Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to develop a theoretical framework for sustainable product design, targeting aesthetic design elements, as part of product development by applying the Ted’s 10 methodology for textile environment and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Design/Methodology/approach The thesis follows a deductive and inductive multi – method approach. A systematic literature review gives insights into existing literature on product design; the interviews with two experts evaluate the theoretical framework based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the implications and applicability of findings in practice. Findings It is found that, in comparison to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the aesthetic design elements in product design from literature have no clear guidelines to restrict environmentally unsustainable practices/ decisions, apart from EU regulations. The theoretical framework, which is built on these gaps by applying the Ted’s 10 design methodology, shows suggestions concerning the aesthetic design elements, which have the possibility to reduce the need to consume, chemical impact, waste, and energy and water consumption. Two expert interviews validate the theoretical framework and discuss implications and applicability. Originality/value It is stated that product design, especially the aesthetic design elements, have a major impact on the environmental sustainability of the final product. Therefore, decision making regarding these elements have the potential to greatly reduce the environmental impact. Moreover, the analysis of the Ted’s 10 may contribute to the realization of several UN Sustainable Development Goals. It could communicate the positive environmental impact textile and fashion designers and businesses can have when applying the Ted’s 10.

The field of International Relations is Western-centric through its main theories, which risks undermining the development of non-Western countries. This thesis aims to implement the alternative analytical, non-Western approach of Global IR through a Comparative Case Study of South Korea and Vietnam to analyse the so-called ‘global’ Sustainable Development Goals through two research questions: How have South Korea and Vietnam managed to fulfil SDG no. 11? and How can Global IR be used to problematise the Westernised and overly universal UN measurement indicators of SDG no. 11 in South Korea and Vietnam? Conclusively, South Korea falls more in line with the Western depiction of development than Vietnam. But Global IR can be used to problematise the UN indicators by arguing historical implications to reach their Western-centric model in non-Western countries and provides indicators that consider countries individualities. This ultimately creates a more global approach, as it acknowledges differences instead of attempting to fit all countries into one specific box of sustainable urban development.

Climate change and land degradation, which is defined as the decline in the productive capacity of the land, have profound implications for resource-based livelihoods and food security. In this dissertation, I use remote sensing to improve understanding of how climate variability affects the productivity of global pasturelands and to quantify the spatial and temporal patterns of land degradation in the Southern Cone region (SCR) of South America. In the first chapter, I characterize the sensitivity of global pastureland productivity to climate variability by analyzing the relationship between MODIS enhanced vegetation index and gridded precipitation data. Results show that pasturelands are least capable of withstanding precipitation deficits in Australia, while pasturelands in Latin America recover more slowly after drought compared to other regions. In the second chapter, I use Landsat observations to measure the magnitude, geography, and rate of change in the amount of bare ground, herbaceous and woody vegetation in the SCR since 1999. Paraguay experienced the highest proportional increase in herbaceous cover as a result of agricultural expansion and intensification, while Uruguay experienced the highest proportional increase in woody cover as a result of afforestation. Argentina, the largest and most heterogeneous country in the SCR, experienced widespread land cover changes from deforestation, reforestation, afforestation, and desertification, each of which varied in extent and magnitude by ecoregion. In the third chapter, I assess patterns of land degradation in the SCR using the United Nations Sustainable Development framework. My results show that 67.5% of the SCR experienced changes in land cover properties in the 21st century, with widespread improvement (i.e., increased productive capacity), along with substantial hotspots of degradation caused by expansion of agriculture and systematic decreases in precipitation. Monitoring degradation is necessary to assess ecosystem services, ensure food security, and develop land use policies designed to increase the resilience of land systems to the joint stresses imposed by climate change and a growing global population. The methods, datasets, and results from this dissertation provide an improved basis for creating such policies in some of the world’s most vulnerable and food insecure regions.

