Alexandra Waluszewski

European countries operate under broadly the same antibiotic policy and use wildly different amounts in food production. Alexandra Waluszewski traces that gap to the economic structures behind each national system.

Professor Emeritus

Department of Economic History at Uppsala University

Alexandra.Waluszewski@sts.uu.se

Alexandra's profile site

Research focus and interests

  • Use of antibiotics in European animal-based food, and the connection of economic interests in producing, retail, consumer, and policy settings.
  • Global and regional AMR policy and the largely varied use of antibiotics in different animal-based food settings, EU included.
  • Antibiotic use interdependencies versus economic models assuming independency.

Research expertise and methodologies

Qualitative studies based on multiple observations, across spatial and organizational borders.

Ongoing research projects

Main theme of projects I am engaged in: Overuse of antibiotics in the animal-based food industry, especially in the European setting. Some main aspects in focus: a) The challenge and cost of replacing routine use of antibiotics, since decades embedded as an economic resource in animal-based food producing and using systems. b) The driving forces and hindrances characterizing the few animal-based food producing settings that have achieved a successful transition to minimized use. c) The forces behind dismissal of innovative initiatives, aimed to change the contemporary animal-based production regimes towards minimized use of antibiotics.

Key Publications

  1. Waluszewski A., Harrison D., Munksgaard K.B., Halinen A. (2026) Who pays for the cost of change? On the different antibiotic use patterns in three Nordic pig-meat settings. Journal of Rural Studies, 122:103994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103994
  2. Waluszewski A., Cinti A., Perna A. (2024) Major or minor? The EU food animal antibiotic policy and the varied use. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 39(13):145–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-11-2022-0521
  3. Waluszewski A. (2023) More research? Or more use of research and practical experiences? On a systemic innovation compensating for regular use of antibiotics in Swedish pig meat production. In: Martin C., Taboas D., Prieto L., Herment L. (Eds.) From Breeding & Feeding to Medicalization. Animal Farming, Veterinarization and Consumers in Twentieth-Century Western Europe. Turnhout: Brepols Publishers.
  4. Waluszewski A., Cinti A., Perna A. (2021) Antibiotics in pig meat production: restrictions as the odd case and overuse as normality? Experiences from Sweden and Italy. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 8:172. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00852-4
  5. Waluszewski A. (2021) Vetenskapliga eller ekonomiska fakta? Om den svåra konsten att begränsa användningen av antibiotika för djur. Annales Academiæ Regiæ Scientiarum Upsaliensis 43, Kungl. Vetenskapssamhällets i Uppsala Årsbok. Uppsala: Kungliga Vetenskapssamhället i Uppsala.
  6. Waluszewski A., Baraldi E., Ciabuschi F. (2018) Increase development and decrease use! Innovation controversies caused by antimicrobial resistance. In: Hoholm T., La Rocca A., Aanestad M. (Eds.) Controversies in Healthcare Innovation: Service, Technology and Organization, pp. 309–340. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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