Harald Borgebund

Norwegian version of this page Department of Computer Science and Communication

Norwegian version of this page Position

Associate Professor

Contact

+4769608244

harald.borgebund@hiof.no

Study place

Halden

Office nr.

D1-003

Academic interests

My main interests are democratic theory and liberal political philosophy.

Courses taught

I teach the following two courses:

Politisk analyse: https://www.hiof.no/studier/emner/oss/2018/host/sfs11218.html
Offentlig politikk og administrasjon: https://www.hiof.no/studier/emner/oss/2019/var/sfs11518.html

Background

I did my Ma and PhD at the University of York (UK) and finished my PhD on the relationship between liberal theories of justice and democracy in July 2009. At the same time I started teaching at the NLA Høgskolen in Bergen where I taught until 2015 when I started in my current position as Associate Professor in Political Science at Østfold University College.

Positions held

Member of HiØ's Complaint and Disciplinary Committee
Chairman of the ØSS Faculty board

Research groups

Digital Communication - DIGICOM

Stokseth, Øyvind; Borgebund, Harald & Sætra, Henrik Skaug (2025). For us, by us? In Zaidan, Esmat; Ibrahim, Imad Antoine & Azar, Elie (Ed.), Smart Cities to Smart Societies: Moving Beyond Technology. Routledge. ISSN 9781003439325. p. 11–28. doi: 10.4324/9781003439325-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Smart city initiatives promise to revolutionize urban living, offering technological solutions to improve everything from transportation to public safety. Yet, the success of these initiatives depends not just on the technology but also on the preferences, attitudes, and competencies of the people who use it. In this chapter, we take a closer look at the role of citizens, who are often seen only as end users but are, in fact, pivotal players in shaping their cities. We explore various interpretations of what it means to be a ‘smart’ city and map out the different stakeholders involved, placing a special focus on citizens. Throughout the chapter, we question and discuss how citizens can and should be involved in the planning, development, and governance of smart cities. Our goal is to explain how cities can better involve and engage their residents, not just as passive recipients of smart technologies but as active contributors to the smart cities being developed. In closing, we outline practical ways to enhance citizen involvement, ensuring that smart cities fulfill their promise to improve life for all.
Borgebund, Harald & Lindahl, Sondre (2024). Trust and Democracy in a Digital Society. In Orban, Franck; Larsen, Elin Strand & Lindahl, Sondre (Ed.), Trust under Threat: Challenges in a Digital Society. Waxmann Verlag. ISSN 9783830948537. p. 17–29. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald & Børhaug, Kjetil (2024). Citizenship education after Ukraine: Global citizenship education in a world of increasing international conflict. Journal of Social Science Education. ISSN 1611-9665. 23(2). doi: 10.11576/jsse-6854. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Purpose: Following globalisation, a rich literature on global citizenship education developed (Akkari & Maleq 2020; Goren & Yemini 2017). However, recent developments in international politics prompt us to ask whether global citizenship education gives young people a grasp of the international world. We argue that global citizenship education theory must be supplemented because it does not provide much guidance to help young people understand international politics properly. Design/methodology/approach: We discuss how theories of global citizenship education conceptualise international conflicts and how three theories on international politics offer supplementary conceptions and perspectives. Findings: Global citizenship education should be supplemented with theories of international politics. Research limitations/implications: Our analysis only indicates some implications for global citizenship education, and further research on the didactical implications is required. Practical implications: Global citizenship education must rely on a wider set of theories to prepare the students for understanding global issues.
Borgebund, Harald & Matravers, Matt (2024). Judicial Review, Plural Weighted Voting, and Democracy. Ethics, Politics & Society (EP&S). 6(2), p. 1–21. doi: 10.21814/eps.6.2.5687. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This paper examines an important argument that has received little attention despite its wide implications. This is the claim that judicial review can be equated with plural weighted voting (PwV) because both are justified as instruments to achieve better outcomes, and both violate political equality. We take this argument to be a reductio: given that plural voting is unacceptable, judicial review must be rejected. If correct, this claim threatens to undermine much recent liberal democratic theorising. We argue that none of the obvious routes to distinguish judicial review from PwV offer a convincing way to distinguish these two schemes. Furthermore, this has important implications for how we should understand judicial review. The result is thus significant not only for the particular issues mentioned, but also for our understanding of the role instrumental justifications play in democratic theory.
