House of Governance and Public Policy: from an idea to a thriving hub of knowledge in five years

When the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation made the founding of House of Governance and Public Policy (GaPP) at the Stockholm School of Economics possible in 2022, it did so in the conviction that the societal challenges of our time call for cross-boundary collaboration among academia, business, and the public sector. Five years later, GaPP is one of Northern Europe’s leading platforms for research and dialogue on governance. A new report from the Stockholm School of Economics captures the journey.

Climate, security, health, education, and migration, the questions that will shape society’s future, rarely follow the boundaries between sectors or academic disciplines. Yet research, policy, and business have long worked in isolation from one another. It was against this backdrop that House of Governance and Public Policy (GaPP) was formally founded in October 2022, with the task of creating a shared arena where researchers and decision-makers can meet around complex governance questions.

The model is built on SSE’s concept of a “House”, an institutional structure that brings leading expertise from many fields together under one roof. By connecting existing research environments while building new ones, GaPP became both a coordinating structure and an engine for new research. The Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation was a significant force in making the launch possible.

– When we entered this initiative in 2022, we did so with the ambition of making a long-term contribution to cross-boundary collaboration and greater knowledge-sharing among academia and the public and private sectors. We are pleased with GaPP’s development and look forward to what lies ahead, says Tor Bonnier, Managing Director of the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation.

Eight centers under one roof

From a handful of centers at the outset, GaPP has grown into a unified platform with eight specialized research centers and more than 100 affiliated researchers. It spans everything from municipal finance and educational leadership to statecraft, health, security, the philosophy of markets, and migration and integration. At the heart of the initiative stands the Karl-Adam Bonnier Center for Governance, an interdisciplinary center that gathers 18 researchers around the question of how organizations in both the private and public sectors can be governed better.

Five years of impact

The report documents an operation that has grown quickly in both scale and significance. Over its first five years, the researchers have published 299 academic works, including 33 in journals on the Financial Times list of the top 50. Just as important is the engagement with the wider world: 184 public events have gathered more than 6,000 participants from academia, government, business, and civil society, and 25 closed-door policy labs have brought senior decision-makers together for candid discussions.

– In five years, House of Governance and Public Policy has grown from a vision into a vibrant, interdisciplinary platform that brings together researchers, students, decision-makers, and business. Our seminars and policy labs have become arenas where different actors meet to discuss how society’s most important functions should be governed – and demand for our expertise continues to grow, says Karl Wennberg, professor and Scientific Director of GaPP.

The impact does not stop at research. Through seminars, conferences, and policy labs, GaPP has become a trusted arena where knowledge is put into practice. One clear example is the new Master in Public Policy at the Stockholm School of Economics, which following an extensive scoping study was approved by the Swedish government in 2026 and will educate the societal leaders of tomorrow.

– Public institutions, political decisions, and the engagement of civil society matter greatly to how societies are shaped and evolve. For SSE, House of Governance and Public Policy is therefore not an addition but a necessity. It is our way of taking broader responsibility for society in Sweden, in Europe, and globally, says Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics.

The path forward

If the first years were about building structure, the coming years are about stewarding that structure well. The report points to a next phase in which GaPP will deepen its scientific quality, measure its societal impact more systematically, and strengthen its international presence—with the ambition of making the Stockholm School of Economics a leading platform for research and dialogue on governance in Northern Europe.

For the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation, the report is confirmation that long-term, independent support can build something that lasts. What began as an idea is today a thriving hub of knowledge, and the work of strengthening the institutions that keep society and business functioning continues.

Read the full report, “House of Governance and Public Policy 2022–2026,” here.