The aim of this master?s thesis is to study the discourses on culture as developed by EU Commission. The method applied is a discoursebased historical analysis, where analysis of arguments and metaphors are functional to the enlightening of the construction of discourses within EU cultural policy. EU official documents constitute the empirical material studied. The theoretical framework of the thesis draws upon cultural public sphere theory as well instrumentalist cultural policy research.

This master?s paper first presents some of the principal theories and concepts developed by the poverty researchers Rowntree, Titmuss, Townsend, Sen and Lister. These theoretical frameworks are then related to two documents from the EU and Sweden concerning combating poverty and social exclusion, bearing on the establishment of the ?Year 2010 against Poverty?. Finally, I discuss the value in practice of these theories and policy documents, as regards reducing poverty in Europe.It has become clear in this investigation that the theories and concepts from earlier research are still relevant to the formulation of contemporary policy programmes, and that earlier research helps us to avoid old traps in fighting poverty.

People move between countries and establish connections all over the world. This results in a need to solve problems with cross-border inheritances and partitions of joint property. Today these situations are regulated by the countries? own international private law. EU has adopted a constitution that harmonizes rules of jurisdiction and applicable law for inheritances but not the partition of joint property.

This master?s paper first presents some of the principal theories and concepts developed by the poverty researchers Rowntree, Titmuss, Townsend, Sen and Lister. These theoretical frameworks are then related to two documents from the EU and Sweden concerning combating poverty and social exclusion, bearing on the establishment of the ?Year 2010 against Poverty?. Finally, I discuss the value in practice of these theories and policy documents, as regards reducing poverty in Europe.It has become clear in this investigation that the theories and concepts from earlier research are still relevant to the formulation of contemporary policy programmes, and that earlier research helps us to avoid old traps in fighting poverty.

Det råder en stor överkonsumtion i de rika länderna i väst. Det finns fortfarande människor som svälter trots att den totala produktionen och konsumtionen beräknas överstiga jordens långsiktiga bärkraft med ca 25 %. De insatser som tidigare gjorts av regeringen för att uppnå hållbarhet har mest skett mot producentsidan men de har inte fått den effekt som önskats och nu är det dags att satsa på konsumenterna. I mars i år, 2006, överlämnade regeringen till riksdagen en proposition för en ny konsumentpolitik. Det nya övergripande målet enligt propositionen är ?trygga konsumenter som handlar hållbart?.

When unlimited tax liability exists, the individual is liable for all income, both which originates from other countries as well as from Sweden. In order for unlimited tax liability to exist the individual needs to either be considered a resident in Sweden, have habitual abode here or if previous residence existed, that the essential linkage still consists. To determine whether an essential linkage exists, the factors set out in the third chapter 7 § IL shall be considered, an overall assessment of all relevant circumstances must be made. In case law however, it appears that three of the factors have been given greater importance, one of which is the factor residence for year-around use, which includes both residence for permanent use and residence used for recreational purposes. The question raised in this thesis is whether the factor residence for year-round use is still regarded as a sufficiently strong basis to independently induce essential linkage for the taxpayer.A big difference between the two housing types exists.

Ever since the nation-state has existed identity has been a big deal, it is told that identity is a tool needed to be able to receive consensus from the people concerned on a certain matter. As the European Union is continuously shaped and reshaped due to changing geographical borders, as a consequence of new member-states the aim to integrate the Union equally across its surface has not been an easy task to solve. A lack of trust from the inhabitants in the European Union is a fact, and therefore the main duty of the Union has become to rebuild the trust from beginning to end, creating a Union which easily can be identified with. Since the process of national identity relies upon an excluding-including process and the use of the Other, the identification process on an European level has indeed had fierce effects on the inhabitants within and outside the Union.One of many things that this essay aims at showing is how mythmaking has become a way used by the elite in the Union to integrate a European identity, the myths refer back to a Golden Age when Europe was prosperous and in bloom. Among other tools used to integrate and create a European identity we find such as; unity in diversity, a cultural inheritance based on common denominators such as Christianity and Latin traditions, symbols and a European citizenship.

The democratic conditions in national states have change radically at the same time as the society has changed. Because of social and economic globalization processes, the states and government has lost power for the benefit of transnational and global institutions. That affects the democracy since the nation state earlier defined the domain of citizenship. At the same time, citizens? confidence towards political parties and politicians has gone down.

