From a democratic point of view the existing organisation with municipality sections in the city of Malmö, Sweden will be examined. The matter of how an alternative organisation should be structured will also be discussed. Two incompatible models of democracy theories will be arranged: libertarian democracy and participation democracy. The intentions with the reform were primary to increase the civic participation. By applying those values that are used to characterize participation democracy it will be shown whether the local participation has actually increased.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the offer from the ministry of education and cultural affairs to Swedish public libraries concerning a computerised connection to SUNET (the Swedish University Network). The study is based on analyses of the main texts from the campaign and interviews in order to identify arguments that caused the libraries to accept or decline the offer. My conclusions are that the marketing of the SUNET-offer was to a large extent filled with technicalities, and that the campaign failed to identify and focus on the true recipients the decision-makers. The wordings used in the written material were too negative and discouraging. In order to succeed with future concentrations concerning public libraries, it is vitally important to overcome the boundaries between the decision-makers in the local government, the people responsible for information technology and the library staff..

Arbetet presenterar ett förslag till en hästby i Trönninge, en tätort fem kilometer norr om Varbergs centrum. Förslaget visar hur en hästby kan se ut, vad som behöver ingå och hur man ordnar det praktiskt. Varberg ligger längs kusten i Hallands län ca 7 mil från Göteborg. I Varberg finns det idag inga hästbyar, men hästintresset i kommunen är mycket stort vilket ger ett bra underlag för en hästby. Varbergs kommun håller idag på att göra en fördjupad översiktsplan över Trönninge och har som förslag att ett av utbyggnadsområdena skall bli ett hästboende. Hästbyar är ett ganska nytt fenomen som dyker upp på många olika ställen i Sverige.

The Scanian woodfences has been determined by two mainly elements: Scania's composition of tree species, with a large element of deciduous forest, and the local building tradition which has more in common with the European continent than the Swedish tradition. By examining responses from ethnological question lists deriving from the first half of the 1900s, combined with literature studies, I have been able to deepen and broaden the knowledge behind the various fencing design. In addition I ?ve constructed maps which could illustrate their historical geographic distribution.I have come to the conclusion that there was three main types of woodfences that was most common until the barbed wire was introduced in the early 1900s and later on replaced the elderly woodfences. Common for the three main types is that the base material was made out of Juniperus communis, this largely because of its durability against rot.

This essay explores how artwork in the public space can be analysed, conceptualized and described by bringing attention to site. Through an analysis of artworks in the yearly art exhibition of Fittja Open 2011, the essay draws attention to site-specific art and structures of power. The principal aim is to present not only the exhibition of Fittja Open 2011 but also other artwork in the public sphere in Fittja, a suburb to Stockholm. From this point of departure other interests evolve that concerns the "image" of Fittja. The analysis, based on research in art history, architecture, ethnology and philosophy as well as qualitative interviews, also focuses on understanding the role of site and the relations between art practice, institutions and site.The result shows that there are problems with a ruptured interface between the artwork and site.

This Master thesis is about elderly visually impaired and their use of libraries. It poses the question how visually impaired elderly looks upon their local library. Their thoughts and opinions are mainly from two sides. One is what they think about the service that they get. The other is what they think about the information concerning this service.

The aim of this study is to learn about the nineteenth century poor relief system, how itoperated in the rural parish Kristdala during the period 1881-1890, and not least, who was thesupported person? The poor are defined as the individuals that received public poor relief, but in onechapter this definition of poverty is contrasted with a definition based upon tax exemption:inability to pay taxes. Two villages have been selected for intensive study, namely Kroxhult and Calerum, and Calerum is the smaller one. The connection between age and the poverty ratio is clear, and tobe a lodger was especially disadvantageous with respect to poverty. Further the position ofwidow was the most unfavourable among the female poor people.

Today we are living in a time were impulses from other places and cultures constantly grow and the contact over the boundary is getting bigger. We se satellites pictures over the world, we hear about worldwide ecological problems, we learn about other different lifestyles, we cock food that are inspired from the worlds many kitchens, we shop more and we can travel to different parts of the world. My problem was to find out how cultural phenomenon spreads to a greater extent global and how this transference take place, but also be able to se what factors that has a part in the cultural spread.What I found with help from my literature study was that trough improved communication and transports has gained mobility in the world and people can take part off others culture.The world is shrinking and this means that human beings identity is changing and this create a so-called hybrid mixture. Culture is what we human beings create. Culture can be seen as a community phenomenon for the most parts.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the fear of crime in old peoples lives. Notwithstanding that the age category is exposed to crime to a low degree, old people are experiencing a great fear of crime relative younger people. This is the paradox of fear, also recognized in gender studies. The question is how this paradox can be understood. To answer this, twelve elderly men and women have been interviewed and the reports about crime in the local newspaper, Norrköpings Tidningar, has been analyzed, through discourse analysis.The discursive construction of fear is here discussed in terms of discourses of a fearful society, and stereotypes of old age.