Climate change is one of the hottest topics on the globe as of right now. The deadline of reaching both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement is getting closer, and actions are needed. This thesis focus on how two countries, Sweden and the United Kingdom are working towards achieving goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Policies, implementations of policies and actions are assessed. The study is a comparative case study that is based on secondary data presented by each country in official reports, the annual Sustainable Development Report as well as the Nationally Determined Contribution report by each country. The International Regime Approach is the theoretical framework used for consideration and comparison between the actions and non-actions by the two countries, where the relationship to the European Union plays an important role. The findings of the study shows that both Sweden and the United Kingdom is passionately working towards achieving the climate goals and has pointed out relevant policies and actions to meet the SDGs. Progress has been made in both countries as emission rates has been radically reduced but despite their devotion, both countries are far from reaching the climate goals as the overall progress of implementation of policies are not on satisfactory levels.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第20594号 / 地環博第165号 / 新制||地環||33(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎環境マネジメント専攻 / (主査)教授 星野 敏, 教授 柴田 昌三, 准教授 西前 出 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Varje år dör över 300 000 kvinnor i komplikationer relaterad till graviditet och förlossning. Milleniemålen som syftar till att minska mödradödlighet med 75 procent mellan åren 2000-2015 har inte uppnåtts. Kvinnor dör i samband med graviditets och eller barnafödande och mest drabbade är kvinnor i lågresursländer, det vill säga Afrika Söder om Sahara, Nordafrika, Mellanöstern, Sydostasien, respektive Sydasien. För att främja en hållbar utveckling bör olika faktorer beaktas för att eliminera fattigdom, förbättra infrastruktur, utarbeta abortpolicier och lagar, befrämja befintliga moderskapsprogram, samarbete mellan regeringar och hälsosjukvårdssystem, öka allmänhetens medvetenhet och investeringar samt fler barnmorskor särskild på landsbygden, för att möta behoven. Syfte: Att belysa faktorer som orsakar mödradödlighet i lågresursländer samt att beskriva det preventiva arbetet för att minska mödradödligheten. Metod: En systematisk litteraturöversikt valdes att besvara studiens syfte. PubMed och Cinahl är databaserna som användes. Sjutton originalartiklar inkluderades i studien. Resultat: Tre huvudkategorier och fem underkategorier identifierades. Huvudkategorierna var: Direkta obstetriska orsaker till mödradödlighet, Indirekta orsaker till mödradödlighet samt Prevention. Underkategorierna som identifierades var: Före partus, Efter partus, Sjukdom hos modern, De tre fördröjningarna samt Kulturella faktorer. Slutsats Resultatet visade att orsakerna till mödradödlighet i lågresursländer är mångfacetterade. Det beror dels på obefintliga resurser samt hur prioriteringar görs av ländernas beslutsfattare. Faktorer som kultur, religion, utbildning och fattigdom var hinder som försvårade vårdkontakten som också bidrog till en ökad mödradödlighet. Det är viktigt att i det preventiva arbetet identifierar kvinnor i riskzon för att dö i samband med graviditet och förlossning i tid för att kunna ingripa och förhindra mödradödligheten.

Research Thesis being in partial submission for the degree of Master of Management in Finance and Investments at the University of Witwatersrand. / Unlocking the potential for growth at African Development Finance Institutions has become imperative, with the financial crisis of 2007/2009 having generated new discussions on the role of the state in the economy, most especially in the financial sphere (Calice, 2013). This raises new interests among decisionmakers involved in development finance institutions (DFIs), according to the World Bank (2013). It is noteworthy that DFIs played a very important role in avoiding a drastic credit crisis in many developing economics, by intensifying their activities, in terms of deleveraging and increased risk avoidance by private agents (Calice, 2013). The challenge at present, is the manner in which adequate use of DFIs can be guaranteed, to safeguard against the deployment of some costly policy instruments, while ensuring they play a dynamic role in providing access to finance (Gutierrez, Rudolph, Homa and Blanco, 2011). With prevalent market failures in the provision of finance for infrastructure, agriculture, and housing, as well as small and medium enterprise (SME) finance, this is specifically relevant for Africa, and provides a strong rationale for DFIs to play an active developmental role. The study findings will help countries in Africa and finance professionals in investment and development banking, to improve their application of policies and procedures, in order to achieve the mission and vision of the proposed developmental projects. In addition, the research findings will serve as good reference material for scholars studying development finance, while the longterm benefit will result in assisting Investment bankers, DFIs, Donors, and individuals, as well as governmental institutions, to operate optimally in providing services to their customers more effectively. Although much has been done towards improving knowledge about African DFIs, to provide evidence on key areas to target., more research is, however, still needed (Calice, 2013). The aim of this study, therefore, is the analysis and evaluation of the perceived or real problem(s) associated with the effectiveness of development banks for African countries. In other words, to explore a comprehensive assessment of the development effectiveness of African DFIs to measure public policy performance and how it can enhance development financing. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were employed, to critically evaluate the development effectiveness of African Development Financial Institutions. Primary data, collected using online questionnaires, came from selected DFIs in the headquartered, corporate business environment in Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria. A well-functioning, efficient and effective, international development financing system is essential for: global poverty reduction; improving living standards in developing countries; reducing worldwide inequalities; and for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), with feedback from respondents of this study indicating that much has been done by DFIs in Africa. The findings, indicate potential problem areas, with regards to environmental issues and their handling, as well as there being no proper stakeholders’ needs alignment, which could be due to collaboration issues, and/ or lack of training and experience. / XL2018

