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Does inter-municipal collaboration strengthen cybersecurity?
University of Gothenburg,Gothenburg (SWE).
University of Gothenburg,Gothenburg (SWE).
University West, Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, Division of Social Work and Social Pedagogy. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg (SWE).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6358-3528
2026 (English)In: Journal of Cyber Policy, ISSN 2373-8871Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

With municipalities increasingly digitising and sharing data, the complexity and risks of cyberthreats are growing, requiring stronger local government cybersecurity measures. Inter-municipal collaboration (IMC) has been identified as a key strategy to enhance cybersecurity, and this study examines its impact on Swedish municipalities. A survey was conducted across all municipalities to assess the extent of IMC, and a Cybersecurity Index (CIX) was developed to measure their cybersecurity efforts. Our analysis evaluates cybersecurity strategies at different collaboration levels. However, the results show that while IMC is widespread, its expected benefits in strengthening cybersecurity are not empirically supported, even for smaller municipalities. The study also highlights risks to public service resilience when municipalities become overly dependent on collaboration. Given the reliance on unproven collaborative solutions, these findings suggest a critical re-evaluation of IMC strategies in municipal cybersecurity management.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2026.
Keywords [en]
Cybersecurity; local government; inter-municipal collaboration; public service resilience; policies; Sweden
National Category
Information Systems, Social aspects
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-25296DOI: 10.1080/23738871.2026.2642608OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-25296DiVA, id: diva2:2062332
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 2021-02229Swedish Research Council, 2021-06310
Note

CC-BY 4.0

Available from: 2026-05-25 Created: 2026-05-25 Last updated: 2026-05-25

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Berlin, Johan

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
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Output format
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