This essay investigates whether Amartya Sen’s or Martha Nussbaum’s version of the capability approach is better suited to justify civil disobedience. The theoretical framework of my study is critical discourse analysis. This aims to establish the most significant conditions for the justification of civil disobedience. An interpretation of the conception of civil disobedience is presented. The investigation assumes that civil disobedience is justified when people advocate for a change in a policy or a law that limits the securing of basic capabilities. A major part of the essay is devoted to clarifying how the idea of basic capabilities relates to civil disobedience. I also emphasize the importance of human dignity as a universal value. I argue that this value is crucial to realizing why some capabilities are more basic than others. I show that Nussbaum is in a better position than Sen to explain when civil disobedience can be justified. This is because Sen lacks a framework of basic capabilities leaving it up to each nation to assess which capabilities ought to be secured.

From underwater boat to submarine – The development of the Swedish submarine service 1945-1960 The scope of this essay is the development of the Swedish submarine service during the period 1945-1960. The aim is to answer the following questions: - What kind of new technology did Sweden acquire when salvaging the German type XXI submarine off Gothenburg at the end of World War II? - In what respect did this technology differ from that of the Royal Swedish Navy and did it subsequently contribute to the tactical and operational development? - What tactical and operational development was accomplished between 1945-1960? The timeframe, 1945-1960, was chosen since this is when the analysis of the salvaged type XXI submarine and related effects was conducted. Furthermore, it is also during this time that the Swedish submarine service is beginning to evolve as a result of the new knowledge mentioned above and the experiences made by both the allies and the Germans during World War II. The theoretical framework primarily refers to the theories on naval warfare by Sir Julian Corbett. Here the “Fleet in being” and his methods for viewing command have been deemed to be of primary interest, also the definition of “basic capabilities” applied by the Swedish Armed Forces is referred to in order to simplify certain matters to the reader. In conclusion, the technology acquired from the Germans provided Sweden not only with new actual technology but also a preview of the coming modern submarine and underwater warfare. The new technology and the experiences were implemented into the submarine service contributed to the fact that the Swedish submarines over a period of ten years developed from being underwater boats to actual submarines and subsequently contributed to the Swedish naval warfare capability during the Cold War.

Magister Educationis - Med / Since the dawn of democracy, the South African government has set up different measures to improve education in schools, inter alia the provision of funding, resources, feeding schemes and the introduction and amendment to different curricula. The current education policy, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), was adopted in 2012 following three other consecutive education policies that had not delivered to the desired standard in terms of educational outcome. This study focuses on the perceptions of teachers in terms of their freedom to pursue the aims of CAPS in low-income school communities. The teachers' perceptions and freedoms were explored and analyzed using the Capabilities Approach (CA) authored by Amartya Sen which forefronts the capabilities (the ability to achieve) and the functionings (real achievements). Teachers' perceptions were therefore explored and analyzed in terms of freedoms and unfreedoms they enjoy and face in the process of transferring the knowledge to learners. The thesis studied and analyzed the capabilities and perceptions of teachers in terms of their real freedoms through the deconstruction of their experiences.

Uppsatsen är en fallstudie av landstriderna kring Narvik 1940 analyserade utifrån degrundläggande förmågorna med perspektivet att ta emot stöd.Trots tillskyndande stöd från allierade förband kunde inte de norska och allierade förbanden komma till ett avgörande mot de numerärt underlägsna och tillsynes avskurna tyska förbanden i fjällen kring Narvik. För att belysa de förutsättningar som rådde på taktisk nivå så används tre frågeställningar: -Hur fördelade sig de grundläggande förmågorna hos tyska förband respektive allierade förband under det studerade händelseförloppet? -Vilka förmågor var särskilt framträdande för de olika förbandens strid? -Vilka eventuella svårigheter att ta emot stöd i striderna kring Narvik är relevanta för svenska förhållanden? Resultatet av studien visar att avsevärda brister i förmågan till ledning hos de allierade förbanden förelåg varvid det tillskyndande stödet blev ineffektivt. Dessutom var de tyska förbandens goda förmåga till skydd samt uthållighet, viktiga faktorer för de allierades svårighet att komma till ett avgörande. / This study is a case study of the land war in the vicinity of Narvik 1940, analysed in perspective of the six basic capabilities of combat; effect on target, protection, mobility, command and control, sustainability and intelligence. The main angle is the challenges of receiving support. How come the Norwegians and supporting allied units weren’t able to defeat the outnumbered German troops in the mountains? To be able to filter out the essential factors on a tactical level the following questions are used: -How did the basic capabilities of combat appear among the allied and the German units? -Which capability was most decisive for the outcome of the battle between the opponents? -Which difficulties in receiving support are relevant for Swedish conditions? The result of the study reveals that severe mistakes in the command and control among the allied units caused ineffective support from the allied units. It also reveals that the protection and sustainability among the German units had an important role for the outcome.

It is widely acknowledged that poverty has declined globally over the last few years. In fact, this idea has become so ingrained in our society that it is almost taken for granted and assumed as an incontestable fact. The question that remains unanswered is where all the poor are now. Are they living a prosperous life or are they tinkering on the edge of poverty? This research study focuses on the precarious non-poor, who are the people surviving just above Upper Bound Poverty Line used by Statistics within South Africa. Although they are not ‘officially poor’ they are still a group that is often overlooked or ignored within the global development community since they are not poor enough to warrant intervention yet not secure enough to demand action. As the research study will show through using a mixed-method approach, they are far from being prosperous and in fact, still struggling to survive. The quantitative findings are based on a statistical analysis of the General Household Survey (2011) that overlaps with the latest Income and Expenditure Survey (2011). It gives valuable background to the problem that was also used during the qualitative phase of the research study to inform the sample choice and interview guide. The quantitative analysis shows that the precarious non-poor is not a unique problem, and as a group, they are found across South Africa. The qualitative findings are based on in-depth interviews conducted in Cape Town, Western Cape and Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal. Framed by the capability approach, set out by Amartya Sen, and a focus on basic capabilities such as employment, education and housing, the results show that the precarious non-poor lack access and choice in terms of capabilities and the opportunity to realise them into functionings. The precarious non-poor in this study are mostly employed within insecure, uncertain or underpaying jobs, underpinned by a social support program, living in neighbourhoods where they feel unsafe while trying to secure a better future for themselves and especially their children. In fact, they are probably no better off than their poor counterparts with prosperity remaining out of reach. / Sociology / Ph. D. (Sociology)