This thesis seeks to investigate the contemporary discourse on environmental activism in Sweden on a political elite level. This is done by analyzing statements by politicians behind “Tidöavtalet” using a method of Critical Discourse Analysis combined with a theoretical departure in Post-Politics. The findings point towards a discourse where environmental activists are depoliticized and constructe

This study aims to investigate how Moderaterna's attitude towards prostitution has changed over time. The starting point for this investigation is the Swedish Act prohibiting the purchase of sexual services. By examining the concept of policy diffusion, this study analyzes how the incentives embedded in the law, both explicitly and underlying, have contributed to the party's changing attit

It is sometimes said that modern politics has lost track of ideology and vision - that personal charisma and expertise is rewarded more than firm beliefs and connections with an organised movement. In their book Technopopulism: the New Logic of Democratic Politics, Christopher J. Bickerton and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti go beyond such suspicions. Their main argument is that the organisational politi

This essay aims to examine how the Swedish feminist debate about trans inclusive feminism in 2018 can be described in terms of agonistic and deliberative democratic ideals. The ideals are being operationalized by Habermas’ deliberative theory and Mouffe’s agonistic theory. To analyze the material a critical discourse analysis is being used and 13 opinion pieces are being analyzed. They are all wri

Political participation is in global decline and especially young citizens are called out for their low levels of participation. Simultaneously new political trends are emerging among today’s youths, one of them being engagement via social media. To further understand these developments, this thesis investigates high-educated youths’ perceptions of and feelings toward political engagement, includi

Furthered as one of the core values behind neoliberal ideas, freedom becomes a contested site in contemporary critiques of neoliberalism. As one of the leading scholars on–and critics of–neoliberalism, Wendy Brown argues that neoliberal rationality undermines the prospect of democracy, as well as freedom. By using a contextualizing and reconstructive method, this study analyzes multiple works of B

The foundation of this research lies in the recent shift of Swedish foreign policy, where the current government chose to abolish the feminist foreign policy in favor of pursuing a primarily Swedish and European foreign policy. The objects of the study are two governments: the current liberal and conservative government and the former social democratic and green government. This research investiga

The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy was created to stabilize the EU’s Neighbourhood, fuel the EU’s geopolitical crisis management ambitions, and strengthen European values abroad. In the recent debate, however, it was criticized as ineffective or destabilizing. While specific regions and mission types were previously researched, a comprehensive analysis of all EU crisis management operatio

This thesis centers around the challenges that female entrepreneurs encounter in the Swedish business landscape. The aim is to find out what challenges female entrepreneurs encounter in order to find solutions and propose policy recommendations for the Swedish government. Previous literature on female entrepreneurship has been riddled with challenges female entrepreneurs face but without providin

This study aims to highlight the ideological aspect of the incumbent crisis of the European center-right. It does so by analyzing election manifestos from national elections between 2012 to 2022. The study parties are Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU) of Germany and Les Républicains of France. The study makes use of theories regarding party competition. The applied method is an ide

This research aims to examine the effects of the new LNG network structure on EU’s energy security. The research question is as follows: How can the concept of Weaponized Interdependence (WI) inform EU’s Energy Security? The concept of WI is used to reveal structural positions in the network which can be utilized to leverage political means. In addition, this research adopts a reinforcing understa

2024 marks the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has resulted in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees entering EU member states, including Germany. As far-right parties are on the rise across Europe, the topic of immigration is high on the political agenda again. Mainstream right and far right parties are competing for the discursive upper hand on the top

Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ is often referred to in academia as a right-wing populist political party. However, stemming from Hungary’s history of being dominated by outside powers and having been under communist rule for fifty years, this thesis argues that the nature of FIDESZ’s communication strategy could be heavily influenced by left-wing populist ideals. This thesis seeks to investigate populist a

Space activity is rapidly developing, increasing globally in public and private sectors, and subject to competition amongst dominant spacefaring actors. Global space governance is discordant with the contemporary environment motivating international efforts to develop it. Since 2021 the European Union (EU) is intensively developing space policy and strategies. This dissertation contributes to stud

This research explores the interplay between the Council of Europe and the European Union within the context of EU Enlargement policy, focusing on the diffusion and visibility of Council of Europe standards and discourses within European Union Progress Reports. The paper scrutinizes how the Council of Europe’s emphasis on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law is visible in the European Unio

The European Union has developed a critical concern for cybersecurity, requiring a comprehensive approach to tackle new challenges arising from cyber threats. Against the backdrop of increasing global cyber-attacks and emerging regulatory models from rival powers, such as China and Russia, the EU has positioned itself as a key player in cybersecurity policy. This thesis researches the extent to wh

As the global climate crisis continues to develop, the significance of climate policies in creating sustainable mitigation and adaptation plans to prevent climate change’s adverse effects increases. The ability of climate policies to effectively address those most affected is crucial to prevent disparities among people. In Uganda, women, especially those who are in a vulnerable state due to overla

This thesis analyses how migrant sex workers are conceptualised and regulated by the Danish state. Through content analysis, guided by Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ approach, this thesis examines how migrant sex workers are constructed as a ‘problem’ through their situatedness in different and intersecting policy fields. The flow of migrant sex workers is recognised within

This thesis explores the trajectory and dynamics of democracy in Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia, countries that joined the European Union (EU) in 2007 and 2013. Unlike the extensively studied cases of Poland and Hungary, these nations have received limited scholarly attention regarding their democratic consolidation and potential backsliding. Using Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan's framework, w