Uppsala Political Science Association Bachelor Thesis Award 2024 to Christoffer Sönne

Christoffer Sönne receives the award for the thesis "The Tug of War in Swedish Arms Export. A quantitative study on the probability of Sweden exporting arms to potential recipients"

Christoffer Sönne’s thesis explores an intriguing question of the contemporary arms trade, specifically the Swedish arms export in relation to domestic and international regulations of arms export. The thesis tests the theory of organised hypocrisy and finds, in contrast to expectations, that it holds only partially. While human rights violations and armed conflict do not hinder Swedish arms exports, the degree of democracy matters and a more democratic recipient country is more likely to receive Swedish arms.

Sönne provides an excellent review of prior studies, presents well-theorised arguments regarding the hypothesis and operationalisations, and critically reflects on the choices made while collecting and coding his own data. Sönne also skilfully executes a complicated gravity model, which allows the theoretical argument to be tested convincingly. The thesis discusses its results transparently and nuancedly, and the author shows an excellent understanding of methodological limitations and avenues for future research. Overall, the committee is very impressed with Sönne’s work, and we hope it will inspire future political science students.

The prize (a diploma and 5000 SEK) will be handed out in connection with the association’s forthcoming events on 25 September.

The prize committee consists of Theodor Thisell, Torsten Svensson and Katrin Uba.