In this study we focus on how Swedish youth organizations influenced formulation of anational agenda 2030 policy, contributing enhanced understanding how independent,representative and youth-led organizations can facilitate young people's participation insocietal change. A secondary query concerns what challenges and opportunities to a highlevel of youth participation can be found, aiming to learn from a crucial case of youthparticipation in formulation of national policy under favorable conditions in the supposedlyinclusive Agenda 2030-framework. This case study was designed inspired by process tracingmethod and an attributed influence approach using semi structured interviews to supplementrecords and reports from the Agenda 2030-committee. Through this study we conclude thatyouth organizations are seen as important and influential actors, and often invited as experts.But evidence of large degree of effect on final policy is lacking. Related to this we find thatthe Agenda 2030-committee largely wielded a form of communicational influence towardsthe Swedish government which for the most part ignored its conclusion andrecommendations. We therefore conclude that this unclear relation between the dialoguestructure and formal decision-making process contributes a considerable challenge toqualitative participation. Even as the consultation have been designed to facilitate organizedinterests we find that government officials stress the importance of reaching “real” youthrather than members of youth organizations, effectively creating a dichotomy betweenorganized and non-organized youth.

Background: As the Earth heads towards the zone of exceedance, there is a highlighted importance in contributing towards sustainable development. The sustainable development goals (SDGs), introduced by the United Nations, act as guidance to integrate environmental, social, and economic aspects, to ensure a sustainable future.  However, research is missing on the interconnection between the need to engage stakeholders in the Port and the SDGs. Researching the port of Le Havre is used as an example to demonstrate an in-depth analysis of the actors’ activities and their level of engagement regarding sustainability. Purpose: This thesis aims to analyze the sustainability strategies taken by the stakeholders in the port industry based in the port of Le Havre and identify the key elements to achieve the SDGs by engaging the stakeholders.  Method: The study aligns with an interpretive analysis, where qualitative multiple exploratory case studies were carried out. Through semi-structured interviews, the researchers were able to assess the sustainable activities realized by the stakeholders. By analyzing the data using a coding procedure, five aggregate dimensions emerged. Conclusion: This study suggests that the stakeholders and their awareness of sustainability are essential to achieve the SDGs. In addition to this conclusion, the findings also suggest they should act collectively towards meeting the SDGs, to ensure a holistic and long-lasting strategy towards sustainability.

Today sustainability is a broadly discussed concept all over the globe due to the threat of climate change driven by human activities. Therefore, collective efforts are needed to raise awareness to conserve environmental health and sustainability, and sustainable development is to be prioritized in all organizations. Sweden demonstrates a high commitment to developing sustainability in practice through the collective effort of Swedish society. China is Sweden’s largest international trade partner in Asia. This thesis explores the strategies, facilitators, and challenges for Swedish firms pursuing sustainability goals while collaborating with Chinese partners. A single case study on a SwedishMNC, IKEA is presented to conduct the thesis. IKEA demonstrates the strategy of sustainable collaboration with Chinese partners. The analysis determines that close collaboration to co-create value, regular audits, and balancing the three aspects of sustainable development, economic, social, and environmental, are needed for a Swedish firm to pursue its sustainability goals while collaborating with Chinese partners.