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

This essay deals with the Swedish debate about high-performance bonuses in public administration; a subject which arose as it became clear that during a year of great financial losses, public companies had kept administering large bonuses. The study revolves around two main questions: How can bonuses in public administration be justified in general, and how does this apply to the Swedish high-perf

This thesis aim is to test the world of compliance ideal type, which concerns the Central and Eastern European (CEE) member states of the European Union. The ideal type theory categorizes the CEE as fast and adequate in transposing legal acts though particularly bad in practical implementation. The thesis has a theory testing aproach and with hope of developing the existing model. In order to pull

The purpose of this study is to analyse the common representation of the trafficker, namely the offender of human trafficking, by examining newspaper articles, novels and film. The crystallised image is compared to recent statistics and in relation to this an explanation of the image of the trafficker inspired by discursive perspectives will be offered. The study concludes that the prevalent image

The issue of global warming has escalated and is a big subject of today, and it has more and more become incorporate with development assistance policy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the debate between Al Gore and Bjorn Lomborg, for the reason that it is between them the color of the debate is most seen. And then further discuss and question the fact that global warming and development a

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact the coal industry in el Cerrejón has had on the indigenous Wayúu population at the north of Colombia. The issue is addressed in through a human right lens discussing the importance of environmental and indigenous rights, which are not yet included in any legal document of the United Nations. The topic of environmental and indigenous rights is furthe

In October 2008, the Swedish government made a resolution about a testing period for advanced classes in some of the Swedish high schools. After about a year the Swedish minister of education, Jan Björklund, made a statement that he wished that the try with the so called elite classes be extended to the primary schools. The purpose of my paper it to analyse the Swedish debate about elite classes i

The minister responsible for youth policy, Nyamko Sabuni, presents in the preface of the Swedish Governments youth policy a dual picture of the living conditions for Swedish youth. On the one hand, the youth of today have greater possibilities than any previous generation, on the other hand, there are problems regarding both the economically- and healthcare situation among the youth. Many youth ar

Sexual orientation is one basis for discrimination that is not mentioned in any UN declaration or treaty, and therefor neither is the right to marry a person av the same sex. This essay is an analysis of the most important threats to this possible development to ensure the right to marry irrespective of sex in international human rights. By using contemporary research and UN treaty documents along

In February 2008 Australia´s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered a national apology to the indigenous peoples of the land for the pain and suffering the foreign government put them through. This historical apology is a world-known event that has raised the question of redress and reconciliation among people in counties where discrimination and exclusion has been a phenomenon against indigenous peopl