This paper assesses the democratic value brought to the European Union through the effect of the Lisbon Treaty. In doing so, it especially looks at how tendencies and theories presented in this Treaty can address criticism of a lacking EU democracy. The paper first details the so called democratic deficit debate, highlighting the five pillars in which the EU is often considered inadequate. Drawing

Sustainable development is a frequently used concept these days. It is often captured trough three dimensions of economic, social and ecological sustainability. As the importance of institutions has been accentuated within the first two dimensions, it has lately been the object of study within the dimension of environmental sustainability. As environment is often described as a collective good, th

This case study investigates what role the government decisions and policies have for deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The decisions and policies are part of the immediate causes of deforestation, which exists in a theoretical framework that I have developed. This theoretical framework constitutes of three levels: underlying causes, immediate causes and sources, which lead to deforestation.

The overall purpose of this essay has been to evaluate a local planning and decision-making process by comparing it with a norm of a democratic process. The case in question was the building of a new multi-purpose arena in Kristianstad. After the decision to build had been made the arena process was accused of being undemocratic and in the end the protesters even tried to force through a referendu

This thesis investigates how employment as a concept is used in the discussions about integration policy. With the supposition that employment is regarded as one of the most important factors of integration, it studies the arguments that endorse this supposition in texts on integration policies. Using the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe, I discern three different discourses that can explain

This paper investigates and discusses the normative question of whether debt relief mechanisms should be conditional or not. The aim is to contribute to the overall normative discussion about how the international system should be organized. The object of analysis is the conditional Heavily Indebted Poor Countries-initiative (HIPC), which is a program for debt relief for the poorest and most indeb

En fallstudie på hur Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB) arbetade med extern kommunikation under jordbävningskatastrofen på Haiti 2010. Med hänsyn till att MSB är en relativt nybildad och ung myndighet finns det en grundläggande samhällsrelevans i att se om myndigheten fungerar och fullföljer sitt uppdrag. Hur arbetar kommunikationsavdelningen med att få ut information i allmänhet oc

The crucial role that civil society could play in promoting democratization resulted in the active support of civil society organizations (CSOs) in states in a transition stage toward democracy. The EU is an active actor which provides financial and legal support for the development of strong civil society institutions and transforming the states. As the EU- Turkey relations have been improving si

This thesis argues that the socialist movement should engage in the struggle against heteronormativity. It examines the arguments which are set up against the socialist movement’s engagement in identity politics, suggesting that a struggle based on sexuality appropriate for the socialist movement should focus on the social order it aims to attain, and not on improving the status of the subordinate

In this thesis I analyze how the politicians of a small Swedish town experience the role of the city officials in the decision-making. This I do by interviewing several politicans in the City Council. I discuss what classical bureaucratic theories and theories about experts say about the officials’ role in the decision-making. I also include what the law says about the issue. The problems that occ

Since the second half of the 1990s onwards the EU has started comprehensive Europeanization reform process in the Western Balkan countries in the framework of its enlargement policy. One important aspect of the ongoing Europeanization process has been a democratization reforms. However, the WB region as a whole has continuously faced serious democratic deficit. Therefore, it is highly challenging

During the last decade the issue of climate change refugees has emerged as one potential important consequence of climate change. The aim of this thesis is to examine the circulation of representations of climate change refugees and related depictions of responsibility between Swedish politics, Swedish news media and popular culture. This is done through a discourse analytical framework drawing fr

This paper investigates the concept of leadership, in relation to climate regime formation. It investigates how the concept of leadership has been approached in the literature, and looks at statements by the EU and scholars on EU leadership in relation to climate change. The study concludes that leadership can be seen as a concept of convenience. It has often been taken for granted when describing

Since the 1990s, illegal immigration has become something highly politicised and closely linked to security concerns in EU. The aim of Critical Security Studies is to see through this securitization by claiming that there is a relation between knowledge and power, and externalize the different ways in which actors exercise their power. With Critical Discourse Analysis, this essay scrutinize the mo

The question and purpose of this thesis is to evaluate whether the cooperation within the Schengen Agreement regarding asylum politics is common or shared? By common is meant that the member states act in common and follow the regulation jointly. Whereas, shared is defined as a regulation which provide room for interpretation and implementation on national level. This thesis is based on literature

A common feature within political debate is the decline of parties as organizations. Political theorists have in general, without proper empirical investigation, embraced the idea of the freezing of party systems and of the catch-all party model as the end point of party development. This essay aims to analyze and explain the emergence and increasing amount of political secretaries within Swedish

The essay evaluates Trelleborg´s attempt to enhance local democracy. The study first describes how the municipality has implemented the measures in developing democracy. Then, an assessment is made regarding if the measures have contributed to a strengthened local democracy. The result of the study indicates that some of the measures have helped to strengthen the local grassroots democracy, while

In this master's thesis I analyse how partially changing ideas and procedures regarding democracy can be incorporated into local politics. I argue that you can see a development of a democracy policy field, democracy politics, in Sweden, where politicians introduce initiatives with the aim of involving citizens in decision-making processes. I have chosen to conduct a case study on the city of

This essay is a study conducted within the global political theory branch of political science. The essay’s main concern is that of cosmopolitan imaginations, in this case illustrated by Ulrich Beck’s concept the cosmopolitan outlook. The purpose of this essay is firstly to interpret the idea of the cosmopolitan outlook and show the significance that a cosmopolitan outlook may have for the emergen

Westernization is a centuries long project started in the Ottoman Empire, in order to fix the dysfunctionalities of the empire inside and to boost the empire’s image outside. It has transformed into a quest of transformation of Turkey into a modern state and it found its reflection in the foreign policy as a pro-Western approach in the Turkish Republic. Historical institutionalism suggests that th