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Municipal amalgamations and local housing prices
(2022-01-26) Karlsson, Vífill; Eythórsson, Grétar Thór; Faculty of Business Administration
In this paper, we examine the relationship between housing prices and municipal amalgamations. Due to consumer preference for access over amenity value, there is a spatial disparity of housing prices, refiecting the value of land in specific locations. According to Tiebout (1956) local amenity values will increase if the services of a municipality improve without a comparable rise in taxes or service fees, or if taxes or service fees decrease while the service level remains the same. The bid-rent curve is a framework frequently used to capture a presence of goods or bads such as amenities, disamenities, and externalities. Accordingly, the present study will be used to detect a possible social benefit or loss following amalgamations of municipalities. Macro panel data from Iceland will be used, representing several essential variables of the house market for 79 municipalities in Iceland during the period from 1992 through 2006. The research shows a significant positive relationship, ceteris paribus, between regional municipal amalgamations and local real prices of apartments.
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Digitalization and remote work in peripheral labour markets in the Nordic region
(2026-08) Eythórsson, Grétar Thór; Jóhannesson, Hjalti; Faculty of Business Administration
This article explores the impact of technological transformation as one of the global megatrends in modern times. We focus on how new technologies, especially digitalization, have made it possible for people in peripheral places to work remotely. The focus is on the case municipalities in Iceland, especially Húsavík in in Norðurþing in northern Iceland, but also in a comparative context with remote municipalities in Norway, Sweden, and Åland. The empirical data used is from the Nordic project SUNREM (Sustainable Nordic Remote Labour Markets), which has been studying the impacts of megatrends on the sustainability of remote labour markets in four Nordic countries. Data is collected from in-depth interviews with stakeholders, policymakers, and ordinary citizens in seven selected cases in the four countries. The key research questions dealt with here are: What is the situation of remote work in selected cases in Nordic sparsely populated areas? What preconditions are needed for remote digital working? Has remote work made the labour market more sustainable? The main conclusions are that remote working exists in all of the Nordic cases investigated. The town of Húsavík in the municipality of Norðurþing in North Iceland, stands out with its well-developed remote work centres. There are clear signs that facilities where people can work and meet other remote workers are important. This enables broader recruitment into the labour market, since for example spouses can use this option, enabling them to move to more remote places. Remote work from people's homes has some disadvantages, as pointed out by various researchers, and therefore infrastructure for remote working contributes to making labour markets in the periphery more sustainable.
Verk
Fluid-rock interaction in the vicinity of felsic and mafic intrusions
(University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences, 2026-11-13) Pilicita Masabanda, Byron Fabian; Enikő Bali; Faculty of Earth Sciences (UI); Jarðvísindadeild (HÍ); School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI); Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ)
This research deals with the thermal and geochemical evolution of the magmatic-hydrothermal transition within the Geitafell Central Volcano (GCV), SE Iceland, to provide critical insights for high-temperature geothermal exploration. By integrating petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry, micro-analytical techniques, and thermal modeling, this study establishes a framework for understanding how intrusions of different sizes drive high-enthalpy systems. The study reveals that geothermal maturation is sustained by a suite of heat sources. Small-scale basaltic dikes (0.5 m thick) generate high-temperature pulses, inducing localized cryptic partial melting (3–10%) and high-grade metamorphism (>800 °C). Although these dikes solidify in less than a day, their thermal impact elevates host-rock temperatures for up to three years; therefore, frequent injections maintain elevated temperatures for several decades. In contrast, the medium-scale (~782 m thick) Hoffell Granite Intrusion (HGI) functions as a sustained heat engine. The HGI formed via extreme fractional crystallization (>95%), where high magmatic halogen concentrations (F, Cl) depressed its solidus; this extended the cooling process and allowed the HGI to remain a viable heat source for over 7000 years. Analysis of quartz-hosted fluid inclusions within the HGI further tracks the chemical transition from metal-rich, salt-saturated magmatic brines to circulating meteoric fluids. Overall, these findings provide evidence of the geodynamic maturation of the GCV, documenting its transition from a rift-axis to a flank-zone environment. This integrated model provides essential tools for identifying deep heat sources and mitigating technical risks, such as halite scaling and chlorine-active corrosion, when drilling into the roots of high-temperature geothermal systems in active volcanic areas.
