This paper is a Master thesis for the Master?s program in International and European Relations in the Department of Management and Economics at Linköping University. As the title indicates, the aim of this thesis is to make a comparative analysis of the conflict resolution initiatives that were employed in the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts. The research questions are: ? What were the root causes and trajectories of the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts? ? What were the conflict resolution initiatives employed in resolving both conflicts? ? Why did the Lome Peace Accord succeed in the case of Sierra Leone whilst the Abuja Peace Accord failed in bringing peace to Liberia? In order to answer the afore-mentioned questions and fulfil the aim of this paper, a qualitative research method has been chosen.

This thesis will deal with the development of the situation of the Roma minority in the Swedish school system in the period between 1954 to 2010, based on two Swedish Government Official Reports of the group's situation in the Swedish schools. The study is done by the report Zigenarfrågan (SOU 1956:43) and with the report Romers rätt (SOU 2010:55). The report Romers rätt was written by the Delegation for Roma issues and gives an updated picture of the situation of Roma in the Swedish school system. The state investigation Zigenarfrågan, is also important as the latter resulted in the Roma children enrolled in Swedish schools. This work will look at the various governmental investigations by the theory used for analysis called ?structural discrimination theory?.

The formation of sovereign states in regional blocks has become an essential feature in the world system. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate which motives and driving forces that affect the creation of projects of regional integration outside Europe and the Western World. By choosing the Latin American project of integration ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas) as a case of regional integration outside Europe and the Western World, the study investigates the motives expressed by the most prominent actors of the project, Venezuela and Cuba. ALBA is chosen as a representative and a unique case and through the consumption of the gramscian and the realist approaches, the essay defines two motives that affect the creation of projects of regional integration. As a way of investigating the actors? motives, the paper studies political statements, especially those of the Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and official positions expressed in central documents and declarations.

This thesis explores how the city of Gothenburg integrates and use social capital, defined through factors such as trust and cooperative networks, in its crisis preparedness strategies and how this can enhance the city's collective resilience. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of how social capital can be leveraged to strengthen crisis management and resilience in urban environments. The research analyzes existing quantitative data from the SOM-Institute regarding residents perceptions and self-reported preparedness actions and reviews Gothenburg's official civil defense plan for 2024?2027. By examining various aspects of social capital, including levels of trust and cooperative networks across different city districts and age groups, the analysis focuses on how social bonds and community contexts are considered in planning for handling and recovering from potential crises.

The post-modern western city is going through two central changes in the organization of paid labour. One is the switch from production of goods to production of services, and the other is the increasing rift between well-paid labour with permanent jobs, and temporarily employed workers with low wages. Both of these processes are rasified and gendered, and strike harder against women, young persons and people of emigrant background. The flexible capitalism creates an informalization of the economy, breaking with earlier regulations of the labour markets, in which workers also need to find informal strategies in their individual and collective struggles. In this paper, I search for these ?new? experiences of living and working in late capitalist society, by doing open interviews with three women of Latin-American origin, working without official permission (without documents) in the informal economy of Stockholm.

After a workshop in Kuopio held in June 2006, Interbull decided to go forward with the development of a system for beef international genetic evaluation and a three year project called Interbeef was launched in June 2007. The participating countries are so far limited to Europe and the only trait evaluated at present is adjusted weaning weight (weight at 200 days). The results from a first international genetic evaluation have been shared with the countries but are not yet official. The evaluation is based on data from purebred Charolais and Limousin. To achieve good estimates of proofs in an international context it is important that methods for data validation and model selection are implemented.

During the 90?s, several reforms took place in order to change the educational system. The reforms intended to increase the freedom of choice and to facilitate the start-up process for driving independent schools. A broad alliance of political parties from left to right supported these reforms. Twenty years later, the independent schools constitute a substantial part of schools in Sweden.

