The expanding membership of the European Union (EU), as well as the the expansion of the scope and the deepening of the level of integration, has contributed to increase diversity within the EU. In order to cope with this situation a system of differentiated integration developed. Differentiation is a way of integration which involves only a limited number of member states. The objective of this p

This is a case study that aims to explain the adoption of the Victims’ Law by investigating the transnational advocacy networks’ work for the rights of the victims of the armed conflict in Colombia. Theories of transnational advocacy networks and opportunity structures are applied in order to understand the long term advocacy work for the victims’ rights, but also to explain their influence on the

In recent years the debate on local democracy and its gradual weakening has become increasingly lively. Citizens’ lack of commitment and engagement has been recognized as one factor of explanation to this decrease. The principle of a representative democracy is being jeopardized. This thesis is a case study of Skånedialogen in Skåne Regional Council. Deliberative polls were developed by James S.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between the state and the individual by studying the Establishment reform. As part of the Swedish integration strategy the Establishment reform aims at facilitating the integration of newly arrived immigrants through participation in an active policy program. The study is conducted through a descriptive idea analysis, using an ideal-typ

This single-case study deals with the process surrounding the potential extension of the EU-Moroccan Fisheries Partnership Agreement in 2011. The purpose is to trace and to explain what arguments that have been wielded by the three involved institutions (the Commission, the Council and the Parliament) and why. For this purpose two logics of political action, the logic of consequentiality and appro

The Republic of Moldova is celebrating 20 years of independence and is still almost completely dependent on energy imports from the Russian federation. Renewable energy is in its infancy despite a climate that is well suited for solar and wind energy with 2,300 sunshine hours per year and measured wind speeds up to 8.5 m/s. Moldova has a history of wine production and wide spread usage of more tha

Today the phenomenon of actorness in international relations is perceived as important in portraying how influential and successful a state or an organization is in the international political scene. The aim of this thesis is to try to investigate the actorness of the European Union as a “sui generis” case in the world through the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country in the near neighborhood

Barnpornografibrott regleras i 16 kap. 10a§ BrB. Bestämmelsen omfattar nästintill all tänkbar befattning med barnpornografi. De huvudsakliga skälen för kriminalisering är att skydda det enskilda barnet och barn i allmänhet, varav det sist angivna skälet inte preciseras något ytterligare. Alla slags bilder betraktas som straffbara, även tecknade och animerade bilder som inte har någon koppling tillChild pornography is criminalized in chapter 16 10a§ BrB. It regulates almost every aspect of child pornography. The main reasons for criminalization is to protect the individual child and “children in general” (this concept is not further specified) All forms of illustrations are seen as criminal, even drawn or animated ones which do not necessarily depict an actual sexual assault or a real victi

This thesis examines how ‘family’ is portrayed in the Swedish political debate, in parliament and in articles written by politicians. The aim is to discern dominating discourses in how the term ‘family’ is defined, by studying the politicians' use of language. This essay also studies how different families are portrayed as either good or bad and how family is depicted as an important part of p

Art market is considered as a bench marker of artworks’ value. Value of the works determines not only the importance of the artist whether it is temporal or not, but also the art style, trend of the contemporary art scene. My thesis focuses such issue of Indonesian art scene from its cultural background. Indonesia is now one of the most demanded and growing art market within the contemporary scene

In examining the complex identities of legal and illegal immigrants, as constructed by the EU, I have used discourse analysis to identify the meanings assigned to them. By using the theories of identity construction made by Torben Bech Dyrberg and discourse analysis from Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe I have analyzed seven official EU statements. I found that legal and illegal immigrants are cr

In this thesis the relationship between socioeconomic equality and democratic consolidation is evaluated through a case study of Bolivia. The country is one of the poorest in the Latin American region and has suffered a large degree of socioeconomic inequality. The country ended the transition to democracy in 1985 and has since then met challenges in consolidating the democracy and create stable p

Through Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, I analyse how the Sweden Democrats fixate the parliamentary discourse on immigration. Also, I investigate what the other parties’ role are is in this fixation, and how they can limit the Sweden Democrats’ influence over the discourse. My material consists of parliamentary debates from 2010 to 2012. My main conclusions are that the Sweden Democrats dest

This study is about the link between the economic system and the climate changes and how it affects the society and the politics. Scientific observations has illuminated that as a result of human activity our climate is about to change. The climate threat has exposed the question of limits which means that continued growth is not possible in a world of limited resources. The Western model is about

The thesis examines how Swedish newspapers use experts to legitimize their news reports. The method used is a textual analysis, focusing on the form of the articles and their content. This is done with a media theory and different theoretical perspectives on expert function, and their way of operating with an agenda. The thesis analysis 60 randomly selected news articles. The articles are publishe

In this thesis the relationship between democracy and new modes of governance is examined. The empirical overview suggests that these theoretically described modes could be identified within the Swedish nuclear governing. The potential consequences these new forms of governance have for democracy is further examined through a normative evaluation. Democracy is operationalized by the values partici

Nationalism and populism are growing phenomenon in a changing Europe. When the concept of the nation-state is questioned or challenged, the political discourses regarding national identity are changing aswell. Since the rapid change in post-communist Central-and Eastern Europe, questions regarding national identity have risen on the region’s political agenda. Nationalists and populists have taken

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was established in the post Second World War society in Western Europe. Its emphasis was to resolve the problems regarding the agriculture and non-existing food supplies, by offering subsidies to vulnerable farmers. This was assumed to increase the farmer’s production incentives. Today, CAP constitutes almost half of the common EU-budget, still subsidizing far

The purpose of this essay is to compare point of views from four different liberal scholars concerning multiculturalism and group recognition. As well as to investigate if there are any conflicts between liberal values like liberty, equality and self-determination. The material is based on Will Kymlicka, Susan Moller Okin, Joseph Raz and Chandran Kukathas ideas about liberalism, multiculturalism a