En litteraturstudie av betydelsen av måltidssamtal.

Analys av vilka funktioner som virtuella deltagare har i samtal.

The present collection of articles, presented at the 8th IADA Conference in Göteborg, focuses on understanding and misunderstanding as dialogic phenomena. The notion of a dialogic grammar and dialogic principles as a framework for understanding human communication and cognition is explored in several contributions. Misunderstanding in dialogue is dealt with in institutional and non-institutional settings, in fiction and film dialogue, from several different theoretical perspectives

The article presents a case study of one teacher-parent-pupil (TPP) conference. Cindy, the pupil, has Down syndrome. A study of how people with verbal communication problems manage discursive practices that largely rely on the ability to verbally negotiate identity is clearly motivated, both from a theoretical and a more practice-oriented perspective. We found that Cindy's identity is described and talked about in terms of predefined aspects, codified in a written agenda. All participants oriented themselves towards some sort of cultural model of the ideal identity that does not have to be discursively justified. Cindy's identity is not only talked about, but also demonstrated and enacted in interaction. Her self-presentation is mediated by her mother, and this mediation is linked to the sequential organization of the turn-taking system and the way the participation framework becomes organized. Cindy's talked-about and demonstrated identity work does not only concern her as an individual. It is also a relationship presentation. The identity of Cindy as a pupil and a daughter implies a certain identity for a teacher and a mother. To help one's daughter present her identity in a favorable way is to simultaneously display the identity of a good mother. ⌐ Walter de Gruyter.

Hur kommer mitt liv att gestalta sig? Kommer jag att vara frisk och stark? Kan jag göra något för att påverka ödet? Den moderna läkekonsten försöker på olika sätt att besvara sådana frågor. Ständigt utvecklas nya metoder för att tidigt avslöja hälsorisker.

Att konfronteras med hot om framtida sjukdom kan vara dramatiskt och omtumlande. Så är det för den kvinna som får reda på att den bröstcancer hennes mamma dog av kan vara ärftlig och därmed hota henne själv eller hennes barn. Så är det också för den man som ser livet förkortat när blodprovet avslöjar ett alarmerande värde.

Men hur påverkas vi av genetisk kartläggning eller upplysning om konsekvenserna av en viss livsstil? Kan kunskap om möjliga sjukdomsförlopp rent av vara skadlig? Hur förstår människor den information som uttrycks i: "Du har 50 procents risk att utveckla cancer"? Den här boken visar hur vanliga människor reagerar i sådana situationer.

The research reported in this study takes both a general descriptive approach - investigating the characteristics of 48 job interviews - and a comparative one - analyzing ways in which those who got a job offer differed from those who did not. Data used in this study are tape recordings of job interviews with applicants for trainee-positions with a large Swedish business corporation. Additional data are tape-recordings of post-interviews made by the researcher with the applicants as well as questionnaires from the interviewers.

The theoretical nations of self presentation and impression management (Goffman) have been the main points of departure for this study. All communication invalves impression,management. but job interviews focus explicidy on this aspect of interaction. Job interviews can be seen as argumentations where the applicants are actively trying to support their claim that they are perfect for the job. Their argumentations are enacted in a dialogue, however, and the applicants' ways of arguing are thus dependent on the interviewers' contributions to the dialogue. Communication is a constant handling of conflicting demands. The particular solution to these conversational dilemmas manifests itself as a personal style.

Three main empirical analyses of the data were performed. The first concemed itself with the structure of the job interview. What does it look like and how is it managed? The analyses show that the responsibility for maintaining the global structure lies almost completely with the interviewer, hut that the applicant has the responsibility for managingthe local structure, for feeding interesting detalls in to the interview.

The second set of analyses was concerned with the ways in which the applicants actively argued for themselves. The results show that the successful applicants qualify their claims more forcefully, by modifications, explicit analysis or humour, for instance. The successfulapplicants also receive more interactive assistance from the interviewers.

The third set of analyses aimed at investigating some aspects of the interactive elimate in relation to the interviewers' different interviewing styles. The ways in which the interviewers paused and used simultaneous talk had a decisive influence on the length of the applicants' answers. The interactive element of interviewing was once more demonstrated in the analysis of laughter; in the interviews with the successful applicants there was more mutual laughter than in the interviews with the nonsuccessful applicants. The different interviewers' styles were recognized and described accurately by the applicants hut were valued differently.

