The aim of this thesis is to spread some light over the coming into being of the 2005 Pension Reform in Norway. The point of departure lies within an interest in Welfare State politics and the development in this field. Pensions constitute a cornerstone in the Welfare State. Making use of J. Kingdon´s Theory of the Agenda Setting Process, Discourse Theory and Institutional Theory the thesis seek to visualize the implications of structures, central actors and discourses on the reform processes.

The aim of this master thesis was to examine the European Commission's information resources from a user perspective in order to clarify the needs and circumstances of the search of EU-information among students at Örebro University. 41 students participated in a survey, and four of them was interviewed. On the basis of Pendelton- and Chatmans theories of information behaviour in small worlds, it were assumed that the students' education and citizenship in the European Union affected their needs and the search of EU information.The study showed that the students needs for EU-related information has increased, with the current education, but also been linked to earlier educations. The students Citizens need were mainly associated with elections such as the EMU-election, but also in some cases to a need of the general knowledge.A review of the European Commission's information resources were made with an emphasis on European Documentation Centre, EDC. The survey showed that most students used the EDC and the EU-databases that was made available by the European Commission through the EDC and the university library but were not aware that they used EDC.The survey also showed that students made use of familiar sources and resources when they searched the EU-information, such as the library's regular database list, the library catalogue and search engine on the internet are not requested of other resources.

The aim of our study is to gain understanding of how parentsperceive their own, the preschool's, and the library's efforts to stimulate preschoolers' enjoyment and yearning to read, as well as what types of collaborative efforts the parents seek.The study is based upon qualitative interviews with parents, both mothers and fathers, to preschool children (aged 1.5 to 6 years old). The analysis does not offer any generalizations. We have chosen to use a sociocultural perspective as the theoretical starting-point of our study, our thoughts being that we learn together with and by the help of others. We consider this perspective to be closely related to Aidan Chambers's "The Reading Circle", which we have chosen to use as our tool of analysis.It turned out that the parents perceived their own reading stimulating role as crucial, even if they did not consider all they did as reading stimulative. Some things, such as discussing the book while reading, occurred naturally but is also an important part to stimulate reading.

This study explores the selection processes regarding fictional literature in English as asecond language education. The aim is to illustrate the relationship between the knowledgeteachers seek to pass on to their students and how the governing documents and the Westernliterary canon affect which literature that is chosen. The study uses qualitative interviews withsix teachers from different gymnasial schools in Northern Sweden. The results show thatteachers use literature as a tool for teaching grammar, lexicon, language structure and storytellingskills. In the more advanced English courses, the teachers prefer to exert more controlover which literature is read, mainly due to the fact that the governing documents specificallyrequire a presence of older, culturally established works.

 AbstractMy curiosity of students' use of images for reading led me to seek knowledge of the students view on the text illustrations in the literature and through interviews. This study is about how pupils in the school year 2 experience reading, especially with images. The purpose is to investigate the significance of illustrations in reading for students in school year 2. I also want to find out how students see themselves as readers and how the survey material believes that the students comprehend reading. Eight children, both girls and boys have participated in the interview.

This thesis deals with the theories of ecological and environmental justice and applies them onto Swedish politics. Confronting the divide in the literature between anthropocentric and ecocentric perspectives, its aim is to seek points of agreement within this important field of environmental politics. In the theoretical discussion, definitions are made of the concepts sustainability, justice and responsibility. These definitions try to link ecological and environmental justice arguments with a focus on the global level.The object of analysis is the former Swedish governments? bill ?Common responsibility: Swedish politics for global development? which was accepted in 2003.

This essay is a discourse and a feminist theoretical analysis that focuses on the alternative discourse that we consider Feminist Initiative to be constitutive of. Our theoretical stance, with base in Laclau and Mouffes discourse theory, builds on the notion that reality is characterised by conflicts between different competing discursive formations and that the social is an endless struggle over the preferential right of interpretation of meaning. More specifically, the essay focuses on the discursive struggle over the meaning of the term politics. It is our understanding that the dominant perception of politics necessarily excludes other understandings, which can according to Eduards, be explained as a consequence of a patriarchal distribution of power that renders the subordination of certain understandings of politics accordingly. Feminist Initiative, as an alternative discourse, can therefore be perceived as a threat to the dominating discourse of politics, which in order to maintain its preferential right of interpretation seek to illegitimatise and depoliticise the politics that the alternative discourse represents.