This study discloses the responsibility of social work for the Swedish welfare state respective deacons in the Swedish protestant church, which roll the Swedish protestant church have in the existent welfare and also if deacons experience any expectations and how these expectations in that case are expressed.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationbetween deacons working within the Swedish protestant church and social work, as it appears for professional deacons. The method of investigating the questions raised by the aim of this study has been qualitative analysis of answers derived from six deacons working in different workplaces. The data derived from these interviews was then analysed through the theory of Gösta Esping-Andersen about welfare states and also through background research and earlier science research about the social work within the Swedish protestant church and other social work. The result of the study show that the welfare state in Sweden has the comprehensive responsibility for the citizens. Deacons working within the Swedish protestant church does not have the same responsibility.

This paper is a critique of the hegemonic democracy ideal in France today, the myth of the Republic. Based on critical theory, the paper also contains a normative attempt giving the chance to subaltern groups to tell their, less often heard, version of the "truth".The theoretical foundation is the ontological narrative perspective, where identities and actions are understood as being constructed by the telling of stories. The interdependent relations of different narrative dimensions are analyzed. The power over who gets to tell the story of the "truth" is understood as decided in the interaction by dimensions of metanarrativity, public narratives, ontological narratives and conceptual narrativity. The author argues, inspired by Chantal Mouffe, that consensus is an illusion based on exclusion of those that differ.

Since the 1970`s the Non Governmental Organisations, NGO:s, have taken an increasing responsibility in the development cooperation work. Apart from an increase in resources delivered through the NGO:s it is also obvious in various official documents that the idea of NGO:s in regards to; reaching and involving poor people in the work and as capable of delivering aid resources to a low cost, is very widely spread and commonly accepted among political decision makers and aid agencies. In addition it?s very seldom that those positive statements about the NGO:s abilities, are backed by any kind of scientific study. This study argues that the ascribed abilities are more the rhetoric of a political idea than an empirical reality.

This essay is about children who have psychological and social problems. An increase part of children and young people in Sweden describe this kind of difficulties. These problems are at the same time a concern for the school as well as the social welfare. The purpose in this essay is to explore if children with psychological and social problems have the same legal rights to education as other children. The main questions are to describe the legal rights in this area and explore how schools and social welfare cooperate in order to achieve better possibilities for the children.The facts take a legal aspect as a starting point.

This thesis assignment at C-level is focused on calculation models and prediction methodswhish can be used in the stage we call ?prospecting? of possible windmill locations. Thelocation is southeast of Halmstad at the Farm ?Stjernarpsgods?. The rapport has two mainareas directed towards this task.

In this textual analysis I have examined the book Att följa Jesus by Ulf Ekman and information from Word of Life's official website. The aim of this study is to see how a religious leader is shaping the identity of the groups members after a certain pattern that differs from the surrounding, secular society. The research focus  of this essay includes several aspects:  how a culture is formed in a religious minority in contrast to the prevailing cultural context; how the material can be explained by Paul Pruyser?s theory on the psychological worlds; how what Ulf Ekman writes about distinguishing themselves from the environment differs from how other religious minority groups distinguish their identity;  and,  how the psychological world, expected behavior, and context of Word of Life can be structured by Valerie DeMarinis? model of assessment. I have placed Word of Life in a realistic illusionistic world developed from Paul Pruyser?s theory of psychological worlds.

AbstractWe all have experience of dwelling, which means that everyone can have an opinion about the architecture of the dwelling. Today the building companies do not have time enough to investigate which architecture qualities their clientele ask for in their apartments. JM AB use to call their apartments ?generous city apartments?. But do these apartments fulfill the needs of their dwellers? And what would the apartments look like if they were designed according to the wishes of the dwellers? When JM AB get knowledge about the dwellers needs and wishes they can make even better apartments for their future customers.The purpose and the objective with this report are to draw up proposals for tenant owner flat.

This is a study with a qualitative approach and a social psychological perspective. Our purpose is to describe and analyze authority officials descriptions of individuals with a social disability and their perception of how the interaction in the encounter with its implementation. We are interested in how they experience their power as authority representatives. The following issues are highlighted.? How do people in authority describe individuals with a social disability?? What is the authority officials view on the interaction in meetings with individuals with a social disability?? How do authority officials experiencing his or her position of power in relation to the meeting?Our results are based on semi-structured interviews with five persons in authority, which is active in Insurance and Employment Service in Örebro County.