Taking its theoretical point of departure in discourse theory this thesis endeavours to provide an enhanced understanding of subsidiarity in a European context. By analysing the discoursive response by the European elite to the dislocatory force of the 1992 crisis, it is argued that subsidiarity was used as a nodal point in the construction of a myth of the EU as a political system close to its ci

abstract The aim of this essay is to try to convince the reader that relativism and postmodernism (the latter implying the former, but not the other way around) can be reasonable methods for the social sciences, rather than the irresponsible play of ?extremes? theories of this kind sometimes are made out to be. The intention is to do this by way of the later Wittgenstein, the philosophy of whom

Building the European identity and strengthening the concept of European citizenship is a task that can be achieved through various ways. One of the most powerful tools is represented by the system of education. Since the inception of the Community action programmes in this field, pupils, students and teachers take part actively in a new form of socialisation at the European level. Realised in th

Extant work on the European Union's (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) argues that it is unique as a ?soft power? in the international system, especially in comparison to the United States. The term's recent attachment to gender, through Robert Kagan's ?Mars vs. Venus? analogy in his popular work on Power and Weakness, is an important development in research that seeks to b

This work is meant to provide theoretical and empirical elements in order to understand the current situation of Norway which given the chance to be part of the European Union (EU) has rejected it twice. However it does not mean that this European country is totally isolated from the integration process. Since 1960 they are part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) organisation founded by

This thesis examines the causes of change and the process of change within international organizations. By using a method and theory derived from a study by Ernst B. Haas I have examined the causes of why, according to Haas, IMF is a case of successful organizational learning. By applying Haas? theory on IMF at different points, 1945-69, 1971-79 and the 1980s, of time I reached the conclusion that

This case study aims to analyse the contribution of the Information Sector to the success of the Lisbon Agenda. The Information Sector is here defined as covering the areas of information technology, telecommunications and digitised information (e.g. software, content). The observations made through primary sources and reports show that the Information Sector spreads the ability to deal with the t

This study analyzes the problems of implementation in the EU with the help of Principal-Agent Analysis. The focus of the study is the Principal-Agent relationship between the member states and the Commission, where the member states have delegated the task of enforcing EU law to the Commission. Four main problems are discussed and analyzed, and it is argued that these are the reasons for the probl

The contentious issue of identification of any early signs of the emergence of European public sphere in media is the primary topic of this paper. The qualitative analysis is focused on comparing cross-media empirical data from the previously published research in the area of the television, newspapers, and the new media (internet) which shows on more ideological than nationally based framing of t

HIV/aids är en humanitär katastrof där Botswana är det land med störst andel smittade i befolkningen. Sjukdomen har gjort avtryck på hela samhället i Botswana och diskuteras oftast utifrån hälso- eller ekonomiska termer. Men vilka avtryck har epidemin gjort på det demokratiska samhället, och på en av demokratins viktigaste byggstenar, det civila samhället? Då över 30% av den vuxna befolkningen i

The Draft Treaty establishing the Constitution for Europe introduces some significant changes in the institutional setting of the European Union; the present study focuses on reforms made by this text in the EU system of external representation, particularly in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Although the Amsterdam Treaty has also been a attempt to reform only a few years ago,

This study departs from the constructivist approach to research the Manners` concept of the European Union as a "normative power" or norm exporter. The focus is diffusion of the regional co-operation model that EU has been promoting as a foreign policy goal. Study presents motives and policies behind that objective. Conditionality of regional co-operation is also the distinctive feature

År 2002 utkom statsvetaren Staffan Anderssons avhandling Corruption in Sweden, i vilken han kartlägger korruptionen i Sverige och det officiella arbetet mot densamma. Sedan dess har en del ägt rum på den politiska och akademiska arenan inom området korruption, och denna uppsats utgör en komparativ uppföljning till Anderssons resultat. Vad gäller den officiella medvetenheten kring riskzoner för ko

Liberia har på senare tid präglats av instabilitet och misslyckat fredsbyggande. Vår ambition är att ge en välgrundad förståelse för inbördeskriget 1989-1996, och att på ett resonerande sätt besvara frågan varför man inte lyckades etablera varaktig fred efter krigsslutet. Uppsatsen är en teorikonsumerande fallstudie av Liberia med ett tvådelat syfte. Vårt fall analyseras utifrån teorier om krigsor

The current trend towards globalisation and democratisation has made the theories of politics in pluralistic societies, and how to make them work, of particular interest and concern. Lijphart's theory of consociational democracy is an important influence in this field. At the same time the importance of civil society in transition studies and democratisation processes has been reinforced over

Normativa studier om ledarskap är begränsade när det kommer till utövandet av ledarskap. Denna uppsats undersöker vad en ledare i offentlig förvaltning gör i praktiken och inriktar sig på vad själva utövandet av ledarskap kan bestå utav. I studien deltar två kommunchefer som studeras på nära håll i deras vardagliga arbete genom observationer, intervjuer och samtal. Ur materialet konstrueras två id

Globalization is one of the most popular catchphrases in the international relations debate today. Globalization is a complex concept with as many definitions as authors. National borders or jurisdictions do not control the phenomenon, instead, it is moving without restraints from region to region. Is this a threat to the sovereignty of nation-state and an end of the system of Westphalia? Does the

1922 startades en kvinnlig medborgarskola på Fogelstad i Södermanland. Initiativet togs av en grupp namnkunniga kvinnor som ansåg att kvinnorna med sin nyvunna rösträtt behövde tränas i medborgarskap. Samtidigt fanns även andra sammanhang och med syfte att främja kvinnors deltagande i politiken och samhällslivet. Vissa av dessa, nämligen tidningen Tidevarvet, Frisinnade kvinnor, Socialdemokratiska

Uppsatsens problemområde är institutionellt utvecklingssamarbete. Med hjälp av den institutionella teorin problematiseras institutioners normativa och kulturella förankring och därmed den värdebaserade komplexitet som lätt uppkommer vid utvecklingssamarbete. Fokus ligger på förvaltningsbistånd. Den första delen av uppsatsen berör problemområdet på en konceptuell och generell nivå, vilka värden Sve

Denna uppsats behandlar Turkiets utrikespolitiska förändring under landets senaste tioårsperiod då islamister och sekularister skiftat inställning i frågan om EU-medlemskap. Tidigare var islamisterna starkt motsatta till tanken på att gå med i EU medan de sekulära så kallade kemalisterna företrädde landets aspirationer att gå med i unionen. Vår studie gör anspråk på att förklara när, varför och hu