answers
to my wildly varying philosophical questions. Henrik Berglund and Jan
Bröchner inspired me to appreciate many modern and classical seminal texts
on economic behaviour I would otherwise not have read. Marcus Holgersson
helped me see many common misuses of p-values in time for me to avoid
them, and also gave me valuable suggestions on how to frame my research.
Christian Sandström taught me the importance of focus in research and
provided countless insights and laughs about both the social sciences and
modern Internet culture over the years.
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