Synøve Nygaard Andersen

• Brodeur, Abel; Mikola, Derek; Cook, Nikolai; Fiala, Lenka; Brailey, Thomas & Briggs, Ryan [Show all 347 contributors for this article] (2026). Reproducibility and robustness of economics and political science research. Nature. ISSN 0028-0836. 652, p. 151–156. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10251-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Science aspires to be cumulative. Reproducibility efforts strengthen science by testing the reliability of published findings, promoting self-correction, and informing policy-making1. Computational reproductions, whereby independent researchers reproduce the results of published studies, are an essential diagnostic tool2–10. Such efforts should have greater visibility11–16. However, little social science reproduction and robustness has been conducted at scale10,13,17–23. Here we reproduced original analyses and conducted robustness checks of 110 articles that were published in leading economics and political science journals with mandatory data and code sharing policies17,18. We found that more than 85% of published claims were computationally reproducible. In robustness checks, our reanalyses showed that 72% of statistically significant estimates remain significant and in the same direction, and the median reproduced effect size is nearly the same as the originally published effect size (that is, 99% of the published effect size). Additionally, 6 independent research teams examined 12 pre-specified hypotheses about determinants of robustness. Research teams with more experience found lower levels of robustness, and robustness did not correlate with author characteristics or data availability. Robustness checks and reproduction of analyses with existing and updated data based on 110 articles in economics and political science journals with data and code-sharing requirements found high levels of robustness and reproducibility and determined that robustness was not dependent on author characteristics or data availability.

• Horowitz, Veronica; Nolan, Patrick; Uggen, Christopher; Hyatt, Jordan M. & Andersen, Synøve Nygaard (2026). Considering the pervasiveness of the “danger imperative” in prisons: Perspectives from reform-oriented correctional officers. Punishment & Society. ISSN 1462-4745. doi: 10.1177/14624745261436436. Full text in Research Archive
• Horowitz, Veronica L.; Kaur, Sirat; Andersen, Synøve Nygaard & Hyatt, Jordan M. (2025). A Shared Sorrow: Conceptualizing Mass Carceral Grief. Social Sciences. 14(10). doi: 10.3390/socsci14100577. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The communities that develop in prison are often small, insular, and central to the experience of incarceration. In these carceral communities, the deaths of individuals—especially those integral to these groups—can echo heavily within a housing unit, and even an entire institution, resulting in a collective experience of grief. While grief is experienced universally, it manifests in unique ways in the carceral context. The shared sorrow, loss, and sadness characterizing the experiences of those left behind are central to this form of mourning, and among imprisoned communities, grief is experienced uniquely. This paper draws on semi-structured interviews with 58 men imprisoned during the COVID-19 pandemic in an institution where over a dozen men died in a relatively short time. Their experiences suggest that, while grieving in prison is often complicated and may be repressed by both the individual and the carceral institution, bereavement may take a different form when experienced collectively and broadly within the carceral context. We develop the concept of mass carceral grief to explain this phenomenon. While unique in many ways, the lessons on carceral grief from this public health crisis can inform our broader understanding of how loss impacts those incarcerated.

• Tiem, Britte van; Nieuwbeerta, Paul; Andersen, Synøve Nygaard; Hyatt, Jordan M. & Palmen, Hanneke (2025). Measuring prison climate across contexts: Lessons from administering the Prison Climate Questionnaire in the USA. European Journal of Criminology. ISSN 1477-3708. 22(5), p. 843–874. doi: 10.1177/14773708241290036. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prison climate surveys are uniquely positioned to identify how the quality of prison life differs both within and between institutions. However, much of this comparative potential remains unrealized, in part because of insufficient evidence that existing survey instruments are suitable for use in different contexts and that survey data can be reliably compared across contexts. In this paper, we explore the suitability of the Prison Climate Questionnaire (PCQ), originally developed in the Netherlands (NL), for use in the USA by assessing its factor structure, reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity using survey data from Pennsylvania ( N  = 632). We compare our findings with previously published psychometric results from the NL. Results of psychometric analyses show several striking similarities between the two countries, pointing to areas where the survey might be improved. While the PCQ shows potential for stand-alone use in the USA, further work would be required to use the tool in explicitly comparative research. We draw lessons from this collaboration to inform future efforts to develop standardized prison climate surveys more suitable for comparative analyses of prison climate in Europe and beyond.