The main significance of the study is the demonstration of the interactive element in dialogue. The interviewers are in a certain sense actively creating the grounds on which they are to base their decision to hire the applicants or not.

1. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a method to support decision-making, by exploring the balance between the pros and cons of different alternatives to ac- complish a specific goal. It assists in framing decision problems, illustrating the per- formance of alternatives across criteria, exploring trade-offs, formulating a decision and testing its robustness. This paper provides a structured review of empirical applications of MCDA to nature conservation published in the scientific literature over the last 20 years. The paper aims at taking stock of past experiences, and comparing them with best practices and common pitfalls identified in the literature, to provide recommendations for better MCDA application to conservation.

2. The review follows the structure of a generalized MCDA process consisting of three key stages: (1) decision context and problem structuring, (2) analysis and (3) decision.

3. The search identified 86 papers that describe MCDA applications to a range of top- ics, including conservation prioritization and planning; protected areas management and zoning; forest management and restoration; and mapping of biodiversity, naturalness and wilder. The results show that, concerning problem structuring, a small percentage of the reviewed MCDA engaged stakeholders other than the authors in identifying alternatives and formulating criteria (15% and 35% respectively). Concerning the analysis, criteria assessment was adequately justified by the authors (47%), at times also by involving other stakeholders (22%). Weighting was per- formed in almost all applications, whereas criteria aggregation was mostly based on the weighted linear combination (63%). Sensitivity analysis was largely overlooked (57%). Concerning decision, 45% of the articles provided only an overall ranking or suitability of alternatives, while 22% included additional rankings according to spe- cific criterion, and 8% further analyses and clustering of stakeholders’ preferences.

4. The paper concludes by suggesting key elements of successful MCDA applications, including clear construction of the decision context; collaborative identification of alternatives and criteria that reflect the values at stake; adequate justification and communication of the methods for criteria assessment and weighting; reasoned choice of the criteria aggregation method, and comprehensive sensitivity analysis.

Sustainability concerns and multiple socio‐environmental pressures have necessitated a shift towards Sustainable Urban Water Management (SUWM) systems. Viewing SUWM systems as sociotechnical, this paper departs from eight factors previously identified by transition research: Pressures, Context, Purposes, Actors, Instruments, Processes, Outputs, and Outcomes as a methodological framework for a structured review of 100 articles. The study seeks to analyze empirical cases of planning and implementing SUWM systems worldwide. A wide range of public actors—driven by social and environmental factors rather than by economic pressures—have initiated SUWM projects so as to locally fulfill defined social and environmental purposes. We provide evidence on the emergence of new actors, such as experts, users, and private developers, as well as on the diverse and innovative technical and societal instruments used to promote and implement SUWM systems. We also explore their contexts and institutional capacity to deal with pressures and to mobilize significant financial and human resources, which is in itself vital for the transition to SUWM. Planned or implemented SUWM outputs are divided into green (wet ponds, raingardens, and green roofs) and gray (rain barrels and porous pavements) measures. The outcomes of SUWM projects— in terms of societal and technical learning, and their institutional uptakes—are often implicit or lacking, which seemingly reduces the rate of desirable change.

Human society faces serious environmental and social threats as a result of systemic unsustainable actions and values. This is a time of cultural self-evaluation and profound change. This study examines how 13 social and environmental change-based organizations, through network partnerships and a robust organizational knowledge-base, are responding to these challenges. A systems perspective was used as a guide to promote a holistic understanding of the actors within the system, their perceptions of success, strategies, actions and tools used to guide them toward sustainability. The results indicate that organizations seeking to scale-up their impact toward sustainability might benefit from the following success factors: 1. Collaboration with diverse partners to contribute to more effective interventions in complex systems, 2. Integrating comprehensive definitions of sustainability with organizational vision to facilitate success, 3. The application of leverage points and transparent prioritization processes to asure congruence between organizational purpose and actions, 4. Practices of dialogue and deep listening build rewarding partnerships and, 5. Metrics that support partnerships and gauge progress toward sustainability. In conclusion network partnerships have the potential to generate widespread sustained change and can be supported by complex systems science and a Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development.

