This thesis has attempted to map and explain the vaiation in implementation of social requirements in public procurement. The objects of study are the municipalities of Sweden from which both policy documents and procurement requirement specifications were collected. The thesis developed two models to explain the variation in two implementation types, the implementation into municipal strategic gu

To find new ways for collaboration between the Swedish public sector and the civil society, and to promote non-profit voluntary (NPVOs) actors as local welfare producers, the collaboration format Idéburet – Offentligt Partnerskap (IOP) was launched. The purpose of this explorative study is to examine why local and regional authorities enters into IOP as a form of collaboration with NPVOs. The stud

This bachelor thesis deals with the change in the Swedish government's stance on migration politics during the refugee crisis in the autumn of 2015. In early September Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven held a speech calling on the rest of Europe to do more in order to help refugees. Two months later the situation had changed and the government changed it’s migration politics to the “EU mini

Effective and fair taxation is imperative for development and thus sustainable peace in post-conflict countries; yet there is a glaring paucity of generalizable research on the subject. Drawing on theories from Political Economy and Comparative Politics this thesis investigates how political veto powers affect these states’ ability to mobilize domestic resources. An integrated model of delayed pol

Undersökningen syftar till att undersöka vilken bild av sexualitet som har förts ut i svenska sexualundervisningsböcker under 1900-talet eftersom att detta påverkar barn och ungdomars syn på sexualitet. Undersökningens frågeställningar lyder enligt följande: ”hur framställs sexuella identiteter och sexualiteter i svenska sexualundervisningsböcker från 1956-1988?”, samt ”hur framställs kroppen i fö

In 2015, Europe faced one of the most extensive refugee flows since the Second World War. The situation forced European Governments to take actions on immigration issues to handle the increasing inflows of asylum seekers. We draw on Meguid’s theory on party strategies to examine whether mainstream parties policies of immigration affects the public support of right-wing populist parties. Simultaneo

Populist radical right wing parties have seen an increase in support in Europe during the last decades. These parties are nationalistic in nature and aim for reduced immigration to their respective countries. This study focuses on one of these parties, namely the Sweden Democrats (SD). The aim of the essay is to break down what arguments and premises the party uses in its party manifesto to suppor

In 1972 Sweden became the first country to allow citizens to change their legal gender. However, candidates were required to be sterilized. The matter of required sterilization pinpoints the ambivalent relationship between the state and the individual. The aim of this study is therefore to examine discursive change in the Swedish government’s approach toward transsexual people and in motives to re

Social investment is a concept that often refers to interventions with at-risk target populations in order to “prepare” these individuals, rather than “repair” them once the risk factors has become problems. An increasing number of Swedish municipalities work with social investments, and the purpose of this research is to determine if certain characteristics of the municipalities affect this work.

This is a comparative case study of the Committee of the Regions and regional offices. It explores using written records whether history can unveil contrasting features between these two systems using historical institutionalism as the guide. First, it examines the beginning of regional engagement in the European Union with the formation of European Regional Development Fund and the Single Europea

This paper examines the relationship between feminism and nationalism in a contemporary society. With the development of an autonomous region in Iraq, the autonomous Kurdish region in the country saw the rise of new actors in the society. This study has focused on the case of Kurdish women in Iraqi Kurdistan and investigated how nationalism and feminism can be complementary. Using tools from disco

According to data by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) one third of all food produced for human consumption goes to waste. This phenomenon is both normalized and socially obscured within a discursive regime that is materially sustained in the squander of natural resources, the most severe consequence of which is an overall threat to the life-support system of the pl

The genocide in Cambodia has come to be known as one of the bloodiest in the modern history. During a period of only four years, 1975 – 1979, between 1,5 to 2 million people in the country was butchered. The responsible behind this slaughter was Khmer Rouge under leadership of Pol Pot. The focus for this paper is to make an analysis of the ideology that Khmer Rouge pledged for and test it empirica

The war on drugs has failed. The 'world drug problem' is bigger than ever. The repressive law-enforcement policies are counterproductive. What now? A new approach is needed, one that accepts the fact that drugs cannot be eliminated from society, but focuses on the harm that it causes, so says science. But is the world ready to adopt this new approach? It does not seem to be the case. This

Voluntary Sector Organisation Public Partnerships (IOP) are a new collaboration form for voluntary and public organisations aiming to give financial support to a welfare service provided by the voluntary actor. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent a voluntary organisation can be independent in order to be able to advocate as an IOP-participant. The object of study is the Red Cross an

Historically, animals have been excluded from the realms of political theory and political science. The underpinning disposition of this thesis is that animals belong in politics, considering it is the political processes and ideologies that determine our treatment of animals. The European Union started to legislate on the protection and welfare of farm animals during the 1970s. Over time, a slow

Reception of asylum-seeking minors has recently gained a lot of attention in the EU, due to the dramatic increase of minors fleeing war and conflicts. Since no EU regulation exists regarding how the reception of minors should be conducted, it is up to the member states to legislate domestically on the matter. In 2014, the Swedish parliament approved an amendment to the law on reception of asylum s

Since 2010, the EU`s External Action Service (EEAS) is the permanent chair of the Council working groups on the EU´s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), thus terminating the procedural rule of EU member states alternatingly holding the presidency of such working groups for a period of sixmonths. This thesis aims therefore at exploring the consequences of the EEAS taking over the chairmanshi

In this thesis, I have conducted a descriptive, comparative study to highlight the differences between the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali and the special political mission (SPM) in Libya, with regards to the promotion of democratic development and direct support to facilitate such development. My study will show that even though the ambitions and the nature of the support is almost identical, the

The Swedish prostitution policy that prohibits the purchase of sexual services has been the subject of considerable debate. Internationally, prostitution is predominantly criminalized due to religious reasons. This makes the Swedish policy, motivated by feminist arguments on women’s rights, unique. Recently, a debate has arisen where domestic human rights organizations criticize the policy using a