In different countries, such as Ukraine and Sweden, there have been differences in the way of administrating the systems which dictate the way of living and the way the societies function. Different approaches have been adopted over the time when it came to setting up the rules for how the state´s vital organizations, such as tax administration, health care, police, army, education system and many others should work and function. The idea in many modern countries is the same, but the ways and procedures can differ a great deal from country to country. This applies to the sphere of district heating services as well. The purpose of this thesis is to gain understand with the help of economic theory why heating tariffs are managed in a country that has had transition from plan economy to market economy the way they are, and how the management of heating tariffs could be improved when taking into account the experience of a country with long established market economy. During field studies performed in Sweden and Ukraine, particularly in the city of Donetsk, a comparative analysis of the two heating tariff systems have been performed in order to outline and highlight the differences between them and to answer the main questions of the study. The results include the status report of the situation concerning the district heating tariff systems in Sweden and Ukraine, comparative analysis of the two systems and suggestion on improvements of the district heating tariff system in the city of Donetsk. The outcomes and suggested improvements do not provide the full picture and all the aspects of the situation, due to the fact that more extensive studies, involving larger resources, would have to be conducted in the area. However, the report provides a good starting point for further studies within the field of district heating tariffs in Ukraine and Sweden.

The thesis analyses framing of news in four local on-line media of Donetsk Oblast in Eastern Ukraine. Two of the analysed on-line news websites (Novosti Donbassa and Mariupolskie Novosti) are based in Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast, the two other (DAN and Gorlovka.Today) are located in so-called Donetsk People's Republic established by pro- Russian rebels. The thesis focuses on news reporting of two major events of the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine which occurred in 2015: The battle of the city of Debaltseve and the preparations of local elections in so-called people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The analysis is based on Robert N. Entman's definition of framing analysis which consists of searching for keywords, phrases and other tools which build the frame.

In response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in April 2014, thousands of Ukrainians voluntarily enrolled to various paramilitary battalions. Except the Right Sector’s Volunteer Ukrainian Corps, all battalions have been incorporated into official defense and security structures. This study investigates why some combatants choose to serve in the paramilitary Right Sector’s Volunteer Ukrainian Corps rather than join the state-sanctioned military, and specifically how this choice is influenced by uncertainty. This multisite case study is conducted with volunteer fighters in the regions of Odesa and Donetsk, using data collected through interviews, observations and through the review of documents. The study applies uncertainty-identity theory, which explores how uncertainty in an individual’s own life, or their environment can prompt them to seek structure through belonging to a group or ascribing to an ideology. This theory is applied to understand how participants’ identification with the paramilitary Volunteer Ukrainian Corps might influence their feelings of self-uncertainty. The data led to six themes: Russian aggression; patriots and opportunists; enemies among us; trust, confidence and cohesion; sworn brothers; and construction of uncertainty. These themes help to understand the motivations of participants, but also how uncertainty is constructed through the membership in the Right Sector’ s Volunteer Ukrainian Corps. The findings of this study give a holistic account about participants’ feelings of self-uncertainty through their multifaceted and complex experiences. Analysis of the data revealed that the clear group prototype and the high entitativity of the Right Sector’s Volunteer Ukrainian Corps increased participants’ self-confidence, which inspired their continued identification with the group.