Writing reports for the ESO
Reports published in the ESO’s publication series must be highly relevant to future socio-economic and fiscal policy decisions.They might concern the means of securing funding for public sector services (e.g. through increased labour force participation), the scope of public sector commitments or the efficiency, productivity and quality of publicly funded services.The reports are intended to stimulate public debate in policy-relevant areas, which calls for a particular requirement for authors to present advanced analysis accessibly and correctly.
Proposals that lead to ESO reports can come from a wide range of sources.The composition and working methods of the ESO give it a large number of points of contact and anyone may propose areas of study or specific studies to the ESO.
Work on an ESO report usually begins with the Board drawing attention to a certain issue or area of study and instructing the Secretariat to propose a project plan and potential authors in that area. At times The Board also considers unsolicited project proposals.
The Board’s decision on whether a given study will be undertaken is always based on a project plan containing a project description, a detailed cost estimate and a timeframe for completion of the report.When the Board has decided to approve a study, a contract is signed between the ESO and the author based on the project plan.
In connection with this, a reference group of experts in the relevant area is also set up.The group’s task is to follow work on the report and contribute with ideas to increase its quality.The reference group is usually led by a Board member or ESO expert.Where necessary, an external referee may also be called in to offer a referee review.A moderate standard fee is usually paid to the members of the reference group.The chair of the reference group can also arrange seminar discussion of an upcoming report at a scientific institution.
When a final draft report is ready, the Board decides whether it can be published in the ESO’s publication series.When the report is published, the ESO has the right to use the material contained in it both internally and externally as it sees fit.The ESO usually holds a seminar or a press conference in connection with the publication of a report.
If the report is not considered to be of sufficiently high quality for the publication series, the authors may use the material as they see fit.It should be stressed that the ESO’s decision here refers primarily to the quality of the report.The opinions and positions advanced in an ESO report are always the responsibility of the authors.
ESO reports are usually written in Swedish.In cases where a report is published in another language, a detailed summary is prepared in Swedish.
Remuneration to authors and types of contract
The remuneration given to external authors varies.Several factors are weighed up – for example the author’s qualifications and organisation to which they belong, the extra work the assignment will cause the author and the importance of the area of study.In exceptional cases, limited remuneration can be paid for the production of the project plan.This might be the case where, for example, the planned report deals with an issue of great importance for the ESO and where the project plan would otherwise not be produced.