Stortorget i Karlskrona är ett centralt beläget offentligt rum som idag förlorat sin funktion som en plats med ett rikt offentligt liv och en trivsam plats i staden. Detta arbete tar tag i den problematiken och presenterar ett sätt på vilket man kan förändra torget och göra det attraktivare för stadens befolkning. Förslaget går ut på att göra torget mer anpassat för oskyddade trafikanter genom att bilarna får ta ett steg åt sidan men samtidigt göra det lättillgängligt med en ny kollektivtrafiklösning för Trossö. För att göra torget attraktivare har dess storlek försökt tonas ner och därmed göra det mer anpassat till den mänskliga skalan. Detta har skett bland annat genom att plantera träd men även genom nya byggnader som bättre integrerar med det stora torget..

This paper aims to examine how and to what extent, a transition of Sweden according to the principles of Omställning Sverige (Transition towns Sweden), have the potential to contribute to a society with increased happiness.The paper is based on a qualitative textual analysis of the key texts in the Swedish Transition towns movement, Omställning Sverige. In the first part of the study the most important transition principles of Omställning Sverige were identified. Four key principles emerged: An altered view of economics, a spiritual change, a stronger local community and increased awareness. These transition principles were then analyzed through the lens of the scientific fields position on happiness, followed by a summarizing conclusion.The altered view of economics which Omställning Sverige advocates, where sustainability and quality of life are priorities over economic growth, is even necessary to secure our basic physiological needs. Such an economy has also improved conditions for economic stability, high employment and higher efficiency in the sense of happiness promoted in relationship to how many natural resources are used.

This essay is a qualitative study on quasimarkets in the field of home-help service. The main purpose of the study was to describe and analyze the function of costumers choice from elderly persons point of view. The quasimarket in home-help service of Solna stad has served as an example. The questions raised in the study concerned the elderly costumers opinion of the information about the different producers, what had influence on their choice, their attitude towards the freedom of choice, and their ability to act as consumers on a quasimarket.The method used was qualitative semi structured interviews. A majority of the elderly consumers appreciated the possibility to choose producer of home-help service.

According to the theory of elitist democracy civic political participation should be reduced to participation in the democratic elections. This essay examines whether a high rate of institutionalized political participation beyond the elections leads to: (a) that those who are included gets a more favourable treatment at the expense of the common interest, in other words that their self interest threatens the political equality, (b) reduced freedom of action for the politicians and the headmasters, (c) the emergence of vague conditions of responsibility. These hypotheses are examined in an empirical study of user-boards at four schools on three locations in southern Sweden. In these user-boards the parents are in majority and have the right of decision, which has been delegated to them from the local government and the headmaster. The main conclusion is that, based on this empirical investigation, there is no support in any of the hypotheses.

Detta examensarbete på masternivå i Fysisk Planering är en kvalitativ studie som genom innehållsanalys och tematisering undersöker blandstaden som planeringsideal utifrån de anspråk som görs gällande problemlösning. Studien innefattar en presentation av praktikdiskurs, teori och empiri i form av kommunala översiktsplaner vilket studeras utifrån institutionalisering genom tankefigurer, spårbundenhet och kognitiv dissonans. Studien visar att blandstaden är en institutionaliserad, spårbunden tankefigur som i stort delar ideologisk grund med planeringsidealet modernism. Studien visar även att trots detta framställs modernismens planeringsideal i problembeskrivningar som förefaller nyanserade, och blandstaden framställs som dess motpol..

Sweden has an environmental goal to achieve until the year 2020. To achieve this goal the construction business has to take an initiative to use the modern techniques that are available to lower the energy consumption I buildings. There?s also a debate going on today regarding the energy demands set by the Swedish government through Boverket, some communities throughout Sweden thinks that the demands are to low and have therefore set up own demands regarding energy in buildings.The possibility to construct energy-saving buildings is today very great, with energy-efficient heating-systems and dense climate envelope. The interest to raise energy-efficient buildings have also increased as a consequence that the population have become more aware about their impact on the environment.