This essay is about democracy and how a democracy index can be used as a tool to illustratethe gap between reality and ideal. The purpose of this study can be expressed by two researchquestions: Does the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) democracy index illustrate thedistance between reality and the ideal of democracy presented by Dahl? and Can the EIU'sdemocracy index be modified by a) internal adjustments and b) using the variables includedin World Economic Forum?s (WEF) equality index?By using a combination of theories (Dahl?s theory of democracy, Rawls theory of justice andchosen theories critical to liberal democracy) as an analytical framework the following twoquestions have been answered:1) Which of the variables included in the EIU's democracy index have the potential to capturethe level of political equality?2) Which of the variables included in the WEF?s equality index have the potential to capturethe degree of political equality?By using a quantitative method the study?s third and last question has been answered:3) How strong is the rank correlation between the EIU?s democracy index and the WEF?sequality index, that is; how strong is the rank correlation coefficient (rho)?The data presented by the WEF?s equality index indicate that women are systematicallydiscriminated against as a group. From a democratic perspective the EIU may need tomeasure inequalities at a group level in order to capture the lack of political equality betweenindividuals. By reformulating some of the EIU?s variables, by revising the EIU?s point systemand by using the variables included in the WEF's equality index to extend EIU?s democracyindex, the chances of capturing the gap between reality and the ideal of democracy presentedby Dahl would likely increase..

The aim of this paper is to explain how the European Union?s common strategy for theCommon Foreign- and Security Policy (CFSP) will change with the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon. A comparative case study and qualitative method is used. On the basis of Smith?s theory of institutionalization we will analyze two member states: France and Denmark.

The aim of this bachelor thesis was to examine attitudes among social workers, particularly their attitudes toward their clients? poverty and towards economic counseling as a method. A further aim was to study the relationship between attitudes towards poverty and economic counseling. Primary data used for the study was assembled among social workers (n = 111) with the use of an electronic questionnaire that was sent out to social welfare offices in 34 city districts in Stockholm,Gothenburg and Malmö. The findings showed that a majority of the social workers had a structural understanding of poverty and a positive attitude towards economic counseling.

The use of mindfulness in healthcare is increasing in Sweden. A so-called secular form of mindfulness is also increasing within mediated contemporary psychology and is used in many areas such as schools, workplaces and when giving birth. The method originates from Buddhism and is much more complex than the form of mindfulness marketed in Sweden today. The religious heritage of mindfulness is interesting to study in such a secular society as Sweden, where the material for this study is found. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate whether mindfulness still is a form of religious coping or if it has become completely secularized, and thus free of its religious origin.

Background: Small businesses are key participants in the growth at the Swedish market, partly for the labour opportunities, the technology and economic development. These companies should get resources to grow, both political and economic resources. The medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase meet with problems concerning the financing of their growth. Key participants whom offer financing are Venture Capitalists.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine Venture Capitalists demands on medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase. A comparison between the demands and how well medtech companies achieve them will be done.

Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this essay is to see how the media, through the newspaper, "Vi föräldrar?, produces family and parental roles, and to investigate how the image changed over time.Material/Method: The material consists of a number of selected texts from the years 1968, 1988 and 2008. The method used is a discourse analysis based on the three level model by Norman Fairclough. The three levels are the text, the discourse practise and the sociocultural practise. In this study two of the levels, text and sociocultural practise, are used in analysing the texts.Main results: Family and parenting in the texts from 1968 can be linked to the structural functionalist theory in which the core family is central and women and men are assigned to specific roles.

This essay investigates how teacher sees and uses mainstream movies as a teaching method. The main question approached is: How does teachers use feature films as a teaching method? Which movies are used and how does their working methods surrounding the movies look like? The purpose of the essay is to make the reader reflect over what influence mainstream media has over the historic knowledge of the students and how teachers use that for educational purposes. The business around historical film has grown over the years and is now a million dollar industry. The conclusion is that teachers mostly use feature films to provoke emotional reactions from the students.