Artikeln handlar om hur orden "jag älskar dig" respektive "I love you" får betydelse både personligt, socialt och politiskt. Exempel hämtas från tv-serierna "Förhäxad" och "Sex and the City" och författaren resonerar kring hur orden skapar affektiva betydelser i kropp och genuspositioner. 

Artikeln handlar om hur orden "jag älskar dig" respektive "I love you" får betydelse både personligt, socialt och politiskt. Exempel hämtas från tv-serierna "Förhäxad" och "Sex and the City" och författaren resonerar kring hur orden skapar affektiva betydelser i kropp och genuspositioner. 

 Artikeln handlar om skvallerpressens representation av celebriteterna Brad Pitt och Angelina Jolie, och hur deras icke-gifta status producerar moralpanik och genusproblem i den populärkulturella heteronormativiteten. Artikeln tar också upp "äktenskapsfrågan" i en svensk kontext och hur frågan om äktenskapsmotstånd glömts bort av feminismen.  

 Artikeln handlar om skvallerpressens representation av celebriteterna Brad Pitt och Angelina Jolie, och hur deras icke-gifta status producerar moralpanik och genusproblem i den populärkulturella heteronormativiteten. Artikeln tar också upp "äktenskapsfrågan" i en svensk kontext och hur frågan om äktenskapsmotstånd glömts bort av feminismen.  

The Myanmar crisis is generally known as a textbook example of systematic genocide where the Rohingya Muslims (and to a smaller extent, Rohingya Hindus) are systematically being persecuted by a radical suborder of Buddhism (Rakhine Buddhists, also known as the Maghs) under the leadership of Ashin Wirathu and the Myanmar military commanded by General Min Aung Hlaing. The aim of this thesis is to study the international response to cases of genocide and will include previous examples of genocide (Yugoslavia and Rwanda) in order to obtain a better understanding and to study the positive steps and short-comings of those past tribunals. This thesis will utilize both liberal and realist theories, as the former explains the establishment and role of responsible international organizations, while as the latter theory is better at explaining actions and responses at a state level. In addition, we will analyze the international bodies responsible for addressing the Myanmar genocide, the current status of the crisis, and target the reasons why the conflict has not ceased nor has the Myanmar government been held responsible.

This chapter brings together invited contributions from new and emerging academics with respect to their experiences and how publishing demands affect their careers and life, and vice versa. The provision of such experiences is important as it conveys the reality of publishing from a real-world context with respect to the pressures we face, especially when starting on the academic ladder. Authors were given a broad scope with respect to their contributions and the results are provided with only very minor editing. They have also been presented anonymously, or rather collectively, because although there are clearly different perspectives, emphasises, and interpretations, there are also commonalities in the contributors’ experiences. Nevertheless, as the reader will see, there are a number of common themes that emerge. Following the perspectives of the different contributions the chapter will discuss some of the main issues that emerge and their implications, including some of the darker aspects of the pressures of publishing.

Given the increasing demand for high-quality food and protein, global food security remains a challenge, particularly in the face of global change. However, since agriculture, food and water security are inextricably linked, they need to be examined via an interdisciplinary lens. Sociohydrology was introduced from a post-positivist perspective to explore and describe the bidirectional feedbacks and dynamics between human and water systems. This review situates sociohydrology in the agricultural domain, highlighting its contributions in explaining the unintended consequences of water management interventions, addressing climate change impacts due to/on agriculture and incorporating human behaviour into the description of agricultural water systems. Sociohydrology has combined social and psychological insights with novel data sources and diverse multi-method approaches to model human behaviour. However, as agriculture and agriculturalists face global change, sociohydrology can better use concepts from resilience thinking more explicitly to identify gaps in terms of desirable properties in resilient agricultural water systems, potentially informing more holistic climate adaptation policy.

