Erik Melin

Erik's work spans three main areas: teaching, research, and outreach.

Erik is a dedicated and experienced university educator who has achieved the title of Distinguished university teacher. His educational philosophy can be summarised in two key words: 'responsibility' and 'motivation.' In the classroom, this can involve group discussions, case studies, and project work to help future leaders view the world in a new way, based on their own interests.

Subjects and course engagements

Erik has participated in circa 100 courses within and outside the Department of economics and supervised around 30 theses at both undergraduate and advanced levels. He mainly teaches organisational science subjects, such as organisational theory, entrepreneurship, and leadership, but also covers other topics like sustainable development and agricultural science.

Erik currently runs the following courses::

• Introductory course in business administration and sustainable development (FÖ0481), 7.5 credits
• Independent project in Business Administration (EX0902), 15 credits
• ​Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development (FÖ0496), 15 credits

Pedagogical development and -leadership

In addition to teaching, Erik works with pedagogical development at course level, programme level and university level. Some examples of this work are:

• MOTT - Marketing and Organization teaching track (2018–present): Erik functions as one of two chairs of MOTT, a teaching track in marketing and organisation which in 2021 won SLU's educational award.
• PRME – Principles for Responsible Management Education (2018–present): PRME is a global UN initiative for higher education institutions that aims to promote corporate sustainability and social responsibility; as well as incorporating universal values into curricula and research. Erik works with strategic issues linked to PRME at the Department of Economics - something that e.g. includes development, execution and follow-up of goals for research, education and outreach.
• SCABM – The Swedish Centre for Agricultural Business Management (2018–present): SCABM is a collaborative platform that links SLU's research and education with the business world, within the subject of business management. Erik works here on developing business skills for students who specialise in fields other than business administration.
• Organisation of "Innovation and entrepreneurship in education" (2021): at SLU's educational conference 2021, Erik, together with e.g. SLU Future Food, organised a workshop entitled "Innovation and entrepreneurship in education". This initiative was seen as a first step in the work to establish an educational platform at SLU that could facilitate students' work with various future competencies, e.g. creativity, critical thinking and the ability to work in groups.
• Project management of the "Flipped classroom project" (2018–2020): Erik acted as project manager for this project, which aimed to develop a more student-activating course concept for overview courses in business administration, based on the "Flipped Classroom" teaching model. Through development and implementation of this model, the project sought to establish a new way for the Department of Economics to teach business. Within the framework of this project, Erik developed teaching materials for implementation in the department's courses, created a digital discussion forum, arranged workshops and focus groups, and evaluated the project's results.

Erik researches entrepreneurship using various qualitative methods. His research is often interdisciplinary, conducted at the intersection of organisational science, philosophy, sociology, and history. Since rural areas are central to meeting society's future sustainability challenges, they are often the focus of Erik's research – for instance, he has studied entrepreneurship in mining, community garden, and moose park contexts throughout rural Sweden.

The research in a broader context

Erik is a member of EIS, a research group working on entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainable development. A common starting point for EIS is that context matters in the journey towards a more sustainable world: how do entrepreneurs and innovators collaborate with other actors to initiate change in different contexts, and what role do these contexts play in shaping collaboration and change?

Ongoing research projects

Erik is active in the research project Keys to Navigating Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Rural Areas, funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation and running from 2024 to 2027. In this project, Erik collaborates with other researchers and local actors to develop knowledge on how entrepreneurship can be strengthened and developed in rural areas.

Other research engagements

In addition to conducting his own research, Erik works with peer review for various academic publications focusing on entrepreneurship, such as the journal Entrepreneurship & Regional Development.

Erik works with outreach throughout rural Sweden, both at the local and national level, with the vision of making rural areas more sustainable.

Outreach engagements

Erik participates in various outreach settings, continuously working with both internal and external stakeholders. This work includes, among other things:

• Member of Stärkt landsbygdsperspektiv (2023–present): Erik is part of Stärkt landsbygdsperspektiv, one of Landsbygdsnätverket's three analysis groups. The group's purpose is to help various public actors to strengthen the rural perspective in their activities, and to contribute to different levels being able to better cooperate together. Here, Erik works e.g. with identification of various societal challenges in Sweden's rural areas, and rural integration at municipal level.
• Board member of Upplandsbygd lokalt ledd utveckling (2022–present): Erik is on the board (LAG) of Upplandsbygd lokalt ledd utveckling, a Leader initiative in the Uppland region. The principles for this programme are that rural sustainable development should be local, innovative and long-term; and take place in collaboration between relevant parties. Within the frame of this commitment, Erik works with review of proposed projects, granting of project funds, and follow-up of completed projects, inter alia.
• Evaluation of Gävle municipality's outer area initiative (2022): Gävle municipality's outer area initiative aims to stimulate development and create faith in the future in Hamrångebygden, Hedesunda and Forsbacka through local commitment and participation. During the spring of 2022, Erik followed the final phase of this venture together with two other researchers at SLU. The work consisted of organising workshops and focus groups, conducting interviews, compiling and analysing empirical material and proposing strategies for how the initiative can become more sustainable in the future.

Research articles

Melin, E. and Gaddefors, J., 2023. Agency in entrepreneurship: preparing entrepreneurship theory for another view of context. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 29(11), pp. 184-205. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-10-2022-0916

Melin, E., Gaddefors, J. and Ferguson, R., 2022. The moral of the story: ‘populism’ and ‘activism’ in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 34(9-10), pp. 1-23. DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2022.2083690

Conference papers

Melin, E., Astner, H. and Jonsson, J., 2024. A beacon of light in the darkest of times: exploring hope in entrepreneurship. Presented at RENT 2024.

Melin, E., 2024. Sustainable entrepreneurship nearsightedness: exploring
change beyond business in "the world's greenest mine". Presented at NCSB 2024.

Ferguson, F., Astner, H., Gaddefors, J., Melin, E. and Roos, A., 2023. Pooled entrepreneuring: how small, low-productive ventures persevere in rural place. Presented at Rural Entrepreneurship in Times of Transformation 2023.

Melin, E., 2022. The entrepreneurial promise: why ‘trauma’ matters to any good story about entrepreneurship. Presented at EISC 2022.

Melin, E and Gaddefors, J., 2022. Who’s in charge: human and nonhuman agency in entrepreneurship and context. Presented at NCSB 2022.

Melin, E and Gaddefors, J., 2020. When agency moves in: built environments in entrepreneurship as practice. Presented at EISC 2020.

Melin, E., Gaddefors, J. and Ferguson, R., 2019. The story of a very rich man: celebrities, activists and populists in entrepreneurship discourses. Presented at RENT 2019.