All around the world the COVID-19 pandemic is having an enormous impact on people’s lives. Contrary to many other countries, Sweden has opted against lockdown. The Swedish Government has put trust in its people and has advised them to be responsible and follow the recommendations and guidelines of the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Using the Interest Theory of Rights, this article discusses the impact of the Swedish response to COVID-19 on three different Swedish communities, and considers the implications of such a strategy on social development. Data was collected from different national and international media sources as well as from Swedish authorities’ websites. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data with the help of ATLAS-ti.8.4. The findings section discusses how three community groups in Sweden—the elderly, immigrants from marginalised areas and prisoners—are having their rights altered during this pandemic period. It also outlines different social development approaches being used in Sweden for tackling the challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article concludes that a strong democratic state is vital in managing a pandemic such as COVID-19. It also argues that the strength of a state largely depends on its citizens’ willpower to take ownership of responsibilities—both individually and collectively.

Numerous efforts have been made by political leaders worldwide to prevent further climate change and develop sustainable solutions. However, due to conflicting political positions and the complex solutions required, attempts to limit climate change have proven largely ineffective. For these reasons, a new kind of environmental change leader is needed to catalyze significant societal transformation. In recent years, Greta Thunberg has become a major spokesperson for environmental issues, mobilizing people worldwide to act against climate change. Utilizing a theoretical framework based on transformational leadership and moral authority, this article discusses, by means of a systematic literature review, the characteristics of Thunberg’s leadership. Using the PRISMA protocol, data were collected from various national and international media sources. With the assistance of ATLAS-ti.v.9 Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany, qualitative deductive content analysis was performed to analyze the data. In this review, we discuss how Thunberg embodies five characteristics that are typical of moral authority, thereby becoming a transformational leader who influences the possibility of preventing climate change and promotes more sustainable solutions. This article concludes that it is through the characteristics of moral authority that Greta Thunberg has become a global transformational leader for those defending the natural environment.

In this technology-driven era, the digitalization of social work practice is becoming almost mandatory in many countries, especially in Europe. Within this context, it is important to look at the possibilities and challenges for the digitalization of critical reflection, which is a fundamental part of social work practice. Using a conceptual and theoretical framework based on reflective practice, critical reflection, and experiential learning, this article aims to outline and discuss the use of ATLAS.ti software as a supporting tool in digitalizing critical reflection in social work supervision (SWS). For illustrative purposes, a case example of child welfare from Sweden is used. This article considers both the benefits and challenges of using ATLAS.ti as a technological tool for the digitalization of critical reflection in SWS. It concludes that social workers’ autonomy and wellbeing need to be at the center in deciding about the use of digital tools such as ATLAS.ti in SWS.

School-based bullying is a major global social problem affecting societies around the world. It is argued that Virtual Reality (VR) offers benefits and possibilities in social work education. Within this context, a study was carried out with the aim of analysing students’ experiences with a school-based bullying scenario through Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality (HMD VR), and exploring the pedagogical potential of this technology to support the enhancement of cultural empathy in international social work education. Using cultural competence and social constructivist perspectives focused on empathy theory, this article addresses the following research questions: How do the research participants describe experiencing the bullying scene with HMD VR? How do the research participants account for their HMD VR experiences in connection with empathy? How can the pedagogical use of HMD VR enhance international social work students’ cultural empathic skills? Data for the study were gathered through four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 38 volunteer research participants based on their postexposure to a scenario on school-based bullying through HMD VR. ATLAS.ti v.23 software (Atlas.ti, Berlin, Germany) was used to undertake a deductive thematic analysis. The findings reveal that HMD VR plays an important role in enhancing different dimensions of empathy, which is an essential element in transformative learning in social work education. The overall implications of using HMD VR in international social work education for enhancing cultural empathy are discussed. The article concludes that HMD VR has a promising role; however, several ethical, practical, and pedagogical aspects need to be considered for this technology tool to provide the sought-after pedagogical value in social work education.