Drawing upon data from a qualitative interview study on the life stories of young women, the aim of this study is to analyze young womens experiences of difficult life events. Special interest is directed to how cultural frameworks are reflected in young women’s stories about themselves and the family and school worlds they have lived in. During a period of almost four years, I conducted deep interviews with ten young women on two to four occasions. They were between the ages of sixteen and twenty at the time of the first interview and of different classes and local origins. The young women were recruited to the study through leaders of a youth detention home and of a girl group activity. Methodologically, the thesis is based in the general field of narrative research and more specifically in the field of feminist life story research. I employed a holistic and thematic content analysis inspired by hermeneutic interpretation and the mainly focus has been on what was told in the stories. The thesis is written in a context of feminist epistemology and from a critical perspective (cf. Harding, 1986, 2004). It includes, among other things, an assumption that there is a social, cultural and historically created imbalance of power between different groups in society (cf. Anderson, 2003). The theoretical concepts that form the basis of this part of the theoretical framework are social worlds (cf. Shibutani, 1955), exclusion (cf. Goffman, 1963; Young, 1990, 2000), belonging (cf. Molin, 2010; Spånberger Weitz, 2011), agency (cf. McNay, 2003, 2004), space of agency (cf. Eduards, 2002) and social positions (cf. Anderson, 2003). The young women´s stories about family gathered around experiences of parents’ separation, family violence, parental substance abuse and the separation from parents. Their stories of school life gathered mainly around experiences of being different and othered, and these experiences of otherness and alienation were closely linked to bullying, school difficulties and to a general unhappiness at school (cf. Andersson, 1995). In contemplation of life as a series of life events, the young womens stories highlight the importance of difficult life events and the impact they have had on their ability to live their lives. The results portray the importance of considering life as a series of moving events, instant and recurring, and of understanding the consequences of social structures on how life and its conditions change and are linked across borders, between different worlds and different times. In a consideration of the life events as variable, instantaneous and sometimes recurring and changing, every life event has to be viewed as new and important to pay attention to, both as an event in itself and also how this event spreads to other moments and contexts than the time and world in which it occurred. In the assumption of life as moving and of life events as essential elements in a changeable life course, available positions and spaces of agency are made visible in the young womens stories. The cultural frameworks of the good family, the real schoolgirl and an authentic I represent structuring principles for how the events are possible to understand and talk about for the young women. They can be considered as ideal images that both increase and limit their opportunities to make difficult life events and their own actions in relation to the events understandable. In this thesis, it becomes visible that, in order to understand young women’s experiences of difficult life events, we need to place experiences in a context where the different circumstances, such as social positions and local structures, are made visible, analyzed and reflected upon.

The overall purpose of this thesis is to gain further knowledge of how the Swedish local government level is affected by requirements to use public procurement through competitive tendering and, more specifically, understand the actions taken by included actors when public procurement is required in implementation of public transport goals. Through case study method, an in specific process tracing, various implementation processes have been examined. One studied process complied with the procurement regulations, while the others included elements that circumvented them. In each process, the actions taken by involved actors have been the focus. The findings are presented in four papers. An overall conclusion is that, when public procurement is required in implementation at the local government level, several actors need to interact. These actors may use procurement to expand, maintain, or restrain their discretion towards others actors. In addition, various control mechanisms, such as e.g. monitoring, are used to restrain an actor’s discretion when the actor is circumventing procurement legislation. / Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling är att öka kunskapen om hur den lokala nivån i Sverige är påverkad av kravet på att använda offentlig upphandling, och mer specifikt att förstå de handlingar som olika aktörer vidtar vid implementering av kollektivtrafik mål, då konkurrensutsatt upphandling är ett krav. Genom fallstudie metod har olika implementeringsprocesser undersökts. I en process har upphandlingsreglerna följts, medan i de andra har upphandlingslagen kringgåtts. Resultaten har analyserats utifrån principal-agent teori och presenteras i form av fyra artiklar. I studien konstateras det att flera aktörer är beroende av varandra i implementeringen. Aktörerna kan använda upphandling för att både behålla och expandera sitt handlingsutrymme gentemot andra aktörer, men upphandling kan även vara begränsande. I studien diskuteras även olika kontrollmekanismer som användas då aktörer kringgår upphandlingslagstiftningen.