• Horowitz, Veronica L.; Chanenson, Steven L.; Uggen, Christopher; Nario-Lopez, Hannah; Andersen, Synøve Nygaard & Hyatt, Jordan M. (2025). Discouraging dignity: Linguistic barriers to transforming the prison environment. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. ISSN 1756-0616. 82. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2025.100755. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There has been a recent push towards person-first language to describe people detained in the carceral system. This paper widens that lens, focusing on the language used to describe individuals who work in the system, specifically those perceived as pursuing too much dignity for incarcerated people. The paper revolves around a qualitative analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 14 DOC employees involved in a prison reform project. By semantically analyzing variations in language meaning and purpose, the study finds that reform-minded correctional officers differentiate how they talk to and about incarcerated people. Also salient is that prison staff can be subject to language-based stigma if they are perceived as too sympathetic to incarcerated people. Specifically, the terms “inmate-lover” and “hug-a-thug” are pejorative and are employed by other correctional officers to undermine reform-oriented colleagues. We explore the various definitions and meanings of these terms and contemplate their policy significance.

• Greberman, Emily; Andersen, Synøve Nygaard; Berryessa, Colleen M. & Hyatt, Jordan M. (2025). The importance of social dynamics in a prison environment: Learning from the concerns of incarcerated people. Journal of criminal justice. ISSN 0047-2352. 101. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102537. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The prison environment requires incarcerated individuals to navigate myriad norms, rules, personal constraints, and informal social dynamics that permeate the carceral experience. While research has gained valuable insights into the lived experience of imprisonment through surveys and interviews, an opportunity arises when incarcerated people are given a chance to voice their concerns firsthand. To better understand the priorities and concerns of incarcerated individuals, this paper employs a qualitative thematic analysis, rooted in grounded theory, of written, optional, open-ended responses to a survey on prison climate amongst incarcerated men in the U.S. (N = 376). When given a chance to reflect on issues that are important to them, participants often focused on negative perceptions of staff stemming from previous communication and interactions. Findings suggest that incarcerated people desire accessibility, support, and humane treatment from staff; when perceived as lacking, the adversarial distance between the two groups may widen. Acknowledging the systemic nature of these dynamics, the study offers avenues to support and encourage prosocial communication in order to improve relationships between staff and those incarcerated.

• Tamnes, Christian K.; Bekkhus, Mona; Eilertsen, Maja; Nes, Ragnhild Bang; Prydz, Monica Beer & Ystrom, Eivind [Show all 63 contributors for this article] (2025). The nature of the relation between mental well-being and ill-being. Nature Human Behaviour. 9(12), p. 2431–2440. doi: 10.1038/s41562-025-02319-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Horowitz, Veronica L.; Andersen, Synøve Nygaard & Hyatt, Jordan M. (2025). COVID-19 and the New Pains of Imprisonment. British Journal of Criminology. ISSN 0007-0955. 65(1), p. 75–92. doi: 10.1093/bjc/azae036. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As the COVID-19 pandemic upended life worldwide, prisons gained attention as epicentres for the virus. The focus was primarily on infections and death rates, often omitting the impact on incarcerated people. This study draws on semi-structured interviews (n = 58) with men imprisoned throughout the pandemic. Using and extending classic and contemporary theorizations of ‘the pains of imprisonment’, we find that official pandemic responses meant that (1) new, pandemic-related pains developed, (2) established pains changed in severity and took new manifestations, and (3) pains were experienced simultaneously and interactively. Thus, the pandemic amplified, diversified and compounded the pains of imprisonment. While most visible in the context of a large-scale crisis, these concepts provide an expanded, broadly applicable framing for future carceral scholarship.

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• Rye, Johan Fredrik & Andersen, Synøve Nygaard (2025). Slett ingen sosiologisk krise - Sosiologen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Rekrutteringen til den sosiologiske disiplinen er stabil over tid, viser søkertallene fra Samordna opptak.

• Andersen, Synøve Nygaard & Mjåland, Kristian (2025). Rus i fengslene. Full text in Research Archive

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