The focus of this thesis is a specific part of Swedish library policy called library plans. A library plan is a political document created with the purpose of constituting a platform for co-operation between different library systems within a municipality, e.g. through determining and analysing the needs for library activities within municipalities in Sweden.This thesis´ aim is to investigate whether library plans are, or can be used as, a tool for change and thereby increase legitimacy for public libraries in Sweden.We have examined aspects of library plans using theories from change management to determine whether these plans include tools focusing on conditions in organisations that could result in an improved and stronger position in the society for public library. Through the use of theories from new institutionalism we opted for an understanding of the interaction between the libraries and the context in which they are part of.Upon examining 23 library plans, we discovered similarities as well as diversities among them. From our study we have drawn the conclusion that it is important to analyse the specific needs of each different municipality and to consider these individual conditions and needs when developing and composing the library plan.

Feminist initiative ? an idea analysis.On the fourth of April in the year 2005 Feministic initiative (Fi) was created, it was an main response to the slow changes in the Swedish society, which claimed to establish an equal society. Equality has become one of the major indicators of a contemporary democratic society. The Swedish government has long proclaimed to reach this goal, but even though Sweden currently lies in the front among the democratic societies, while you consider equality issues, especially between the sexes, there is still a lot that need to be done in the Swedish society. Feministic initiative began as an organization and established a political party and participated in the election during the year 2006, but failed to reach a place in the parliament.

Vårt syfte är att undersöka på vilket sätt kulinarisk turism har potential att särskilja en region från andra. Vår empiriska studie tar sin utgångspunkt i ett regionalt matkoncept, en picknickkorg, och dess förmåga att synliggöra fem begrepp; rörlighet, plats, upplevelse, identitet och äkthet. Våra frågeställningar är:Hur påverkar matkonceptet turistens rörelse på Österlen?På vilket sätt bidrar matkonceptet till att skapa Österlen som plats? Hur skapas matupplevelsen på Österlen? Hur skapas identitet utifrån symbolvärden som kan kopplas till matkonceptet?På vilket sätt kan matkonceptet skapa en känsla av äkthet? Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ metod och vårt empiriska material bygger på intervjuer och observationer. Intervjuerna utfördes med fem turist- och matproducenter på Österlen.

The concept of sustainable development has been pervasive in recent years and many organizations choose to implement sustainability and adapt their activities accordingly. The purpose of this study have been to explore how a collaboration on the use of waste materials may look to analyze what influences cooperation. A case study has been carried out examining a Swedish state regional project aimed at creating partnerships between actors and utilizing textile waste with the help of design. The study was conducted using qualitative methods and the collection of data has been done through interviews and by examining documents. The results show that there are seven key factors that affect cooperation: expectations, commitment, internal communication, a strong non-profit actor, individual treatment, personal networks and the diversity of actors.

The following study is a discourse analysis of the concept of critical thinking within pre-school teacher education. It considers the following questions: how does the concept of critical thinking appear in policy documents, central to the pre-school teacher education, and which possible conceptions of critical thinking are conveyed by students and teachers active within the education. Additionally, the study seeks to discuss, as well as suggest a possible relation, between the findings of those two questions. In reviewing the material (consisting of five semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, and of a selection of policy documents central to the education), I argue the existence of a sort of project within the education, which presents critical thinking as a higher value. At the same time, I argue that the concept is not defined or concretized. This project, however, as I suggest while drawing upon Foucault?s ideas of discourse and government, involves a rather high degree of control.

Kvinnors underrepresentation är ett problem på flera sätt. För det första är det ett demokratiskt problem att hälften av ett lands befolkning är underrepresenterad då de politiska besluten inte speglar hela befolkningens erfarenheter och värderingar. För det andra handlar det om en resursfråga då kvinnliga erfarenheter och värderingar inte tas tillvara vid beslutsfattandet och viktig kunskap går till spillo. För det tredje handlar det om intressen då kvinnliga intressen prioriteras bort eftersom det inte finns någon som kan föra kvinnors talan. Enligt jämställdhetslagens §13 måste alla arbetsgivare upprätta en jämställdhetsplan som ska innehålla en översikt över de åtgärder som behövs på arbetsplatsen för att förbättra jämställdheten.

The Swedish Institute is a public agency promoting Swedish interest, national image and confidence around the world. This work attempts to investigate how communication and a process over time influences and effects public diplomacy. The analytic discussion is based on a single case study research of this Institute representing ideas in the international science field of public diplomacy. The theoretical ideas of public diplomacy are placed in a theoretical perspective of social constructivism. The method is qualitative, with excerpts taken from interviews, literature, newspapers, articles, state public reports and social media.

With higher prices for oil and increased focus on fossil fuels impact on the environment the heating sector are searching for alternative fuels. Pellets are a quite new product whose production has risen exponential in recent years. Today there are small-, medium-and large-scale users, where the large-scale consumers are the heating sector. The heating sector is mainly using oil to cover the increased demand during cold periods. The purpose of this study is to analyze the potential of pellets if it would replace thermal power plants oil and coal. The study will also analyze the economic impact a conversion would mean for a heating plant and if the pellet is a reasonable substitute. 2008 statistics from the Swedish district heating association were analyzed and a calculation was performed to determine how many tons of pellets is needed to replace coal and oil.

