The rise of ICT and the shift toward jobs with more flexibility in working hours and places of work sparked popular debates about potential for a ‘rural renaissance’. A key argument was that there are increasing possibilities to live in the countryside while being employed in large cities. This paper uses data spanning two decades to examine trends in and characteristics of employee–employer ties

Social norms play a fundamental role in holding groups together. The rationale behind most of them is to coordinate individual actions into a beneficial societal outcome. However, there are cases where pro-social behavior within a community seems, to the contrary, to cause inefficiencies and suboptimal collective outcomes. An explanation for this is that individuals in a society are of different t

This thesis is a phenomenological investigation into the differences and similarities between language as speech and language as a technique. Speech is the practice of producing and understanding utterances. A technique is the organizing mechanism of speech, the structure that gives it a regular form. While speech is heavily dependent on context and interpretation, a technique is unaffected by theThis thesis is a phenomenological investigation into the differences and similarities between language as speech and language as a technique. Speech is the practice of producing and understanding utterances. A technique is the organizing mechanism of speech, the structure that gives it a regular form. While speech is heavily dependent on context and interpretation, a technique is unaffected by the

In the age of miniaturization where the physical systems approach the nanoscale limit andwhere more complex materials are created there is necessity for understanding in terms ofquantum mechanics. The understanding then opens and gives possibilities for manipulationand engineering of such systems and thus practical applications.Quantum mechanics states that the electron cannot be characterized as In this thesis we focus on improvements of the description of the electron-electron correlation effects in nonequilibrium nanosystems. We mainly focus on developments of two nonequilibrium methods, namely the formalism of Nonequilibrium Green’s Function and Time Dependent Density Functional Theory and we explore the possibility to improve existing approximations in these theories. A smaller part o

Group polarization occurs when an initial attitude or belief of individuals becomes more radical after group discussion. Polarization often leads subgroups towards opposite directions. Since the 1960s this effect has been observed and repeatedly confirmed in lab experiments by social psychologists. Persuasive Arguments Theory (PAT) emerged as the most convincing explanation for this phenomenon. Th

We describe the main features and preliminary evaluation of Positive Technology, a free mobile platform for the self-management of psychological stress (http://positiveapp.info/). The mobile platform features three main components: (i) guided relaxation, which provides the user with the opportunity of browsing a gallery of relaxation music and video-narrative resources for reducing stress; (ii) 3D