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The aim of this study is to investigate what causes the electoral success of different subtypes of populism through the ideational approach. Through a case study of Spain, the thesis examines the demand-side and supply-side factors that, together, favour the emergence of populist parties. In doing so, the thesis combines process-tracing method with quantitative data, providing a context-specific u

What happens to a country’s identity when it leaves a union it has belonged to for 40 years? In the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum the results was a tight call between leave and remain and the result indicates a split in the British public. The study analysis how national identity and European identity is portrayed in the connection to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom

The sea level is rising and putting infrastructure and people living by the coast at risk, yet there is a global trend of waterfront redevelopment, where cities and municipalities choose to turn old harbors into attractive housing and offices despite the fact that this increases their vulnerability to flooding. The aim of this paper is to understand why Swedish municipalities decide to redevelop o

How do governments allocate scarce resources in the face of political survival? Do they allocate according to social equity or welfare criteria, or do political concerns play a role? Over the course of three decades, the literature on distributive politics documented numerous cases where governments distributed goods and services strategically for electoral gains. By building on the theories of di

This is a case study examines a possible regime shift between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The study is using a theory consuming approach, with process tracing as the main instrument of analyzation. Using Keohane & Victor’s theory on regime complex, the two different regimes are highlighted: Kyoto and Paris. Applying Abbot, Green and Keohane’s theory on Organizational Ecology, h

This essay studies the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) employed by governments and other authorities in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden throughout the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NPIs are accounted for and coded using a policy instrument framework by Evert Vedung. Moreover, are the NPI selections of the countries’ politicians and authorities explained through explorative

This bachelor thesis discusses and describes the development of the pre-parliamentary election cycle debates in Sweden during the 2010s. The suspicion underlying this study is that a qualitative shift in the understanding of the terms and conditions underpinning “integration” took place during this period. The method applied to study this is a dual discourse analysis, one analysis regarding the su

The Nordic states’ approaches to security have been painted out as differentiated because of their alliance affiliations. However, in the light of a changing security environment and increasing international collaboration on security issues, there is a need to re-evaluate the Nordic context and alliance-state relations in the construction of security. In this thesis, the influences of security com

Artificial intelligence is expected to be the next paradigm shift in technology, akin to the steam engine or electricity in its universality and all-encompassing impact. Regulating an innovation of this magnitude is important, however challenging, as evidenced by the European Union’s recently proposed Artificial Intelligence Act. This thesis sets out to understand the EU as a normative actor in th

European identity is a crucial feature for supra-national institution building in times of renewed far-right nationalism and countries leaving the European Union. High- school education may help to prepare young students to become European citizens. Eurobarometer survey data suggests that European identity and education are strongly linked to each other. This statistical connection could be mere c

This paper focuses on the Danish ecovillage by the name of Svanholm, with a special attention to how different areas of sustainability is being understood and carried out in practice in the ecovillage. Through a long-term fieldwork and anthropological methods herein, the paper seeks to understand Svanholm with all its possibilities as well as challenges, whether it be in a technical, environmental

Despite the efforts of various leaders attempting to mobilize and militarily intervene against Israel, none have succeeded, except Nasrallah during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. The ambition of this study is to study how Nasrallah legitimized this decision, and how he could mobilize the people despite its unpopularity. Hassan Nasrallah is one of the Arab world's most influential actors, as he

The way an actor presents itself through a policy document could tell us a lot about – not only how the actor wants to be perceived – but also about what actorness the actor holds. To this foundation, this thesis studies the EU narrative identity presented in the EU Arctic Policy. The Arctic is a region of growing importance, and more eyes have turned to the Polar north over the past decades. The

For decades women’s rights have been a matter of discussion. Here lays, that free abortion is not a given right worldwide. The newly voted abortion law in Argentina now allow for women to access abortion freely. While the country is known as predominately Catholic, it is interesting to dive deep into how and why this abortion initiative finally have been approved. This research explores which fact

Over the last three and half decades, China has seen a rapid economic and political advancement in the world. Taking an ideological approach to evaluate China’s quest for soft power, the primary aim of this essay is to investigate whether the Chinese initiative “The Belt and Road Initiative” aims to position China as the worlds next superpower. Building on Joseph Nye ́s thoughts about soft power,

The school segregation has been growing in the Swedish schooling system in the recent years, where pupils with different backgrounds to a lower extent meet each other in the schooling system. At the same time the differences in results between schools, and the relationship between family background and pupils’ school results is increasing. This has spurred a political will to act on the growing sc

In 2020, the German government introduced a legislation to phase-out coal mining and combustion by 2038. Expert reports state that this is too late for Germany to meet its obligations from the Paris Agreement. For many people in Lusatia, one of the three coal mining areas in Germany, even the 2038 coal-exit is happening too fast. They fear for their economic and personal future in the coal-mining

This study set out to investigate the concept of security and the intelligence threat set in a Swedish context regarding its national and intelligence security policies. The aim of this paper is to examine whether or not there is any ambiguity of the concept of security. By applying Baldwin’s conceptual framework “The Concept of Security”, a set of dimensions is used to analyse the Swedish nationa

With rapid urbanisation, local governments are increasingly put under pressure to manage urban space in a way that benefits all citizens. Urban space often become contested and economic, political, social, and environmental interests shape how these spaces are used and managed. In the context of Cape Town, two mayor interests that determine spatial development are urban greening and affordable hou

This paper researches the Korean Constitutional Court’s decision to legalize abortions in South Korea in 2019. While abortions have been illegal from 1957, the way in which it has been put into practice has varied, as well as the social and political status of abortions. From 2015 and onward, feminist movements started mobilizing a pro-choice movement, without much political response from executiv