Den här uppsatsens syfte är att ta reda hur olika regionala sammanslagningar eller en regions expansion kan komma att påverka människan på mikronivå, därtill skaffa sig en större förståelse för vad regionala identiteter och dess samspel mellan och inom olika regioner innebär och även skaffa sig en ökad förståelse för fenomenet ?vi mot dem?.Fokus i uppsatsen är det förslag som Regeringens Ansvarskommitté tagit fram angående en sammanslagning av Sveriges län till nio regioner, där uppsatsen kommer att behandla vd som händer med människors regionala identitet vid en sådan sammanslagning. Förslaget innebär då att Värmlands och Örebro län ska slås samman.Uppsatsen är uppbyggd på studier av aktuell litteratur, dels genom tidsskrifter om politisk och kulturell geografi och dels genom noga utvald litteratur främst inom ämnet kulturgeografi. Den litteratur som studerats och valts ut har även använts som teoretiska referensramar, på vilken intervjufrågor baseras. Uppsatsen är således även delvis uppbyggd på djupintervjuer, vilka sedan jämförs och analyseras tillsammans med teorin med hjälp av en analysmodell.Karlstadbor har en väldigt stark identitet som värmlänningar, vilka då har sin identitet starkt kopplat till landskapet Värmland.

The outset of this study is to contribute to the literature concerning China?s increasing economic interest to engage in the African context, its economies and resource abundandce. The overarching research problem is that the approaches held by the respective African state entities may facilitate increasing development gains for the recipient state of this economic interest in principle. To adress this research problem the study is undertaken by conducting a comparative case study where three cases/states, with presumably diverging economic and political status, are likely to effect their overall state approaches differently.Research questions, which are addressed by the creation of an idealtype analytic matrix, concern whether the states of South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe take on a more ?permissive? or ?restrictive? approach towards China?s economic interst and whether the approaches can be looked upon on both aggratege and case/area-specific levels.The main findings are that a clear tendency of the ?permissive approach? may be noted on a aggregate level for all cases.

Denna uppsats har för avsikt att undersöka det negativa sambandet mellan arbetslöshet och tillväxt i svenska län. Sambandet vi använder oss av är den inom nationalekonomin välkända Okun?s lag. Denna lag kommer vi att applicera på Sveriges 21 län mellan åren 1986 till 2003. Vi förväntar oss att sambandet kommer att variera mellan länen.

This thesis tackles the subject concerning arguments as a conceptual basis forunderstanding the general strategy of the European Union Commission on issuesconcerning EU-harmonized environmental taxes, politically delicate and intergovernmentaldependent. The Commission's official proposals, communications and other relevant documents are subject to inquiry, where the theoretical bases are that harmonized environmental taxes in the EU is an issue conceived as supported by academic debate, and where the institutional arrangement in relation to an European-national dimension alongside the discursive context, allows meaningfulspace for arguments. The study makes a distinction between substantial (environmental cancerns in itself) and instrumental (other benefits, mostly economic ones) rationality as a foundation in various types of arguments.The study's main findings are that the Commission's official documents over the past 20 years, have been trying to keep a strong image of reason and knowledge based arguments for an EU-wide environmental tax reform. In particular, the types of arguments tend to appeal to the Member States by stressing the instrumental rationality in a European environmental tax reform, indicating the value of good arguments as a part of the Commission's main strategies. In sum, this may have further theoretical suggestions concerning questions of environmental and elimate change policies in a European context or other more general studies relying on theoretical assumptions of logics of argument, legitimacy or studies of motives behind action strategies in politically sensitive issues such as taxation at supranationallevel..

The aim of this study was to acquire knowledge about the working conditions of people's gainful employment. The research was conducted at one of the regional social insurance offices of Malmö with participation of ten of their employees. The research method of choice was a phenomenological approach. One open question about the working situation was answered freely. The results indicate a rather severe discontent about the workplace.

This thesis examines immigration policy and the problematic of the surveillance society, by analyzing the movies V for Vendetta and Children of Men. In the thesis we use visual analysis, and the theories of Michel Foucault and Nikolas Rose. Central questions to our thesis are how the movies interpret the present time, and how they have chosen to depict the surveillance society to problematize the current immigration policies. We have used thematic analysis to illustrate these questions..

Denna kandidatuppsats på 15 hp är skriven inom ämnet landsbygdsutveckling. Uppsatsen bygger på tre intervjuer och observationer med ägare till små livsmedelsbutiker i Uppsala. Butikerna säljer bland annat lokalproducerad mat, regional mat, mat från andra länder, kläder och annat smått och gott. Dessa små butiker har nischat in sig på olika områden och jag har undersökt hur det är att driva en sådan liten livsmedelsbutik i Uppsala. I analysen har jag försökt förstå varför vissa väljer att gå och handla i mindre butiker och vilka det är som gör det.