Verk
Mental, physical, and cognitive manifestations of post COVID-19 condition: Evidence from population-based cohorts and national registers
(University of Iceland, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, 2026-10) Magnúsdóttir, Ingibjörg; Thor Aspelund; Faculty of Medicine (UI); Læknadeild (HÍ); School of Health Sciences (UI); Heilbrigðisvísindasvið (HÍ)
The global spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has raised concerns about the long-term health consequences among those infected, particularly beyond the acute phase of illness. While a growing number of studies have examined post COVID-19 condition (PCC), much of the existing literature has focused on hospitalised patients or short follow-up periods, often without appropriate comparison groups. Consequently, there remains limited understanding of long-term mental, physical, and cognitive outcomes in the general population and how these outcomes vary according to acute illness severity. The overarching aim of this thesis was to address these gaps by examining long-term health outcomes following COVID-19 across multiple domains using four complementary studies. In Study I, we explored the prevalence of mental health symptoms among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 compared with those not diagnosed, using multinational cohort data from six countries (Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden; N=247,249). Individuals with COVID-19 had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality, while no overall increase was observed for anxiety or COVID-19-related distress. A clear gradient by illness severity was identified, with individuals bedridden for seven days or longer showing persistently elevated levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and sleep problems up to 16 months after diagnosis. In contrast, individuals never bedridden due to COVID-19 showed similar or lower symptom prevalence compared with those without COVID-19. In Study II, we examined the association between COVID-19 diagnosis and the risk of incident psychiatric disorders and psychotropic medication dispensing, using national register data from Iceland (N=112,159) from February 2020 to February 2022. Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 had an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and psychotropic medication use compared with those not diagnosed. The associations were strongest for psychotic disorders and substance misuse. Higher risks were observed among individuals that were older, unvaccinated, and with more severe disease. Estimates decreased over time during the study period. In Study III, we investigated the prevalence of long-term physical symptoms following COVID-19 in four Nordic cohorts (N=64,880). Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 had a higher prevalence of severe physical symptoms compared with those not diagnosed. A strong dose–response relationship was observed, with individuals bedridden for seven days or longer experiencing the highest and most persistent symptom burden up to 27 months after diagnosis. The most commonly reported symptoms included shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, and low energy or fatigue. In Study IV, we assessed impaired cognitive function among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 using data from five cohorts (N=153,841). No overall association was observed between COVID-19 diagnosis and impaired cognitive function. However, illness severity was strongly associated with cognitive outcomes, with individuals bedridden for seven days or longer showing a substantially higher prevalence of impaired cognitive function, persisting for up to 32 months after diagnosis. Individuals who were never bedridden showed little to no evidence of increased prevalence. In conclusion, these studies identify long-term adverse outcomes across mental, physical, and cognitive domains, with acute illness severity emerging as a key indicator across all outcomes. Individuals with more severe acute illness experienced a substantial and persistent symptom burden, whereas those in the lowest measured severity categories generally showed little evidence of increased morbidity. However, the results should be interpreted with caution because illness severity was based on self-reported days bedridden in the cohort studies and healthcare utilisation in the register-based study. These findings contribute to a better understanding of PCC and highlight the importance of considering illness severity in future research and clinical practice.
Verk
Trial Protocol : A Randomised, Controlled Cross-Over Trial Evaluating the Digital Sleep Revolution Diagnostic-Therapeutic Pathway for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
(2026-09-22) the Sleep Revolution Collaborators; Department of Engineering; Department of Computer Science; Department of Psychology
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common, but current diagnostic pathways rely on single-night assessment and the apnoea–hypopnoea index. Both are limited for assessment of variability and linking only weakly to symptoms, comorbidity and treatment response. The current protocol addresses this gap by aiming to validate a diagnostic pathway integrating a digital platform, mobile application, multiple-night sleep testing, semiautomated analysis and a novel sleep health questionnaire, labelled as ‘Sleep Revolution’. Study objectives are to compare staff time required for diagnosis between standard care and Sleep Revolution pathway, and to examine associations between multi-night sleep metrics and Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) treatment outcomes, diagnostic concordance, PAP prescription, patient satisfaction, adherence and feasibility. This multicentre, two-arm cross-over study is conducted at 23 sleep centres in Europe within the European Sleep Apnoea Database (ESADA) network. Adults referred for suspected OSA complete both standard care and the Sleep Revolution pathway in randomised order. Standard care includes single-night polygraphy or polysomnography according to local routines. The Sleep Revolution pathway comprises three nights of self-applied polysomnography (NOX-SAS), digital symptom assessment (mobile app) and the Withings ScanWatch (physical activity, physiological signals). Diagnosis and treatment decisions are based solely on the first pathway. Outcomes include staff time (primary), technical performance, diagnostic yield, patient-reported measures, PAP adherence and symptom change. The sample size is calculated as 1000 randomised participants. Ethical approval is obtained at all participating centres. The trial is registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN17539031). Data acquisition is performed between Q1 2024 and Q2 2025; data cleaning and analyses are ongoing.

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