This essay has the ambition to examine and compare Croatia?s and Bosnia and Herzegovina?s development towards a consolidated democracy. By applying Linz & Stepen?s theory on how to consolidate a democracy and put focus on political society, behavioral patterns, attitude and constitutional structure the purpose is to find similarities and differences between Bosnia and Croatia within this field.The focus of this study is to compare two similar countries that have developed in very different ways. By applying the theory and a comparative method the purpose is to examine why two so similar countries with so much in common have developed in so different ways?In order to better answer the question there are two part questions and these are:What difficulties, concerning consolidation of democracy, have Croatia and Bosnia faced since the democratic transition in the beginning of the 1990s?What similarities and differences in the area of democratic consolidation (with focus on political society, behavioral patterns, attitude and constitutional structure) are there between the two countries?As the analysis shows, the main reason why these two countries differ so much is that Bosnia is a divided country with different nationalities and each nationality only wants to realize its own interest and does not care about what is best for the country as an entity.

Theoretical framework: The Theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson was used as a theoretical framework.Aim: The aim of this literature review was to describe the attitude of nursing patients who go through an induced abortion, from a nurse perspective.Method: This literature review is based on a sample of nine qualitative and quantitative studies, collected in the databases Cinahl, PubMed and PsycInfo. The qualities of the studies were assessed through modified templates. Analysis of the results from the studies was inspired of a content analysis.Findings: The nurses experienced their work as meaningful since they give support to the patient. The nurses felt that their work was justified when the decision to have an abortion was well thought through and they felt respect towards the patient when they were aware of the patient?s circumstances.

The study has got three aims. The first purpose is to implement the Newman et al.s rampage theory (2004) in a more dominant European context. In this way, the theory?s strengths and weaknesses can be exposed. The second objective is to look at the motive.

Mathematics is a central topic in today's education debate, including discussion of its educational quality and various teaching methods. Today basically two different teaching methods are used; one is the textbook based method, with the book in focus and the other one the laboratory method by which teaching is performed through practical applications. The purpose of this study was to examine four primary school teachers' view of these two teaching methods by means of four relevant inquiries. By interviewing the four teachers, advantages and disadvantages were highlighted and the purpose was achieved. In order to support the analysis, two theories applied; the socio-cultural perspective and the cognitive perspective.

This paper treats George Dickies institutional theory of how to define art. Some alternative theories and their originators are also introduced. According to Dickie something is art because it has been created against a background of an already existing artworld. Dickie has formulated his theory in two different versions, ?the earlier? and ?the later?, which differ somewhat in their design.

The purpose of this study in the psychology of religion is to explore the process of an individual?s shift in orienting system, from a religious to an atheistic. The materials used are autobiographical accounts obtained from two books. One that has been used as a primary source and one as a secondary. By using Rambo?s process oriented theory of religious conversion relevant themes and categories were chosen and later subjected to further analysis using Pargament?s theory of religion and coping.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka huruvida Self-Determination Theory kan appliceras som förklaringsmodell för motivationen hos de anställda på Företaget X. Enligt Self-Determination Theory råder ett samband mellan tillfredsställelsen av basbehoven; autonomi, kompetens och släktskap i arbetsmiljön och motivationstypen hos individen. Tillfredsställelse av basbehoven främjar autonom motivation framför kontrollerad motivation och genererar antingen internalisering av yttre motivation och/eller bibehållande av den inre motivationen. För att undersöka sambandet mellan variablerna genomfördes en enkätundersökning med både anställda i ledande och icke-ledande position. Enkätens resultat visar att basbehoven är tillfredsställda och att motivationstypen är av karaktären inre motivation respektive hög grad av internaliserad motivation.

This bachelor's thesis is an investigation into the public libraries'actions following the debate of Stina Wirséns character LillaHjärtat, featured in picture books and films for young children.The character was accused of being racist, due to its similarity tostereotypes such as pickaninnies. Because of this, the books'existence in public libraries was questioned.The purpose of this study is to investigate how librarians havedealt with these books, and what they have based their decisionson. To explore the background of these decisions we have usedPatrick Wilson's theory of cognitive authority (1983). We haveexamined which cognitive authorities have been used in thedecision-making process of how to handle the books containingLilla Hjärtat, and why these cognitive authorities have beenchosen. The method used in the study is qualitative interviewswith seven librarians working in public libraries throughoutSweden.The results of the interviews show that the librarians? mostprominent cognitive authorities have been authors and illustratorsof children's books.