Borgebund, Harald (2024). Liberalism’s Difficult Relationship with the Welfare State. Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics. 17(1), p. 46–65. doi: 10.23941/EJPE.V17I1.778. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Capitalism, Sustainability and Democracy. In Sætra, Henrik Skaug (Eds.), Technology and Sustainable Development: The Promise and Pitfalls of Techno-Solutionism. Routledge. ISSN 9781032350561. p. 163–173. doi: 10.1201/9781003325086-12. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald & Børhaug, Kjetil (2023). Demokratiopplæring gjennom demokratisk erfaring. Nordidactica. ISSN 2000-9879. 13(3), p. 46–65. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
A growing, multidisciplinary literature on the didactics of democracy has evolved. It is marked by different theoretical perspectives, and a dominant perspective emphasises deliberative and participation. In this literature, it is argued that such democracy can best be learned through democratic experiences at school. Assuming that such experiences are valuable, we raise the question of whether also other forms of democracy than deliberative participation may be learnt by school based experiences. If education for democracy is to be relevant for participation in political life, this is an important question. The article first argues that deliberative participation is a dominant perspective in didactics of democracy in Norway as well as internationally. Next, other notions of democracy are introduced before it is discussed to what extent these different notions of democracy can be experienced at school.
Borgebund, Harald (2022). Alliances in Machiavelli’s The Prince. In Orban, Franck & Larsen, Elin Strand (Ed.), Living Alliances, Leaving Alliances: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Waxmann Verlag. ISSN 9783830944492. p. 35–46. doi: 10.31244/9783830994497. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2022). Globalt medborgerskap. In Børhaug, Kjetil; Hunnes, Odd Ragnar & Samnøy, Åshild (Ed.), Nye spadestikk i samfunnsfagdidaktikken. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245037913. p. 215–230. Full text in Research Archive
Sætra, Henrik Skaug; Borgebund, Harald & Coeckelbergh, Mark (2022). Avoid diluting democracy by algorithms. Nature Machine Intelligence. 4(10), p. 804–806. doi: 10.1038/s42256-022-00537-w. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald & Irshaidat, Rand (2021). An Ethical Reading of the Political Marketing Mix through a Habermasian Lens: Theory of Communicative Action. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. ISSN 1477-9048. 15(1), p. 1–20. doi: 10.1504/ijbge.2020.10028591. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). The Limits of Democracy: Between Realism and Idealism. In Orban, Franck & Larsen, Elin Strand (Ed.), Discussing Borders, Escaping Traps: Transdisciplinary and Transspatial Approaches. Waxmann Verlag. ISSN 9783830940456. p. 35–46. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
We live in strange times. Old borders are vanishing just before our astonished eyes, while new ones are rapidly emerging. Nearly three decades after the publication of Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, the zeitgeist that predicted a bright future for mankind to a large extent turned out to be rather more of a dystopia. Crises in and outside Europe multiplied the number of border controls, triggered the construction of walls and fences and widened ideological gaps. The book Discussing Borders, Escaping Traps is a transdisciplinary and transspatial approach to investigating these vanishing, emerging and changing material and immaterial borders. It is the result of a two-year project by AreaS, a research group in area studies located at Østfold University College in Norway, and by partners of AreaS.
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Political Communication and the Realities of Democracy: Realistic Democratic Theory meets Political Communication. Miguel Hernández Communication Journal. ISSN 2529-9247. 10, p. 165–179. doi: 10.21134/mhcj.v10i0.290. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2015). The tense and complex relationship between liberalism and the welfare state. Swiat idei i Polityki. ISSN 1643-8442. 12, p. 194–216. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2015). Demokratisk danning: realistisk eller idealistisk demokratisyn? In Børhaug, Kjetil; Hunnes, Odd Ragnar & Samnøy, Åshild (Ed.), Spadestikk i samfunnsfagdidaktikken. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245015485. p. 87–102. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2015). Modus vivendi versus public reason and liberal equality: three approaches to liberal democracy. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (CRISPP). ISSN 1369-8230. 18(5), p. 564–575. doi: 10.1080/13698230.2014.886756. Full text in Research Archive