Many social workers that are working within the current healthcare system, feel that their profession is being marginalized, and they are worried that the social perspective might be lost, which would affect both the healthcare system and the patient in an undesirable way. This is a situation that is described by the social workers that were interviewed for the work of this assay. There is a proposition about a special legitimisation for social workers within the healthcare system. The main aim of this proposition is to secure the patient safety.  A second aim is to secure that the social perspective will remain with in the healthcare system.   The governance of the public sector of today, focuses on increasing the efficiency by control and review of measurable goals, which has affected the professionals' use of their skills and lead to de-professionalization. In today's knowledge management, measurable treatment through manuals is seemingly more important than professional competence, which has weakened the curators' profession role in healthcare. This picture is clearly stated in this essay's empirical study and is confirmed by the literature studied.   The trust delegation has the task to develop a reform that will better use the employees' skills so that the Swedish citizens receive their needed services through trust-based governance. The proposed introduction of legitimisation and the work of the trust delegation can both lead to changes for the social workers and the social perspective. For the social workers, the proposal raises hope. A legitimisation might strengthen their occupational role and at the same time indicate that the social perspective in healthcare is a specific and necessary area, which can lead to the development of the profession's jurisdiction.

With online communication being increasingly integrated with our everyday lives, internet hate has become a growing problem. This is receiving growing attention in the media and research. In recent years, scientists have begun to shift their focus from the hate itself, to responses to these forms of violation. However, research has been mainly solution orientated and for example focused on legal aspects. Thus, we maintain that the field lacks a media technology based analysis, which this paper intends to contribute to. The aim of this study is to investigate what impact design and functionality in social media has on its users, with relation to user’s counter-strategies on the reception of offensive content. Note that this study is restricted to social media, and not focused on digital media at large. Within the framework of this essay, we have conducted three focus-group interviews and nethnographic studies. The empirical data from our focus groups has determined which social media platforms we examined in the nethnographic study, and subsequently in our analysis. The collected data has been analysed in relation to previous research on social media and internet hate. We have also used theories on resistance, suppression techniques, space of possible actions, norms and the relationship between offline/online and front stage/back stage. The analysis has resulted in five themes that describe the following key findings: 1) social media's positive connotations are problematic in relation to offensive content, but the receivers of internet hate are inventive in working around embedded norms, 2) sometimes no response is the best defence, 3) the culture around the like-function has a significant role in the resistance to internet hate on social media, 4) the shrinking distance between the world online and offline, as well as public and private rooms, affects everyday resistance to violations on social media, and 5) production of positive content and interaction with help of built-in functions are perceived as ways to affect the climate and cooperative resistance. We do not purport to provide technical or design-related proposals for development. However, we believe that our results, among other things, can be used for future development and improvement of social media platforms, and as a basis for further research on resistance to violations on social media.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka individ- och familjeomsorgens (IFO) enhetschefers upplevelser av tillit, styrning och ledning för att sedan jämföra detta med Tillitsdelegationens (SOU 2019:43) förslag till förändring inom den offentliga sektorn. För att öka kunskapen om ämnet kommer frågor kring deras allmänna uppfattning om tillit, styrning och ledning att redovisas och analyseras gentemot de sju principerna från SOU 2019:43. Skillnaderna samt likheterna i dagens upplevda styrning och ledning har analyserat med organisationsteoretiska teorier för att belysa politiken, ledningen samt andra aktörers inflytande på IFO:s verksamhetsområden. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts för att djupare kunna få fram de upplevelser som respondenterna skildrar samt för att belysa det som de själva anser vara väsentligt. Resultatet visar att enhetschefernas organisationer har ett tydligt medborgarfokus, helhetssyn, handlingsutrymme, stödfunktioner, kunskap samt en strävan efter öppenhet. Begreppen finns inom de undersökta organisationerna, men den tidigare forskningen förespråkar att det kan utvecklas ytterligare. Uppsatsen har analyserat den tidigare forskningen från flera nordiska länder som har gått eller går igenom en tillitsreform. Materialet har analyseras tillsammans med de organisationsteoretiska aspekterna som påverkar organisationerna samt den mimik som finns i efterliknandet av andra nordiska länders utveckling. Resultatet, analysen och slutsatsen har visat att enhetschefernas upplevelser av tillit, styrning och ledning på många plan liknar den förändring som Tillitsdelegationen avser att implementera. Även om vissa likheter finns, så är de inte uttalade på samma sätt som Tillitsdelegationen har framfört och beroende på vilken enhetschef det är så finns det olika grader av upplevd tillit, både uppifrån och ner. Det har även visats att om tilliten präglar deras vardagliga arbete så är det inte alla medarbetare som är intresserade av att ha det handlingsutrymmet som tilliten för med sig. Det finns en ambivalent upplevelse tillit, styrning och ledning samt hur utveckling kan ske inom respektive organisation. En av slutsatserna som författaren kommit fram till är att en förändring, liknande tillitsbaserad styrning och ledning, inte bör påverka de undersökta organisationerna markant.

