This study aims mainly to investigate what kind of role the public library plays in the regional and local development. The aim is also to investigate how the public library can strengthen the role as a factor of regional and local development. To explore the subject, the study is focused on the Swedish region of Västra Götaland. Three officials along with two policy documents, are included in the study as representatives of the region. Four public library managers are also interviewed but as representatives of the local perspective.

When Swedish authorities are to purchase or rent something, public procurement is used as a means to an end. Authorities as well as suppliers are subjects to the fact that Swedish law regarding public procurement regulates the form of procurement in one set of particular regulations (LOU) and the form of contracts in another set of general regulations (AvtL). Suppliers and purchasing authorities close a contract regarding the subject of procurement and the law of public procurement regulates when such a contract can be closed, simultaneously the law of contracts regulates when parties are held to contracts and when contracts are to be rescinded. I investigate in this essay what these two types of regulations can result in for the contracting parties. As it is today agreements that have been entered into wrongfully still are valid, even if a court of law nullifies the procurement and sentences the purchasing authority to make a new public procurement.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om det föreligger ett positivt samband mellan frihandel och ekonomisk tillväxt, dels i afrikanska länder, dels i länder tagna från hela världen. Vad jag genom min uppsats främst vill söka svar på är om en ökad grad av frihandel i Afrika bidrar till en högre ekonomisk tillväxt. Genom att även inkludera andra länder i min undersökning, försöker jag dessutom ta reda på om sambandet mellan frihandel och tillväxt ser annorlunda ut ur ett globalt perspektiv.Som metod använder jag mig i uppsatsen av en regressionsanalys. Som mått på frihandel använder jag mig av ett index utvecklat av den amerikanska organisationen Fraser Institute, kallat Freedom to Trade Index.Mina regressionsresultat visar på att Freedom to Trade Index ej har något statistiskt signifikant samband med den ekonomiska tillväxttakten i de afrikanska länder jag undersöker. I min ?världsundersökning? visar sig däremot indexet ha ett positivt samband med den ekonomiska tillväxttakten.

Abstract The subject of this thesis is the priority rules that apply in connection with mining activity. Already back in the 1800s, there were rules in the so-called Lego Charter concerning protection of workers, mainly servants. When the first modern trade union was founded in the 1870s, also developed a collective agreement. These agreements were the order of priority clauses had to intend to ensure employees' working lives. Exceptions had to be done by ensuring that individual employees' dependents. In 1974 the Act on employment entry and had intended to protect older workers.

In 1998 a new regional development policy was introduced by the Swedish government. A central feature in the policy was the formation of partnerships at the regional level. The partnerships were meant to consist of local and regional stakeholders, representing a great variety of interests, who would collaborate in order to improve regional development. The new policy was promoted, besides being more efficient, as a way to broaden political participation and to break male-dominated structures.This thesis discusses whether the regional partnership actually favours ?women's interests?, in terms of how the relationship of power between women and men is constituted by the model.

The purpose of my study is to examine how four teachers reflect on free play and controlled play in preschool. What are their reflects concerning free play, controlled play and children?s development and education. The main focus of this research is the experiences of the teachers and I compare their perspectives against each other regarding free and controlled play.To be able to realize this study, I propose the following questions:What kind of vision does the teacher have concerning free play and controlled play?According to the teacher, how does playing affect the children?Which development areas are affected by participating in the play?This is a qualitative study, based on interviews with four teachers from two different preschools.

There is a clear difference between types of regions and forms of regionalization. This theoretical division can point out other division lines on different areas and levels, like the one of discourses. In this article is urged that regional political discourses may be divided in West and East European ones. To argue for West and East differences in regional discourse the article shows division lines both in the history of regionalization but also in ideologies. The regional policy of the EU is one example for today's regionalization as a West discourse and the Transylvanian in Rumania as an example for the East discourse.

