The analysis of regional development and the formation of regional policy have experienced an increasing importance in Europe and in Sweden during the last decades. There is a widespread assumption that the increasing significance of regions is due to the diminishing role of the nationstate in the era of globalization. This essay suggests that there is a hegemonic discourse, heavily relying on the assumptions of New Regionalism, when addressing regional building. Sometimes described as an ideology, New Regionalism, which is derived from research of successful regions, is based on the assumption that regional competitiveness and autonomy creates economic growth. The Committee on Public Sector Responsibilities (Ansvarskommittén) suggests that Sweden requires new regional structure, due to the increasing expenditures facing the welfare state.

The aim of this Masters thesis is to investigate how trained social workers experience information in their daily work. The thesis focussed on three major questions: - What type of information and information sources are mostly used by the trained social workers? - What kind of information barriers are described by the participants? - How can the patterns of information seeking and information use be understood on the basis of the trained social workers professional and social context? Semi-structured interviews were carried out with trained social workers working with child welfare enquiries. My theoretical framework consists of user and context oriented theories about classifications of information, information barriers and models of information sources. My conclusions are that trained social workers working with risk assessment in child protection services, need to use different kinds of information in their daily work, such as problem information, domain information and problem-solving information.

The purpose with our essay was to examine which clients/patients get treatment for alcohol problems from either health care units or social service units. We also wanted to find out how staff in these units considers the importance of social background in the assessment of treatment. The questions we have focused are: How do the clients/patients get in contact with the units? How does staff in these units consider the importance of social background in the assessment of treatment? How is the social background like for the present clients/patients? To fulfil the purpose with our investigation and to get answers to our questions, we performed an explorative examination and applied a qualitative method in the form of a semi-structured interview with six persons. The investigation showed that clients/patients get in contact with the units by looking for treatment by themselves or by relatives and other organisations.

The levels of unemployment are unusually high compared to recent years, and the consequences are diligently debated in media. Swedish safety systems regarding people?s welfare have gone through changes lately which affected the situation negatively for many concerned citizens. This study aimed to illustrate individual?s situation of unemployment within their social context.

Purpose: To compare the expectations of coming profession in social work with experienced social work. We wanted to compare the pictures between the students in school of social work studies with social workers. We also wanted to increase social workers as well as other readers? awareness of social work as a profession.Questions: What characterizes the school of social studies? How do students in school of social work view the coming role as a professional? How do students in school of social work view upon social workers as professionals? How do social workers view upon their own profession? How do social workers view upon the own role as a professional? How do social workers view upon the relation between the idea of the profession and the daily practice? How do the students in school of social work studies and social workers view upon professional social work?Method: Qualitative study with qualitative interviews.Conclusion: Social work is a low status profession. How to increase the status of social work is not easy.

Bakgrundsbeskrivning: Traditionellt har risk betraktats som något negativt ocholika typer av risker har hanterats av olika funktioner. Sedan ett antal år har IntegratedRisk Management (IRM) utvecklats som koncept för riskhantering. IRM innebärsamordning och integration av riskhanteringsarbetet. Problemställning: I vissa länder har lagstiftning tvingat företag att implementerasystem som IRM, men det råder fortfarande viss oklarhet i vilka motiven ocheffekterna är. Vi frågar oss därför vilka anledningar det finns att använda IRM? Vad ärmålsättningen och motiven? Vilket värde (effekter) skapar det egentligen för företaget?Vidare saknas det studier i vad IRM innebär i praktiken, särskilt erfarenheter frånnordiska företag.

There are many children in Sweden today, approximately between 100 000 and 200 000, who have parents or a parent that abuses alcohol or other drugs. In this research paper we have reviewed some of the literature concerning these children and their situation. The purpose of this research paper was to make an interview study of a group activity for children that have parents or a parent, who abuses alcohol or other drugs.This research paper is based on interviews conducted with two children and four group leaders. We compared the children's opinions about the group activity to the opinion of the group leaders of what the group activity has given the children. We also wanted to compare our interview study with other similar studies that has been made within this subject.

Previous reaserch has indicated that the almoners position in the somatic hospital hierarchy is poor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the position of the almoner in the hospital hierarch today, together with what this position is based upon.The questions at issue were:- Has the almoners position in the hospital hierarchy changed, or is it still poor?- In what way can the almoners position in the hospital hierarchy be explained?In order to get answers to our questions at issue, we interviewed totally 13 persons from the three chosen professional categories, i e four almoners, five doctors and four nurses. Two of the doctors worked at care centres and the other doctors worked in hospitals within the Region Skåne. The interview material was analysed from the concepts of Pierre Bourdieus; field and symbolic capital and by means of ideas from the closing theory.