Syftet med min forskning är att beskriva innehållet i tre olika vigselsamtal, samt studera hur prästrollen konstrueras i dessa samtal. Underlaget för studien består av autentiska samtal och intervjuer från tre präster och tre par. De autentiska samtalen är mitt huvudmaterial, men studiens upplägg, med kompletterande intervjuer med prästen och paret, möjliggör även att vigselsamtalet kan analyseras utifrån bådas perspektiv, så att en uppfattning om bådas syn på samtalet kan ges.

Det jag har kommit fram till är att de tre prästerna uttrycker skilda prästroller i samtalen och att det är tillsammans med paret i samtalet som makten konstrueras. Prästens dominerande samtalsstrategi är avgörande för vilka ämnen och den prästroll som konstrueras i samtalet.

Olika vetenskaper har olika sätt och möjligheter att föra ut sina forskningsresultat. I några fall, exempelvis i filosofin eller i högre matematik kan möjligheterna vara obefintliga. Dessa ämnen kännetecknas av en forskning på hög abstraktionsnivå och frånvaron av källmaterial. Kunskaper av denna typ blir givetvis svåra att föra ut till en bredare allmänhet. Bland de humanistiska vetenskaperna finns det sådana med ett konkret källmaterial, exempelvis litteraturvetenskap, konstvetenskap, etnologi, arkeologi eller historia. Källmaterialet i dessa ämnen är forskningens underlag, men också en slags allmängods; oavsett vad vetenskapsmannen tycker kan vi bilda oss en egen uppfattning om en Picassotavla, en Strindbergpjäs eller ett svärd från vikingatiden. Dessa vetenskaper - med sitt mycket konkreta källmaterial - bidrar till att konstituera historieuppfattningar och kulturella normer i samhället.

With the long-term goal to create a screening tool with code sets for children’s everyday life situations (ELS), the purpose of the present study was to identify ELS for children and youth aged 0-17 years. The views of professionals and parents in Sweden, South Africa, and US were integrated based on linkages to ICF-CY. The chapters Self-care and Major life areas seemed most obvious include ELS. At 2^nd ICF-CY level, eleven categories emerged as ELS with Hygiene (d510-d530) and Recreation and leisure (d920) as the most obvious. Two sets of ELS were identified for infants/preschoolers and school aged children/adolescents. Professionals and parents agreed on ELS for the older age-group. Findings suggested that ELS differ in context specificity depending on maturity and growing autonomy. The study have implications for the future tool intending to support children with disabilities in describing what matters most for them in intervention planning.

Four studies were included in this doctoral dissertation aiming to investigatehow habilitation professionals perceive the ICF-CY in clinical work and to identify everyday life situations specific for children and youth aged 0-17 years. The ICF-CY was the conceptual framework and since the research was conducted on as well as with the ICF-CY, the use of the classification runs like a thread through all the work. The design was primarily qualitative and included descriptive and comparative content analyses. Study I was longitudinal, aiming to explore how an implementation of the ICF-CY in Swedish habilitation services was perceived. Studies II-IV were interrelated, aiming to explore children’s most common everyday life situations. Content in measures of participation, professionals’ perspectives, and external data on parents’ perspectives were linked to the ICF-CY and compared. Mixed methods design bridged the Studies III-IV.

Results in Study I indicated that knowledge on the ICF-CY enhanced professionals’ awareness of families’ views of child functioning and pointed to the need for ICF-CY based assessment and intervention methods focusing on child participation in life situations. A first important issue in this respect was to identify everyday life situations. Two sets of ten everyday life situations related to the ICF-CY component Activities and Participation, chapters d3-d9, were compiled and adopted for younger and older children respectively, establishing a difference in context specificity depending on maturity and growing autonomy. Furthermore, key constructs in the ICFCY model were discussed, additional ICF-CY linking rules were presented and suggestions for revisions of the ICF linking rules and the ICF-CY were listed. As the sample of everyday life situations reflects the perspectives of adults, further research has to add the perspective of children and youth. The identified everyday life situations will be the basis for the development of code sets included in a screening tool intended for self- or proxy- report of participation from early childhood through adolescence.

Purpose: The aim was to determine professionals’ views of everyday life situations (ELS) of importance for children and to explore how ELS correlate with the construct ‘Participation’. This study was part of a larger work to develop a structured tool with code sets to identify child participation and support children with disabilities to describe what matters most for them in intervention planning.