The purpose of this study is to find out how four preschool teachers view children?s free playing and its impact on their learning. My main questions are:How do the teachers view the children?s free playing?In what ways does the children?s free playing affect their learning, according to the teachers?This essay is based on a qualitative study in which I have interviewed four female preschool teachers of different ages. I highlight various theories of children?s playing and learning in preschool, by theorists such as Vygotsky, Lillemyr, Knutsdotter Olofsson, Lindqvist, among others.

Fair trade har vuxit fram med en otrolig fart de sista åren och frågan är hur detpåverkar producenterna, om det existerar något sådant som rättvis handel och ommarknaden kan fortsätta växa? För att diskutera dessa frågor presenterasnationalekonomiska modeller, argument för och emot fair trade samt ett antalfallstudier i ämnet. De modeller som tas upp är H-O modellen tillsammans medStolper-Samuelsson teoremet. De visar att fair trades framgång beror påefterfrågeelasticiteten av produkten i fråga.Fair trade har en speciell marknadsstruktur och där olika typer av spelaresamverkar. Det finns en konflikt mellan de som anser att fair trades ?rätta? värdeförstörs av att livsmedelsbutiker och stora multiföretag börjar sälja fair tradeprodukter och de som anser att fair trade bör kunna nå människor genom så mångakanaler som möjligt.

The essay shows that temporary agency employees work in a complex business. Both labor and management differs from other businesses in the Swedish labor market. Regarding the unemployment insurance, they have previously been separated from other businesses through legislation. Based on the essay question regarding workers protection has the statutory rights for employees been strengthened. This by the implementation of the directive on manning into Swedish law and now covers all workers in the business.

Swedish trade unions are engaged in several activities at the European level. One of these isthe sectoral social dialogue, an institutionalized part of the European Union. This bachelorthesis examines the motives for Swedish trade unions in three different sectors to engage themselves in the European social dialogue. The three sectors are chosen because of their differences according to their exposure to competition caused by ongoing globalization and europeanization processes. By interviewing central informants in trade unions which are active in the three dialogues this thesis seeks to learn more about the motives stated by the trade unions.

The aim of this study is to increase knowledge and understanding of free play or free fun time importance for children of age around five years in preschool, in order to promote children?s development and learning. The focus was on exploring and better understanding of teacher?s and educators? approach to the free fun play time as a tool in their educational work, and also about their own role in this context as well as analyzing of forms, rules and structures spontaneously created by groups of children having free play fun time. Another important moment of this study was to give more light on approaches to this issue in education theories by Piaget, Vygotsky and Freud among others.As to the practical experimental part of the study it has been performed at a preschool and kindergarten in a suburb at the outskirts of Stockholm, with four employed educators there and with groups of children of age around five.

This essay aims to emphasize and clarify the positions that exist within the current globalization debate. The positions are the neo-liberal, the opponents, the pragmatists and the skeptics. The text presents and explains their ideological, moral and political positions and beliefs about the world, the nation state, the society and the individual; in light of Steven Lukes? and Antonio Gramsci's theories regarding the interaction and the relationship between power and hegemony. The methodological starting point is the ideology-critical analysis; in which their arguments in the current globalization debate is highlighted and categorized.

In the 90's the establishment of external trade centers had a strong growth in Sweden, primarily in large and medium cities. Gradually took smaller towns by this development. In larger cities with larger and growing customer base than in small towns were not affected by the trade centers heavily, but in the smaller towns where the customer base was smaller, there was a risk that it created a negative competitive relationship between external trade center and trade in the citycenter. In some cases, competition is a positive development for both the citycenter and external trade areas, but in some cases there was a risk that the center became impoverished. In such situation there are theories that the different variety of different types of goods should be at the center and in external trade center could lead to a balanced trade relationship.

Under lång tid har svenska kommuner, län och landsting samarbetat med sina motsvarigheter på andra sidan Östersjön. I den här uppsatsen ligger fokus på ett av dessa samarbeten: det mellan Jönköpings län och Alytus län i Litauen. Mellan åren 1999 ? 2003 pågick ett projekt som kallades "Regional Development Plans in Lithuania". Projektet syftade till att hjälpa Alytus med att först skapa en regional utvecklingsplan och sedan att försöka implementera denna.