The aim of this master thesis is to examine the Swedish debate on surrogate motherhood between the years of 2008 and 2013. This form of assisted reproduction raises several ethical questions such as the potential risk of exploitation and commodification of women and children. Surrogate motherhood challenges our perception of human reproduction and the traditional concept of the family but it also

Abstract: Building materials such as concrete and aerated concrete, contain significant amounts of moisture after manufacturing. This moisture has to dry so the material will come in equilibrium with the indoor climate. Drying of moisture in constructions requires energy. Part of this energy will be during the construction stage and the remaining energy will be used during the operation stage. Acc

The purpose of this study is to investigate how peace and conflict within Nigeria can be understood. This is done by the application of a range of developmental indicators as well as theoretical variables drawn from the field of why insurgencies emerge. This study also includes the role of the Nigerian state in this dynamic. The applied method is a within-case comparison of three cases; the North

This Master’s thesis examines the discursive constructions and ideas which formed the base for the gender equality policy regarding the tax deduction for domestic services in Sweden that got implemented in 2007. The aim for the thesis is more precisely to make the images and ideas that represent the constructions based on gender, class and ethnicity visible and problematized. A further aim of the

Challenging the political system by its mere presence, the undocumented migrant has become the political figure of our time. The development of policy on migration and deportation in Sweden and Europe is indicative of our understanding of inclusion and exclusion from our social community. This thesis critically investigates the development of policies regulating undesirable migration in which rein

Are the Swedish government’s shareholding interests, which are not compatible with other shareholders’ profit-gaining interests, less prioritized than the profit-gaining interests of other shareholders? The aim of this thesis is to examine the Swedish Governments shareholding-interests with comparisons to other shareholders ownership-interests to examine if shareholding-interests vary and, if the

This thesis quantitatively investigates under what circumstances countries legalise abortion without restriction as to reason. The interest in this study emerges from a thorough conviction in the right to decide over one’s own and from a wish to understand why some countries reformed their abortion laws several decades ago, whereas others did so more recently. Previous research on the liberalisati

The American Dream is a concept that includes several spectra of the economic cycle in the U.S. It also actualizes values such as self-fulfillment, hard work and possibilities to achieve a better life irrespective of ones background. The discussion of what The American dream is, what it has become and how you can achieve it, varies depending on whom you ask. According to several scholars tradition

The unparalleled economic growth of China during the latter 20th century and early 21st century, has led to the country becoming a great power and perhaps on the fast track to even becoming a superpower. This growth has come mainly in the form of manufactured goods, which need vast amounts of energy and resources to produce, most important of which is oil. Today China is a net importer of oil, and

In 1993 with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union, for the first time, formally institutionalized foreign policy cooperation in its Treaties. Thence, the Treaties governing the foreign policy of the Union has undergone no less than four reforms, introducing theoretically interesting institutional innovations. Despite this, academia has largely turned its attention towa

Sedan FN 2006 riktade kritik mot Sverige för att bryta mot FN:s internationella konventioner om de mänskliga rättigheterna har frågan om papperslösas rätt till vård kommit att bli ett flitigt debatterat ämne. I debatten har å ena sidan den humanitära och å andra sidan den ekonomiska aspekten varit avgörande. När frågan ställs på sin spetts handlar det om hur mycket grundläggande mänskliga rättighe

The objective of this study is to describe the social democratic ideological development in Sweden. This is done by analyzing the meaning that is given to the concept of economic democracy, a key component of the social democratic ideology, in the various Socialist party programs. The analysis of the concept has been performed from three perspectives: the vision of economic democracy as a means or

The thesis studies the situation within Lund University in relation to the implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) developed by The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). The aim of the study is to answer the following research question “How have Lund University implemented the European Standards and Guidelines developed by The European Associa

This essay examines the occurrence of ideas related to either competitive elitist democracy or deliberative democracy in the public debate regarding the Swedish Riksbank and interest rate policy, during the time period 2008-2013. The essay applies an ideal type analysis on a broad material of opinion pieces published in major Swedish newspapers. The ideal types used in the essay are one based on c

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified deforestation as the main cause of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in developing countries and since then the mechanism on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has been d

Framfarten av organisationsteoretiska teorier om förvaltningsreformen New Public Management har varit lavinartad sen 1980-talet. NPM har inneburit att värden som kostnadseffektivitet och produktivitet har vuxit fram till att bli bärande inom den svenska och internationella förvaltningsforskningen och tas på stort allvar av ledningar inom offentligheten. Min uppsats ämnar klargöra vad detta har fåt

In this thesis I investigate the role of formal leaders in international negotiations. I present theories on the role and influence formal leaders might have in international negotiations, and what variation in this role and influence might depend on. I then use this theoretical framework to analyse the role of the Presidents of the UN Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen in 2009 and in Cancún

Traditionally in climate change politics there has been a tension between development and environmental protection. To solve this issue sustainable development can and is widely used as a strategy. This thesis analyses the Kyoto protocol looking at the representation and the potential existence of this tension. Idea analysis is used as the method of analysing the Kyoto protocol as this is a suitab

Deep ecology and ecological modernisation are two theories with different views on environmental problems and different strategies to cope with environmental degradation. This thesis has examined standpoints presented by two of Sweden’s parliamentary parties, Miljöpartiet and Centerpartiet, to see whether their environmental policies best can be described through a deep ecology or ecological moder

This case study researches why the Swedish region Västra Götaland fails to implement the environmental aim to achieve only natural acidification. The study is based on implementation theory and is operationalized by interviews with authorities and text analysis. In conclusion this study finds that the natural condition of the environment in Västra Götalands län has a large impact on the result of