Orlaith Rice
Research Area: Crime, Migration, Democratic Decay, Populism
Email: orlaith.rice@ucdconnect.ie
Supervisor: Prof Eoin Carolan
Thesis title: Eroding the Substance of Constitutional Liberal Democracy? Crimmigration and Democratic Decay in Sweden: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
This thesis examines the current status of Sweden’s constitutional democracy. Utilising an interdisciplinary approach, it focuses on the relationship between right-wing populism and non-Western immigration. An analysis of focus group and interview data develops both the meta-concept of democratic decay and crimmigration theory. Using these frames, this thesis subjects Sweden’s constitutional framework to a stress test and finds that the state is well-placed to withstand an authoritarian attack on the structures, but not the substance, of constitutional democracy. This thesis contends that the Sweden Democrats (SD) are a right-wing populist party that conflate the political issues of immigration and violent crime to push for punitive policy that is emblematic of democratic decay. This study unfolds against the pressing issue of forced migration, which continues to be one of the most significant global challenges of our time. Sweden, which sits among the most well-established democracies in the world, is hitting certain key points on a trajectory of democratic decay.
Biography
Orlaith is a PhD researcher at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin (UCD) and a member of the European Research Council-funded Foundations project. She holds a BA in Criminology from University College Cork and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from UCD. Orlaith has experience teaching both law and criminology and has worked as a tutor for the UCD Writing Centre. She has extensive research assistance experience and has worked as an editor for both the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL-AIDC) Blog and the Cambridge Law Review.
Research funding/awards
Fitzpatrick Family Foundation Research Funding Competition (2023)
Laura Bassi Scholarship Partial Fee Waiver (2022)
UCD Sutherland School Research Competition (2022)
European Research Council Doctoral Scholarship in Law (2020)
UCD Walsh Scholarship in Law (2018)
University College Cork Quercus Entrance Scholarship (2015)
Publications
Rice, O., Gagliardi, S. and Rodriguez Gutierrez, D. (forthcoming 2025) ‘Youth Justice in Transition: Penal Populism and the Decline of Nordic Exceptionalism in Sweden’, In E. Pearce & G. Martin (Eds.) Research Handbook on Youth Criminology. Elgar.
Marder, I. et al. (forthcoming 2024) ‘Embedding a Culture of Interdisciplinary Open Research in Criminal Justice: A New Partnership for Ireland’, Irish Probation Journal.
Rice, O. (2024) ‘Assessing the Extent of the Sweden Democrats’ Influence: Two Years of the Tidö Government’, Illiberalism Studies Program, 9 July.
Rice, O. (2023) ‘Perceptions of Sweden’s Welfare State: Cause for Concern?’, Journal of Social Security Law 30(3), 176-189.
Gagliardi, S., Valverde-Cano, A., & Rice, O. (2023) ‘Identifying and Understanding Barriers to Investigation of Gender-based Hate Crimes: Perspectives from Law Enforcement in Ireland and the United Kingdom’, Criminology & Criminal Justice, 23(5), 880-896.
Gagliardi, S. and Rice, O. (2023) ‘The Impact of ‘Gaisce – The President’s Award’ on Young Adults in Irish Prisons: A Qualitative Evaluation Report’, UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, 7 March.
Gagliardi, S. and Rice, O. (2023) 'Through Hope and Struggle: The Impact of “Gaisce—The President’s Award” on Young Adults in Irish Prisons', The Prison Journal, 103(2), 258–279.
Gagliardi, S., Valverde-Cano, A., & Rice, O. (2023) ‘Barriers to Investigation of Gender-Based Hate Crimes in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland: An Empirical Study’, UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, 3 February.
Rice, O. (2022) ‘Sweden Democrats: Another Win for Right-Wing Populism and Illiberalism in Europe?’, ECPR's The Loop, 17 October.
Rice, O. (2022) 'Beyond Economics: How the Northern Ireland Protocol affects the ‘Irish Question'', NEXTEUK Blog, 22 March.
Rice, O. (2022) 'Explaining Swedish Exceptionalism in its Pandemic Response', ECPR's The Loop, 14 March.
Rice, O. (2021) '100 Years of Partition: The NI Protocol and the Irish Question', DCU Brexit Institute, 19 August.
Rice, O. (2021) ‘How Punitive are the Public? Attitudes towards Crime and Punishment in Ireland’, Dublin University Journal of Criminology, Vol I.
Conferences
‘Crimmigration in Sweden: Conflating Crime and Migration in Public Discourse’, North-South Criminology Conference 2024 (June 2024) Belfast.
‘Stress Testing the Rule of Law in Sweden’, ICON-S GBIE, Techniques of Constitutional Regulation (May 2024) London.
‘The Role of Experts in Irish Citizens’ Assemblies’, COREP project workshop, University of Iceland (September 2023) Reykjavik.
‘Youth Justice in Transition: Penal Populism and the Decline of Nordic Exceptionalism in Sweden’, North-South Criminology Conference 2023 (June 2023) Dublin.
‘The Use of Deliberative Democracy in Sweden’ COREP project workshop, Aix-Marseille University (May 2023) online.
‘Perceptions of the Welfare State in Sweden’, SLSA 2023 Annual Conference (April 2023) Derry.
‘Trust as a Cultural Characteristic: The Case of Sweden’, Final Research Conference of the PERITA Project, Rethinking Policy, Expertise and Trust, (March 2023) Dublin.
‘Constitutional Consciousness in Sweden’, UCD Centre for Constitutional Studies PhD and Post-doctoral Researcher Workshop (Nov. 2022) online.
‘Judicial Legitimacy in Sweden’, ICON-S 2022 Annual Conference, Global Problems and Prospects in Public Law (July 2022) Wrocław.
‘Through Hope and Struggle: The Meaning of the Gaisce Award for Youth in Irish Prisons’, Law & Society Association Global Meeting 2022, Rage, Reckoning, & Remedy (July 2022) Lisbon.
‘Popular Notions of Trust and Legitimacy vis-a-vis Public Institutions in Europe’, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law Graduate and Postdoctoral Researchers Summer School (May 2022) Dublin.
‘Swedish Exceptionalism? Sweden's response to the Covid-19 pandemic: Constitutional restraints and lived experiences’, 14th Annual Trinity College Dublin Law School Colloquium (February 2022) Dublin.