This research study constitutes a critical stand, which departure from the increase in welfare, and decrease in quality of life, and is further directed to the sphere of consumption. Contemporary consumers appear to seek for components to construct their self with through consumption, consumerism has become a sphere of life, and has consequently also become a victimizing force steering the identity and self construction of consumers. The alarm bells however are echoing in Western society, and consumers are experiencing dilemmas such as fragmentation, powerlessness, uncertainty and meaninglessness.In this respect we have presented spiritualism as an applicable path of escape or alternative to the scheme of the material oriented consumption sphere. We intend to broaden the scope of the interplay between spiritualism and consumerism in the act of yoga, and we have therefore been researching: what yoga is doing to consumers, and what consumers are doing to yoga. The study is based on an existential epistemology paradigm, which emphasis on the meaning of the yoga experience attained from the subjects of research; the yoga practitioners, and therefore we have carried out three focus group discussions.

The purpose of this study was to examine how professional workers understand the bullying problem among Swedish youth in the age of 13-15 years. The main focus was to examine the new phenomena electronic bullying, from a professional point of view.The biggest question to answer was: "How does the school and organizations understand the bullying situation among Swedish youth today?" Individual interviews with professional social workers within the school and nationwide organizations have been used to fulfill the purpose of this work. Two different respondent types were used in order to get a wide perspective and a dynamic view.Electronic bullying had increased, but the school yard was still the most common arena for bullying, according to the respondents. The schools tried to prevent bullying, but the social workers felt that they lacked some knowledge of electronic bullying, because it was relative new.

Background: Insufficient physical activity is a public health problem. The Swedish recommendation is to be physically active for a minimum of 30 minutes every day, which is fulfilled by about half the adult population. Recent research has shown that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor. Physical activity on prescription (FaR®) is an individually adapted and written prescription, a method to encourage physical activity. The National Board of Health and Welfare has observed that counseling combined with a written prescription convey better adherence than just counseling.

The aim of this study was to examine the possibilities to enter the regular labour market for pupils and young adults with intellectual disabilities. The method used is tape-recorded qualitative interviews with; Two pupils with intellectual disabilities, studying the last year at a special school. Two young adults with intellectual disabilities, former pupils at a special school and at the moment in search of work at a Public Employment Service office for young adults with disabilities. Furthermore were interviews made with two professionals, one student counsellor at a special school and one representative at a Public Employment Service office for young adults with disabilities. For analysing the empirical data, Iris Marion Young's theory about Five Faces of Oppression, Crip theory and Dalrymple and Burkes theory about empowerment was used.

The aim of this literature review was to investigate whether the modern dairy cow has the time she needs to lie down and to sleep and what deprivation of these behaviors could lead to. Current research seems to agree on the fact that sleep is essential but there is no uniform explanation of the function of sleep, even though there are many theories. It is known that sleep has an important impact on the immune system and that sleep is increased in case of an infection. Sleep deprivation causes many negative effects including reduced function off the immune defense, increased metabolic activity, malnutrition and increased heart rate. It has also been found that deprivation of sleep could cause increased mortality.

This thesis deals with the information needs and information provision of teachers in compulsory school, from a role theoretical perspective. The object is to investigate teachers opinions on their information needs and information provision. The following questions have been used to approach the problem: Which are the information needs of teachers in compulsory school? How do teachers get the information they need? Which difficulties and deficiencies do teachers experience in their information provision, and what does the ideal situation look like? The theoretical frame of reference consists of a model of the information seeking of professionals, which is based on role theory. Qualitative interviews have been carried out with nine teachers.

The aim of this study is to highlight drug experiences and the significance our interviewee?s ascribe to their drug experiences in conjunction to their everyday lives. In the concluding chapter of this study we have used the collective experiences of the participants to allow us to engage in a dialogue of why it is important to acknowledge the attributes and needs an individual attaches to his/her perspective drug in the field of social welfare in Sweden. Symbolic Interactionism as a theoretical approach is used as the framework for understanding responses of participants in this study. The word ?experience? is a comprehensive concept for the sensations that an individual feels.