Method: The study had a concurrent mixed methods design. Information from one open-ended question and questionnaires were linked to the ICF-CY component Activities and Participation. Two concurrent data sets were compared.

Results: Proposed ELS were distributed across ICF-CY categories from low to high level of complexity and context specificity. The correlation with participation became stronger for the later chapters of the component (d7-d9). Differences between respondents due to working field, country, and children’s ages were explored. Acts and tasks seemed most important for the youngest children whereas ELS shifted towards societal involvement for adolescents.

Conclusion: Eleven categories related to ICF-CY chapters d3-d9 emerged as ELS. Two age groups (infants/preschoolers and adolescents) are required to develop code sets for the new tool. The results need triangulation with other concurrent studies to provide corroborating evidence and add a family perspective.

Purpose. This study was part of a larger work to develop an authentic measure consisting of code sets for self- or proxy-report of child participation. The aim was to identify common everyday life situations of children and youth based on measures of participation.

Method. The study was descriptive in nature and involved several stages: systematic search of literature to find articles presenting measures for children and youth with disabilities, identifying measures in selected articles, linking items in included measures to the ICF-CY, analysing content in measures presented as performance and participation and identifying aggregations of ICF-CY codes across these measures.

Results. A large number of measures for children and youth with disabilities were identified but only 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A slight distinction in content and age appropriateness appeared. Measures presented as performance covered all the ICF-CY Activities and Participation chapters, whereas measures presented as participation covered five of nine chapters. Three common everyday life situations emerged from the measures: Moving around, Engagement in play and Recreation and leisure.

Conclusion. Only a small number of life situations for children and youth emerged from items in selected measures, thus, other sources are needed to identify more everyday life situations.

Purpose. This study was part of a larger work to develop an authentic measure consisting of code sets for self- or proxy-report of child participation. The aim was to identify common everyday life situations of children and youth based on measures of participation.

Method. The study was descriptive in nature and involved several stages: systematic search of literature to find articles presenting measures for children and youth with disabilities, identifying measures in selected articles, linking items in included measures to the ICF-CY, analysing content in measures presented as performance and participation and identifying aggregations of ICF-CY codes across these measures.

Results. A large number of measures for children and youth with disabilities were identified but only 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A slight distinction in content and age appropriateness appeared. Measures presented as performance covered all the ICF-CY Activities and Participation chapters, whereas measures presented as participation covered five of nine chapters. Three common everyday life situations emerged from the measures: Moving around, Engagement in play and Recreation and leisure.

Conclusion. Only a small number of life situations for children and youth emerged from items in selected measures, thus, other sources are needed to identify more everyday life situations.

This study investigated present and future everyday life situations (ELS) in home, school, work, and leisure environments for a group of school-aged children with severe disabilities, including complex disorders and a combination of disabilities. The purpose was to explore universal ELS; clarify how the children can be supported in their development of autonomy; and to gather information on potential overall goals for interventions. To make data comparable, all reported ELS were linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Child and Youth version (ICF-CY) and listed along with information on the setting. Both today, and in the future, recreational activities and participation in school or work were of highest importance, but few reported ELS involved directly interacting with other children. More ELS were predicted to occur outside the home and with a higher degree of autonomy. Therefore, interventions would be focused on the overall goal that children with severe disabilities take initiatives to become independent and to form relationships with others.

Innehållsförteckning

Inledning

Utgångspunkter för stads- och regionplanering

Introduktion

Hall P. (2002). Urban and Regional Planning, pp. 1-9. London: RoutledgeCampell S., Fainstein S. S., (2012). Introduction In Readings in planning theory, pp. 1-16. Blackwell,Cambridge, Mass.

Taylor N. (1998). Urban planning theory since 1945. London: SAGE. (19 sid)Allmendinger P. (2017). Planning theory, pp. 5-6, 16, 35-50. Basingstoke: Palgrave

Sayer A. (2010). Methods in social science. A realist approach. pp. 16-19, 44-49. London: Routledge.

Yiftachel O. (1989). Towards a new type of urban planning theories. Environment and planning B: Planning and design, 16, 23-39

Thrift N. J. (1983). On the determination of social action in space and time. Environment and planningD, 1, 23-57.

