Personal profile
Research
Professor at Dept.of Social Sciences and Business since 2011.
Research fields:
I am a care and gender researcher that has researched care and the governance of care historically and contemporary (neo-liberalism/New Public Management and New Public Governance), its rationalities, conflicts and dilemmas as well as the way care professionals translate political rationalities and implications for those at the receiving end of care. Resistance and silencing has been important in this work. More recently, I have studied the emergence of care crisis in a Nordic context and its specific characteristics compared to more libeal welfare regimes.
As a gender researcher I work with feminist theories of the state - and the relationship between welfare professions and the state. In my work I have worked with issues of justice, recognition and misrecognition inspired by Fraser's seminal work.
Methodologically, I apply a discourse theoretical stance, but have also done interviews.
Education:
Ph.D. (Århus, Political Science), Cand. Scient. Pol. (Århus, Political Science), Exam. Art (Århus, Philosophy) and MA (Essex, Government) with distinction.
Leadership positions
Dahl has the been one of the co-creators of Center for Power, Gender and Diversity at RU and been its head in the period 2012-2013, head of the doctoral school at Dept. of Social Sciences and Business and director (2018-2024) as well as the head the national doctoral school on Welfare State and Diversity (2006-2009). Dahl has also been a member of Styregruppen for satsningen Nasjonale forskerskoler (The Research Council of Norway i 2008-2018).
Visiting professor:
2011 Rikkyo University (Japan), 2017 Tampere University (Finland) and 2019 fellow at Netherlands Institute of Advanced Studies. 2024 University of Humanistic studies (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
PhD students and post.docs's
I have so far supervised/co-supervised more than ten PhD theses to completion, had visiting phd students from various european countries and two post.doc's from Europe and overseas have been visiting on research stays.
Publications in English:
A Care Crisis in the Nordic welfare states? written and edited with Lise Lotte Hansen og Laura Horn (2022)
Struggles in (elderly) care - A feminist view (2017)
Promoting Innovation in the Social Services (2014) with Johannes Eurich and others.
Europeanization, Care and Gender - global Complexities (2011) written and edited with Marja Keränen and Anne Kovalainen.
Dilemmas in the Nordic Welfare State (2005) written and edited with Tine Rask Eriksen
I have published in the following international, scientific journals:
European Journal of Women's Studies, Acta Sociologica, International Journal of Feminist Politics, Critical Social Policy, NORA: Nordic Journal of feminist and Gender Research, International Journal of Social Welfare, Journal of social policy, Social Policy & Administration, Health Policy, Nordic Journal of Migration Research, International Journal of Care and Caring, Sociology of health and Illness, Journal of Aging Studies, European Journal of Politics and Gender.
Keywords
- Welfare state, Welfare society
- Care
- Old age care
- Gender studies, Ethnicity, Equal rights
- Feminist theory
- Intersectionality
- Discourse analysis
- Public administration
- Economics, Politics
Collaborations and research areas
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Conceptualisations of a care crisis and beyond: context, neoliberalism and a two-dimensional view of care
Dahl, H. M., 2026, In: European Journal of Politics and Gender. Early view, 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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Enabling self-problematising? Strategically choosing re-analysis and co-authorship with an attention to difference
Dahl, H. M., 13 Jan 2026, Innovations in Critical Policy Analysis: What’s The Problem Represented to Be?. Rönnblom, M. & Edwards, R. (eds.). Bristol: Bristol University Press, p. 149-160 12 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Reimagining the Caring State in the Nordics
Dahl, H. M., 9 Jun 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Politics and Gender. p. 1-7 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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Dilemmas of professionalism in care work for older people
Dahl, H. M., 17 Dec 2025, Research Handbook on Social Care Policy. Ranci, C. & Rostgaard, T. (eds.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 221-235 15 p. (Elgar Handbooks in Social Policy and Welfare series).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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Tinkering with good care: Professional judgment and innovations in Danish nursing homes
Dahl, H. M., Hansen, M. B. & Lindholst, A. C., Dec 2025, In: Journal of Aging Studies. 75, 8 p., 101362.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile39 Downloads (Pure)
Projects
- 13 Finished
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The Changing landscape of elderly care - Developing new concepts
Dahl, H. M. (Project participant)
02/09/2019 → 31/01/2020
Project: Research
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Fagprofessionelle og organisatorisk innovation
Burau, V. (Project manager) & Dahl, H. M. (Project participant)
01/02/2018 → 30/11/2018
Project: Research
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Nordic Network: A care crisis in the women-friendly welfare states?
Hansen, L. L. (Project manager), Dahl, H. M. (Project participant) & Horn, L. (Project participant)
NIKK – Nordic Gender Equality Fund
01/12/2017 → 30/11/2020
Project: Research
File -
Research Collaboration Workshop
Rezaei, S. (Project manager), Hansen, B. (Project participant), Scupola, A. (Project participant), Sund, K. J. (Project participant), Dahl, H. M. (Project participant), Greve, A. (Project participant), Christoffersen, L. (Project participant), Rubin, O. (Project participant), Dreyer, J. K. (Project participant) & Thomassen, B. (Project participant)
20/09/2017 → 26/09/2017
Project: Research
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book Project: Struggles about Care - A feminist View
Dahl, H. M. (Project participant)
01/11/2013 → 06/10/2017
Project: Research
Activities
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The Political landscape of care - and tools to study it
Dahl, H. M. (Speaker)
21 May 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Lecture and oral contribution
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The Nordic Care crisis: work-in-progress seminar with discussion of written drafts
Dahl, H. M. (Participant), Hahonou, E. K. (Participant), Kamp, A. (Participant), Hansen, A. M. (Participant), Fagertun, A. (Participant), jacobsen, F. (Participant), Ramsøy, I. (Participant), Alvåker, Y. (Participant) & Bjørnholt, M. (Participant)
29 Apr 2026 → 30 Apr 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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En Omsorgskrise i Danmark
Dahl, H. M. (Speaker)
15 Dec 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Lecture and oral contribution
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Omsorgsøkonomi
Dahl, H. M. (Speaker)
9 Dec 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Lecture and oral contribution
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Reimagining the Caring State in the Nordics
Dahl, H. M. (Speaker)
24 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Lecture and oral contribution
Press/Media
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The invisible Hands: Caring for the future
22/03/2024
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Au pairer bliver politianmeldt, når de fortæller myndigheder om udnyttelse
09/08/2023
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Danish Welfare: Bureaucracy puts care services under pressure
08/05/2023
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Også de øvrige nordiske lande er ramt af mangel på velfærdsansatte
26/09/2022
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Langt flere kvinder end mænd hjalp ældre under corona
07/03/2022
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media