Staffan Furusten, Associate Professor of Management and Director of Score.

The research will focus on the importance of various legal forms of organizations. In addition to research on mutual corporations, which is the part of the program that Folksam supports, the researchers will also examine cooperative associations and cooperatives. These corporate forms will also be compared with limited companies and public organizations. A key question is how a company's organizational form affects the possibilities for management and governance of the business.

"We engage in what is important for our customers and we know that our customers benefit from the fact that we are a mutual company. That is why it is important for us with research on this form of enterprise. It provides us with competitive tools to drive our business forward as a mutual company in the long term”, says Susanne S Svensson, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Folksam.

The program will begin in January 2016. Score will endeavour to raise additional funding for the program from research councils, research foundations, companies and organizations.

”Knowledge of running companies in other forms than limited enterprises is surprisingly small. Still, it is a question of companies that deal with large values, fill important functions in society and involve many people. We need more knowledge of the regulatory framework, management and governance of these companies in order to understand what challenges they deal with, but also to get a better understanding of how sustainable and responsible management of companies can be pursued in the long term", says Staffan Furusten, Director of Score.

The program will mainly be financed through external research grants.

”The contribution from Folksam is a great starting point but we strive towards a fivefold increase in resources”, says Staffan Furusten.