Utmaning 1: Vilken kunskap är relevant i en planeringsprocess?

Introduktion

Rydin Y. (2007). Re-Examining the role of knowledge within planning theory. Planning theory , 6 (1),52-68.

Easton D. (1965). A framework for political analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.)

Parsons T. (1968) “Social Systems”. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (pp 458-473).New York: Macmillan.)

Utmaning 2: Hur kan komplex kunskap integreras i en planeringsorganisation och bidra tillinstitutionell kapacitet?

Introduktion

Healey P. (1998). Building institutional capacity through collaborative approaches to urban planning.Environment and planning A. 30, 1531-1646

Feitelson, E. I. (2011). Issue Generating Assessment: Bridging the gap between evaluation theory andpractice? Planning Theory and Practice, 12(4), 549-568.

Adolphson M. and Jonsson D. (2020). Uncover the theory practice gap in Swedish transportplanning: an interdisciplinary approach. European Planning Studies. 28(11), 2237-2260.)

Utmaning 3: Hur kan (politiska) värderingar integreras i en planeringsprocess

Introduktion

Habermas J. (2007[1996]). Civil society and political public spheres. In C Calhoun, J Gerties, J Moody,S Pfaff and I Virk (Eds.) Contemporary sociological theory (pp 388-407). Malden MA, BlackwellPublishing.

Ahlenius I-B. (2012). Staten är inte ett företag. Stockholm: Dagens nyheter (20120817)

Kiernan M J (1983) Ideology, politics, and planning: reflections on the theory and practice of urbanplanning. Environment and planning B: Planning and design, 10, pp 71-87

Davidoff P: (1965). Advocacy and pluralism in planning. In Campell S., Fainstein S. S. (Eds.). (2003).Readings in planning theory, pp. 277-296. Blackwell, Cambridge, Mass.

Utmaning 4: Hur kan komplex expertkunskap integreras i demokratisk/kommunikativplanering?

Introduktion

Lindblom C. E. (1959[1996]). The science of ”Muddling through”. In Campell S., Fainstein S. S., (Eds.)(1996). Readings in planning theory. pp. 79-88. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell.

Hertting N och Hellquist A. (uå). Om svenska demokratiutvecklares ideer och konsten att institutionalisera medborgardialog i lokal politik. IBF, Uppsala Universitet

Uppsatsens syfte har varit att ge indikationer på förekommande CSR-verktyg och arbete relaterat till socialt hållbart företagande samt dess effekter inom svenska statliga företag. Genom att relatera de statliga företagens hållbarhetsarbete med dess effekter kan uppsatsen bringa information till detta, hittills, outforskade område samt visa på vilka utfall detta socialt hållbara arbete kan medföra. Uppsatsen använder som ansats och metod jämförande dokumentstudier av tre statliga företag – Apoteket, Systembolaget och Bilprovningen – valda utifrån ett idealistiskt urval till följd av deras framträdande roll inom hållbarhetsarbete bland statliga företag. Insamling av material genomfördes med hjälp av företagens hållbarhetsredovisningar samt andra tillgängliga informationskanaler. Undersökningen visar på både likheter, skillnader och mönster mellan studiens tre statliga företag. CSR-inriktade verktyg och processer existerar inom företagens uttalade strategier och planer, dock finns ett behov att förbättra processer kring uppföljning för att försäkra sig att arbetet drivs igenom enligt planerna samt att lärdomar kan dras från de utfall arbetet medför.

The aim of this study has been to investigate why children spend time on Youtube. The study tries to answer the question why by taking part of childrens thoughts on Youtube as a digital room and what kind of feelings and emotions they experience while spending time there. The study shows that the informants spend time on Youtube to learn things they themselves think of as useful and interesting, in an enjoyful way and together with others with whom they have a shared interest. The study also shows that the informants spend time on Youtube in order to experience strong feelings, both ’negative’ and ’positive’, and that many of these ’negative’ feelings are experienced to have a positive effect. The informants also spend time on Youtube because it is experienced as a safe ’place of their own’ and as a world free from adult norms and values. On Youtube children get to experience feelings and take part of information and perspectives that normally aren´t available to them on platforms specifically aimed at children. In the digital room Youtube, children’s content flow is defined by children´s needs and interests, not their age. Spending time on Youtube therefore gives children a possibility, if only for a short moment of time, to experience how it feels to not first and foremost be a child. Finally the study shows that Youtube is an important part of many children´s daily lives and a shared platform for discussion topics between peers. It is also a place that encourages both activity and creativity instead of only passive media consumption.