Prostitution has for a long time been an understudied field in economics. Due in part to a lack of quantitative and empirical material, itself largely a result of the illegality or semi-illegality of the activity in most countries, the factors that explain the prevalence of, and pricing in, prostitution have remained largely undiscussed. In the last 20 year, this have begun to change: new theories ? notably by Edlund & Korn (2002), Rao et al (2003) and Della Giusta et al (2009) ? have been formulated and the rise of internet based escort sites have made large scale quantitative studies possible. This thesis examines if, and in what way, court documents can help expand the understanding of the economics of prostitution in Sweden.

I media har internationella kunskapsmätningar uppmärktsamamts och visat att Sveriges elever har presterat sämre över tid i specifikt en internationell kunskapsmätning, Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA. I och med att resultaten har fått en negativ inverkan på skolan är det intressant att studera internationella undersökningar. Syftet med studien är att synliggöra varför internationella undersökningar genomförs, motivering till ämnesval och orsaker till elevers resultat i främst två undersökningar, PISA och International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, ICCS. Följande frågeställningar genomsyrar undersökningen:Vad är motiveringen till att internationella undersökningar ska genomföras?Hur motiveras ämnesvalet som testas i dem internationella undersökningarna?Vilka orsaker tar rapporterna upp till elevernas resultat i PISA och ICCS?För att besvara ovanstående frågeställningar används en litteraturstudie för att analysera fyra av skolverkets rapporter.

Sweden was transformed to a democratic industrial society in the late 19th century. Political influence had been bound to the four estates, nobles, clergy, burghers and farmers. The reforms of the 1860s moved Sweden towards political democracy with universal suffrage. At the national level a two-chamber parliament was established in 1866. Political power should now be a function of economic status.

Utgångspunkten i arbetet är att människor som saknar rättigheter behandlas orättvist. Nancy Frasers rättviseteori stärker det påståendet. Hennes tolkning av rättvisa innebär att individer skall ha möjlighet att deltaga som jämlikar i alla strukturer som påverkar individen. Om individen saknar rättigheter saknar hon möjlighet att deltaga som jämlik. Frågeställningen som undersöks är hur Hannah Arendts ansvarbegrepp kan minska orättvisan som individen lider av i och med sin avsaknad av rättigheter.

Muslims and islam are unquestionably a part of European social life. In recent times, however, different events, such as the enlargement of the EU and the fact that muslims to a higher extent demand their rights, have brought a number of questions to the fore concerning muslims and islam in Europe. Moreover, we can see an increasing level of islamophobia in contemporary Europe, but also that the EU has launched several programs to increase both the diversity and the unity throughout the Union and to combat islamophobia. However, most of these programs focus on islam as religion and muslims in general, and such a narrow viewpoint runs the risk of missing important issues.In this new context it would be interesting to widen the scope and ask what place not only the muslim community and islam, but also sharia (an important element in islam), may have in future Europe ? especially when it comes to muslim identity?My main objects are to see how the concept of sharia is constructed in the debates in the European Parliament, how that discourse relates to a social practice ? the increasing islamophobic ideas in Europe ? and what effect this may have on muslim identity in a European context.The results shows that the Parliament constructs sharia as, for example, something archaic, threatening, inhuman and misogynistic.

Muslims and islam are unquestionably a part of European social life. In recent times, however, different events, such as the enlargement of the EU and the fact that muslims to a higher extent demand their rights, have brought a number of questions to the fore concerning muslims and islam in Europe. Moreover, we can see an increasing level of islamophobia in contemporary Europe, but also that the EU has launched several programs to increase both the diversity and the unity throughout the Union and to combat islamophobia. However, most of these programs focus on islam as religion and muslims in general, and such a narrow viewpoint runs the risk of missing important issues.In this new context it would be interesting to widen the scope and ask what place not only the muslim community and islam, but also sharia (an important element in islam), may have in future Europe ? especially when it comes to muslim identity?My main objects are to see how the concept of sharia is constructed in the debates in the European Parliament, how that discourse relates to a social practice ? the increasing islamophobic ideas in Europe ? and what effect this may have on muslim identity in a European context.The results shows that the Parliament constructs sharia as, for example, something archaic, threatening, inhuman and misogynistic.

The Swedish emigrants, in 1901-1904, were displeased with their home country, so they moved to America with hope to find a better life. Even though they were displeased they still had a great love for their home country and tried to either create a ?new Sweden? (the Swedish-Americans), or they traveled back to their families, hopefully with savings big enough to buy their own home. Sweden did not have a homestead act like the Americans did, which probably is the biggest reason to the emigration. There was also the question of each individual?s right to vote.