This thesis examines the continuity, change and adaptation of blat – as a Soviet time, informal economic transaction network, that existed as a response to a non-functional economy. The analysis is based on 33 in-depth interviews conducted in 2009 during a field study in Ukraine and Belarus. The main focus is on individuals’ descriptions, justifications and explanations of their ongoing informal p

Unpacking and reconstituting different aspects of the Japanese narrative on China within the context of the Yasukuni controversy between 2001 and 2006, this thesis concludes that the constitution of China is an inherent part of the negotiating processes of the “Japanese we”. With a methodological framework comprised of grounded theory and narrative analysis; in its merged form referred to as groun

This paper takes its starting point with the enormous public attention that blogs got in 2008 regarding the “FRA” debate. In the media there is a consensus that the blogs influenced the parliamentary debate concerning the new law proposal. This essay intends to investigate the bearing of this consensus by comparing the debate in the blog sphere and the debate in the parliament and searching for si

The aim of this study is to understand whether globalization has any effects on modern democracy and if so to see whether it can be replaced by something else – something larger than democracy within the nation-state. The aim was also to find out whether a cosmopolitan democracy is possible among nation-states with the help of cosmopolitan theory. In order to receive this information the author ha

This thesis discusses Ireland’s rapid economic growth in the 1990s, in order to place in in the context of contemporary globalization debate. A great deal of the growth has been cited to stem from the state’s encouragement of globalization, in terms of increasing exposure to global markets. I investigate the interactions between the state and market, in order to determine of the economic growth wa

Discriminating rules of admission exclude accomplished students from universities and colleges in Sweden. Recent court cases have brought to attention that a majority of Swedish universities and colleges use positive discrimination with the intention of promoting equal rights for minority groups. The admission rules are designed to increase ethnic diversity and ensure gender equality but are contr

This study aims to present the media coverage of the period shortly after the Swedish parliamentary elections of 2006. It soon turned out that five of the newly appointed Swedish Ministers of government had committed immoral acts prior they were appointed Ministers. The basis for this study is a hypothesis that media tends to picture politicians in the context of different normative logics. The

Vi har valt att se varför länder väljer att samarbeta kring transnationella vattenresurser. Detta gör vi utifrån exemplet Nilen och tre av de länder som delar på denna vattenresurs, Egypten, Sudan och Etiopien. Utgångspunkten har varit teorin om hegemonisk maktställning och en analysmodell för interaktion gällande begränsade vattenresurser. Utifrån dessa har vi konstruerat en egen analysmodell för

Blogging as a phenomenon has spread far from its initial western context and provides new interesting research topics on the implications of the blogosphere in more authoritarian states. We however face many problems when trying to connect the technological complexity of the new information era and the social scientific theories of our discipline. By applying a framework designed to bring order an

This thesis aims to examine what significance the output of a citizen panel constitutes to a municipality’s administration. Citizen participation projects have increased in popularity due to decreasing electoral participation and fewer members in political parties. This constitutes a democratic problem as well as a problem of weakened information channels for the decision makers. There is a need f

The New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development constitutes a new initiative to development, created by the African states themselves with an ultimate goal to be more integrated in the global economy on more equal terms and thereby reduce poverty within the continent. NEPAD sees democracy, good governance and human rights as necessary for sustainable development. This thesis examines the ass

The populist pattern in the post-communist Europe has growed and today it has a wide foundation to lean on. Two countries that have experienced several successful populist parties since the collapse of the communist system in 1989, are Hungary and Slovakia. I will here ask what the reasons for this breeding ground are and how the effects of globalisation affect this specific context. In order to d

With the Kyoto Protocol in effect and well into its implementation period, the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are now in the midst of negotiating an agreement to govern the global policy on climate change in the post-Kyoto period. Recognizing the difficulties of the Parties to agree on the commitments laid out in the Kyoto Protocol and acknowledging in particu

Vetevendosje is a Kosovo-Albanian social movement which main political demand is self-determination. Social movements most commonly disappear or get institutionalized when reaching their political aim. What is interesting is that Vetevendosje did not follow this pattern. Even though the prime minister of Kosovo declared independence on the 17th of February in 2008, Vetevendosje is still alive and

Lobbying within the European Union is an everyday occurrence that provides officers and politicians with information for policy-making and gives organized interests a chance to represent their views. This thesis focuses on subnational interests experienced amount of access to the three major institutions in the EU; the Commission, the Parliament and the Council. The purpose of this thesis is to t

This thesis investigates the rhetoric of the leading party in the community of Vellinge in southern Sweden. The community is unique in its surroundings because of its decision not to make space for refugees granted with asylum in Sweden. A big debate started in 2008 when anetwork that demanded that the community would accept refugees was created. An image of the people in the community as racist i

In contemporary conflict environments, security and development are inextricably linked. This has spawned the development of the comprehensive approach to peace support operations. But there is a deficit of studies validating that integration and coherence will lead to positive outcomes and higher degrees of effectiveness. There is also a gap between strategic planning and operative implementation

Long waiting periods for asylum seekers is a problem in most European countries and the effort to harmonise the refugee politicy within the union has brought this question to the point. Everyone agrees that the asylum process has to be made more effective, also Sweden. Medical research shows that asylum seekers in Sweden are particularly exposed to mental and physical unhealthiness. My ambition wi

In this thesis the role of the European Parliament has been explored and analysed. Four scenarios for European Integration: Europe of States, United States of Europe, Europe of Regions and Europe of Networks developed by Jönsson et al, have been employed as a framework for the analysis. To examine the principle role of the EP in each scenario, in addition to the varying possibilities and challenge

Abstracts The purpose of this paper is to examine if the Swedish discourse concerning FGM/C can be seen as a link in the shaping of ones own identity. To investigate if this is the case I have used critical discourse analysis influenced by Norman Faircloughs three-dimensional model. I’ve also used postcolonial feminism as a kind of lens through which I’ve looked at the discourse. The discourse in