This study delves into the conflict landscape in the form of a case study of the Central African Republic, with a specific focus on the involvement of the private military company Wagner Group, framed within Mary Kaldor's theory of New Wars. The theory emphasises that since the 1990s wars have been carried out in the name of identity politics, are between the state and non-state actors, that violence is directed at civilians and that the global economy is a driving condition. These characteristics are generally true for the conflict in CAR. The Wagner Group's role remains largely unexplored within academic circles, necessitating a closer examination of its impact on conflict dynamics to better understand the broader implications for regional stability and global power dynamics. Since CAR became independent in 1960, CAR has been imprinted by armed conflict and widespread violence against civilians. In 2018 the government ceded parts of its monopoly on violence to the Wagner group through an agreement where the group protects the state in exchange for access to natural resources. The Wagner group's presence also contributes to increased regional conflict dynamics and can lead to increased violence and criminal activity.

Denna studie syftar till att utreda hur Linköpings kommun och andra aktörer arbetar för en levande och attraktiv stadskärna i Linköping. Samt identifiera positiva och negativa aspekter med Linköpings stadskärnan. Studien har utgått ifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på Jacobs (1986), Gehls (2010) och Specks (2013) stadsplaneringsideal och deras syn på stadsplanering. För att besvara frågeställningar har en kvalitativ studie utförts, detta genom intervjuer med viktiga aktörer samt dokumentanalys av Linköping kommuns olika programdokument. Resultaten i studien visar på hur kommunen och olika aktörer arbetar för en levande stadskärna samt vilka strategier och åtgärder som används. Slutsatsen är att det finns en god fysisk utformning för en levande stadskärna, men att bilen fortfarande tar stor plats i stadskärnan. Det finns goda strategier i form av samverkan och temporär urbanism, men utrymme för förbättringar finns. Studien bidrar till att öka kunskap om strategier och åtgärder för att skapa en levande stadskärna.

In qualitative research, the research process is often filled with moments of discomfort. These discomforts can appear at any stage of the research: when choosing thesubject of research, during fieldwork, in the process of analysis and when presenting research findings to different audiences. In this edited volume, we take thesemoments of discomfort seriously and use them as sites of knowledge production forreflecting on the politics and ethics of the qualitative research process. By locatingour experiences in implementing nine different PhD projects carried out in different disciplines and research contexts in social sciences, we argue that these momentsof discomfort help us to gain important insights into the methodological, theoretical, ethical and political issues that are crucial for the fields we engage with. Drawingon feminist and other critical discussions (Mulinari and Sandell 1999, Gunaratnam2003, Back 2007, Gunaratnam and Hamilton 2017), we deal with questions such as:What does it mean to write about the lives of others? What are the ethical modesand conundrums of producing representations? In research projects that are locatedin the tradition of critical or engaged scholarship, how are ethics and politics of representation intertwined, and when are they distinct? How are politics of representation linked to the practice of solidarity in research? What are the im/possibilities ofhope and care in research?

This book offers insights on politics and ethics of representation that are relevant to researchers concerned with struggles for justice. It takes moments of discomfort in the qualitative research process as important sites of knowledge for exploring representational practices in critical research.

The Politics and Ethics of Representation in Qualitative Research draws on experiences from research processes in nine PhD projects. In some chapters, ethical and political dilemmas related to representational practices are analyzed as experienced in fieldwork. In others, the focus is on the production of representation at the stage of writing. The book deals with questions such as: What does it mean to write about the lives of others? How are ethics and politics of representation intertwined, and how are they distinct? How are politics of representation linked to a practice of solidarity in research? What are the im/possibilities of hope and care in research?