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Lindahl, Sondre & Borgebund, Harald (2026). Ingen EU-debatt – en fundamental politisk svikt. doi: https:/www.dn.no/innlegg/politikk/eu/eos/ingen-eu-debatt-en-fundamental-politisk-svikt/2-1-1928747. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Norske politikeres fravær i denne debatten undergraver Norges langsiktige interesser. De prioriterer kortsiktige gevinster.
Borgebund, Harald (2025). Militær opprusting, Klima og miljø | Klima må vike for våpen: Europas motvilje mot reformer og opprustning kan bli katastrofalt. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Norge og Europa må ruste opp for å avskrekke angrep, og for å ha et effektivt forsvar. Klimapolitikk og reguleringer står i veien og må ofres for å trygge samfunnet.
Børhaug, Kjetil & Borgebund, Harald (2024). Teaching social studies after Ukraine. Social studies didactics and international conflicts. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald; Børhaug, Kjetil & Hestnes, Torstein (2024). Political Education and Democratic Backsliding from a Political Science Perspective. Full text in Research Archive
Lindahl, Sondre; Borgebund, Harald & Fritsch, Lothar (2024). Hvordan påvirker KI våre verdier? [Internet]. Podcast "Sikkerhet og sånt", https://shows.acast.com/sikkerh. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Hvordan påvirker KI våre verdier? Season 2, Ep. 1 I denne episoden av Sikkerhet og sånt er tema hvordan kunstig intelligens påvirker våre verdier, særlig knyttet opp mot utdanning og demokrati. Gjest er Lothar Fritsch. Han er professor for anvendt informasjonssikkerhet, og forsker og underviser i områdene cybersikkerhet, digital personvern, informasjonssikkerhet, digitale identiteter, personvernsteknologi og risikovurdering innenfor personvern og informasjonssikkerhet.
Sætra, Henrik Skaug; Borgebund, Harald; Velden, Maja van der; Danaher, John; Coeckelbergh, Mark & Selinger, Evan (2023). En KI-milliard for din tekno-optimisme. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Key note speech: Utopia. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Fra idealisme til realisme i urolige tider. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Undermining Liberal Democracy? – The Subversive Aspect of Deliberative Democracy in Democratic Education. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Intervju om omvalg i Moss. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2023). Intervju om valget 2023. [TV]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2022). Intervju om Viken med NRK. Full text in Research Archive
Lindahl, Sondre & Borgebund, Harald (2022). Politikere uten rolleforståelse. Full text in Research Archive
Børhaug, Kjetil & Borgebund, Harald (2022). Veivalg for demokratiopplæringen. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2022). Radiointervju om Viken. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2022). TV-intervju om Viken. [TV]. NRK Viken. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). Intervju om ny regjering, NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). Intervju om valget NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). NRK intervju om Viken/fylker. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). Intervju om meningsmåling NRK. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). Intervju om ny regjering Demokraten/Dagsavisen. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2021). Intervju om digitalt skolevalg 2021. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2020). Debatten - NRK om Viken. [TV]. Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2020). Intervju om oppløsning av Viken. [TV]. NRK Viken. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2020). Intervju om norsk politikk frem mot valget 2021. [Journal]. Demokraten/Dagsavisen. Full text in Research Archive
Orban, Franck; Larsen, Elin Strand; Borgebund, Harald; Maktabi, Rania & Mikkelsen, Robert Lewis (2020). En verden full av nye grenser? Boklansering for AreaS nye bok, Discussing Borders, Escaping Traps, Transdisciplinary and Transspatial Approaches. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Francis Fukuyamas drøm om en grenseløs verden og evig demokrati på begynnelsen av 1990-tallet ble senere avløst av et mer dystert bilde med nye fysiske og mentale grenser. I desember 2019 publiserte forskningsgruppen ved Høgskolen i Østfold AreaS en bok om dette temaet, «Discussing Borders, Escaping Traps: Transdisciplinary and Transspatial Approaches.» På seminaret presenterer AreaS-forskere flere kapitler fra denne boken.
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Det er positivt at noen bønder slutter med landbruk. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Kommentator på NRK Østfolds valgsending. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om lokalvalget i Østfold. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om kommunevalget i Østfold. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Tv-intervju NRK Østfold. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Viken og nye fylker. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Viken og nye fylker. [TV]. NRK Østafjells. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om Viken. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Valgintervju NRK Østfold. [Radio]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om lokalvalg 2019. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju P1/Her og nå. [Radio]. NRK Radio. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om valgresultatet kommunevalget 2019. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju Moss Avis om lokalpolitikk. [Journal]. Moss Avis. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Lokalvalget i Østfold. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2019). Intervju om partier i Østfold. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive
Orban, Franck & Borgebund, Harald (2018). Brexit or no Brexit? Hvilken fremtid for Storbritannia og EU? Full text in Research Archive
Borgebund, Harald (2017). Kommentator på NRK Østfolds valgvake Stortingsvalget 2017. [TV]. NRK Østfold. Full text in Research Archive

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Published June 12, 2018 4:27 PM - Last modified June 14, 2021 11:32 AM