The relationship between the government and organised interest in Sweden has changed. Formally considered as a good example of a corporatist state the country during the last 15 years or so experienced a more pluralistic system. This thesis is a qualitative study which discusses how interest groups seek to influence decision makers and policy thru lobbying and public opinion. It also examines how interest groups work with advertising and public relations in a changed climate of mass media. The main method of gathering material has been done thru interviews of representatives of different interest groups.The results of the study paint a picture where the interviewed organizations experience a vast competition in communication and information.

This master?s thesis investigates in which ways students seek out and access their textbooks and how they use their university?s library in this process. Data is collected through interviews from six students several semesters into their studies at the University of Stockholm. For the interviews two students each were selected from the fields of law, economics and humanities. The empirical findings were analyzed using T.D Wilson?s model of information behavior (1997).

The purpose of this Master thesis is to examine and describe dog breeders? information activities. Questions posed in this study are:? What are the information needs of dog breeders?? How does the dog breeder seek and use information?? How can the relationship between serious leisure and information activities be described?The theoretical framework consists of the sociologist Robert A Stebbins? theory about serious leisure. The study is based on a qualitative methodology.

The purpose of this essay is to identify and analyze the term leadership based on democratically-, authoritarian-, and passive (laissez-faire) leadership and find out which of these types are to be preferred among employees. Our main aspects are:Do employees prefer democratically-, authoritarian-, or passive leadership?Are there any differences regarding ideal leadership considering sex, age, length of service and sector?We have chosen to make a quantitative study of two equivalent organizations, one in the private and one in the public sector. Our method is an explorative method were we seek to find new knowledge about our fenomena. Our study is based on the already established theories on leadership and our empirical data is gathered by questionnaires.The conclusions to be drawn from this study is that our respondents to a large extent prefer a democratic leadership towards an authoritarian and passive leadership. Most of them prefer a democratic leadership with elements of the other leadership types.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the structured and evidence-based assessment tool/method The Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) trough a social psychology perspective of conversation. The aim was especially to seek an understanding of the method considering aspects of children?s participation. The research question was: how do the method users apprehend the advantages and the limitations of the BCFPI method considering aspects of children?s participation.

In this essay I follow the traditions of the continental didactics and use phenomenology and hermeneutics to examine how I, as a Special Educational Needs teacher, can develop my skills in making teachers adopt a more inclusive approach. The teachers and I have often got different agendas; I seek to change the teaching in order to fit the students, whereas the teachers wish for me to help the students manage the prevailing teaching practice. Traditionally this has been a task for the remedial teachers. In Sweden there is a difference, however a lack of clarity formally as well as practically, in the definition of these two professions, which indeed makes my assignment ever so challenging. One of the tools I have often applied is to plan and teach together with the teachers, to function as a role model.

Education systems face a number of challenges regarding social justice, diversity, difference, and inclusion and membership for all students in the groups that schools create. This invokes questions of how well these challenges are met in curricula and teaching materials. Through discourse analysis of eight Swedish geographical textbooks, this essay aims to seek out the perspectives surrounding difference within the subject of geography. It concludes that the idea of fixed homogenous cultures as meaningfull in differentiating among people dominates throughout the latter half of the 20th century and during the last decade. In addition, it concludes that the discourse surrounding diversity in Swedish geographical teaching materials mainly has a binary liberal view of plurality focused around tolerance.

This thesis examines and attempts to develop the theory of yakuwarigo as introduced by Kinsui (2003) by integrating both the visual and linguistic aspects of characters found in manga. We seek answers to what extent Japanese native speakers are capable of matching linguistic and visual characteristics of characters in manga. As well as whether they are consciously aware of how yakuwarigo affects their choices. Furthermore, it aims to present a framework capable of classifying, and categorizing different types of characters by their language use. This is accomplished by analyzing the motivation behind choices, by natives, whom were asked in a survey to match lines and artwork of characters in manga to form pairs.