Drawing on grounded empirical research, the book offers input to students, PhDs, researchers, practitioners, activists and others dealing with methodological dilemmas from a critical perspective. Instead of ignoring discomforts, or describing them as solved, we stay with them, showing how such a reflective process provides new, ongoing insights.

This book offers insights on politics and ethics of representation that are relevant to researchers concerned with struggles for justice. It takes moments of discomfort in the qualitative research process as important sites of knowledge for exploring representational practices in critical research.

The Politics and Ethics of Representation in Qualitative Research draws on experiences from research processes in nine PhD projects. In some chapters, ethical and political dilemmas related to representational practices are analyzed as experienced in fieldwork. In others, the focus is on the production of representation at the stage of writing. The book deals with questions such as: What does it mean to write about the lives of others? How are ethics and politics of representation intertwined, and how are they distinct? How are politics of representation linked to a practice of solidarity in research? What are the im/possibilities of hope and care in research?

Drawing on grounded empirical research, the book offers input to students, PhDs, researchers, practitioners, activists and others dealing with methodological dilemmas from a critical perspective. Instead of ignoring discomforts, or describing them as solved, we stay with them, showing how such a reflective process provides new, ongoing insights.

The democratic opening presented by Nigeria’s successful transition to civil rule (June 1998 to May 1999) unleashed a host of hitherto repressed or dormant political forces. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between genuine demands by these forces on the state and outright criminality and mayhem. Post-transition Nigeria is experiencing the proliferation of ethnic militia movements purportedly representing, and seeking to protect, their ethnic interests in a country, which appears incapable of providing the basic welfare needs of its citizens.

It is against the background of collective disenchantment with the Nigerian state, and the resurgence of ethnic identity politics that this research interrogates the growing challenge posed by ethnic militias to the Nigerian democracy project. The central thesis is that the over-centralization of power in Nigeria’s federal practice and the failure of post-transitional politics in genuinely addressing the “National Question, has resulted in the emergence of ethnic militias as a specific response to state incapacity. The short- and long-term threats posed by this development to Nigeria’s fragile democracy are real, and justify the call for a National Conference that will comprehensively address the demands of the ethnic nationalities.

The future of vehicle steering systems lies within by-wire technology. With by-wire technology mechanical or hydraulic systems are replaced by electronic systems. Removal of the steering column and possibly other linkage and gears yields vast potential of further improvement of performance, comfort and safety. Steer-by-wire technology also enables the manufacturer to tailor the steering feel to better suit the individual drivers’ need and preference. Since a driver gains critical information about the vehicle from feedback through the steering wheel, steering feel will play a very important part in consumer acceptance of steer-by-wire systems. It will also be possible to customize steering characteristics to the individual driver.

This thesis presents a methodology for investigating steering characteristics through analysis of simulator experiments and to find the impact of specific steering characteristics on drivers of varying skill. There are many key aspects to consider when designing simulator experiments. A validated vehicle model is required. Evaluation criteria need to be well defined as well as concise and simple. The utilized scenario has to be able to capture the selected evaluation criteria. Recruitment of test subjects should represent the target population. How to utilize the available time in the simulator most effectively and how to analyze the results are also important. In this work three studies are performed. Paper A investigates how steering gear ratio and steering wheel effort of a passenger car affect preferences of high and low mileage drivers. Paper B is an extended study of Paper A, where the resolution is higher, speed dependence is investigated and performance of the drivers is also evaluated. In Paper C the impact of four important steering system characteristics on driver performance and preference is evaluated.

The major conclusions drawn from this work are that variation of steering gear ratio has considerable impact on perceived steering feel and manoeuvrability as well as on driver performance. Variation in steering wheel effort affect perceived steering feel and stability, but no significant influence is detected in perceived manoeuvrability or driver performance. There are distinguishable differences in preferences of the investigated evaluation criteria between driver categories of varying skill. However, general trends of the preferences for the categories are fairly similar. Low skilled drivers prefer lower effort and higher ratio than high skilled drivers, especially at the highest investigated speed, 100 km/h.

The developed methodology for performing simulator experiments to evaluate steering characteristics has proven satisfactory through findings of three different studies. This work also shows that there are several important steering characteristics that need to be considered when designing steering systems, particularly steering systems with by-wire applications and especially considering drivers of varying skill.