Dynamics of a Risk Regulation Regime : the Case of Head Injuries in Swedish Ice Hockey

Abstract: This thesis explores the risk regulation regime related to head injuries in Swedish ice hockey, primarily by utilizing a corpus linguistic methodology. More specifically, three empirical studies were conducted. The first one aimed to cover the media narrative regarding head trauma and its potential long-term effects on the game of ice hockey, including whether and how this has changed over time. The method used a corpus-assisted discourse study, based on the media coverage of concussions in ice hockey from the Swedish media archive. The second study aimed to map information from the Swedish ice hockey community regarding long-term effects on athletes’ health related to head trauma, including possible changes over time. For this study, activity reports from the Swedish ice hockey association were analyzed using traditional quantitative content analysis. The third empirical study aimed to map the contexts surrounding municipal political records that explicitly mention the game of ice hockey. This was achieved through collocation network analysis, where linguistic networks drawn from municipal political records relevant to sports and leisure activities were analyzed. The thesis aims to make a methodological contribution by applying corpus linguistics to a given risk regulation regime, as well as a theoretical contribution by adding to the studies of these types of regimes.The results from the three empirical studies were analyzed using a theoretical framework, in which risk regulation regimes were the central analytical concept. Additionally, the concept of organizational legitimacy, as used in the general assumptions of neo-institutional theory, was used as a supporting framework. This was due to the nature of the risk, which could be assumed to be not only to lacking regulation, but even encouraged by public entities. The findings included increased coverage of the risk in Swedish media and an increased tendency to promote the positive societal effects of ice hockey among the ice hockey community. Additionally, the political contexts in which the game of ice hockey was mentioned were mostly related to economics. It was also found to be a crucial part of the general context of sports and other leisure activities for which the benefits are emphasized.  This was thoroughly analyzed by applying the theoretical framework and focusing on the dynamics of the risk regulation regime. The applied methodology, mainly corpus-based methods, was deemed as working satisfactorily in relation to the specific research problem as well as for studying risk regulation regimes in general.