The Swedish welfare society can be advocated as a social safety net with the intention of giving citizens fair living conditions. However, the welfare system has recently undergone fundamental changes regarding its organization and steering within the social image work, where its impact is considered to have received far too little attention.  The overall purpose of the study is to study social workers 'experiences of steering within the social services' exercise of authority. The empirical data has been considered in qualitative interviews and has brought significant knowledge and information about the subject area. The results have shown an overall control within the social authority work, which normalizes and constitutes an impact on how the practical work is conducted and how the feeling of the social work is treated. However, the results of the study have shown various causal explanations that are rooted in trust from the management team, work motives and also the social worker's individual professional experience and competence. Based on the study's analysis, four central themes have been identified and presented as both causal explanations and prerequisites for practical social authority work. These are explained as; steering and the social secretary's work situation, trust-based governance, social work - a knowledge-based practice and steering as instruments. / Det svenska välfärdssamhället kan hävdas inbegripa som ett socialt skyddsnät med intention av att medborgarna får skäliga levnadsförhållanden. Välfärdsystemet har dock på senare tid genomgått grundläggande förändringar avseende dess organisering och styrning inom det sociala myndighetsarbetet, där dess påverkan allt för lite anses uppmärksammats. Studiens övergripande syfte är att studera socialarbetares upplevelser av styrning inom socialtjänstens myndighetsutövning. Empirin utgörs av kvalitativa intervjuer och har bringat betydande kunskaper och belysning av ämnesområdet. Resultatet har påvisat en överlagd styrning inom det sociala myndighetsarbetet, som normaliserats och utgör påverkan på hur det praktiska arbetet bedrivs och hur känslan av det sociala arbetet behandlas. Vidare har studiens resultat påvisat diverse orsaksförklaringar som bottnar i konstadsfrågor, tillit från ledningsgruppen, arbetsmotiv men också socialsekreterares individuella yrkeserfarenhet- och kompetens. Utifrån studiens analys har fyra centrala teman identifierats och framställts som både orsaksförklaring och förutsättning för ett praktiskt socialt myndighetsarbete. Dessa förklaras som; styrning och socialsekreterares arbetssituation, brist på tillit, socialt arbete – en kunskapsbaserad praktik och styrning som instrument.

Children who experience violence is one aspect of the work of social secretaries and is a complex assignment in their work. The purpose of this essay has been to understand how social secretaries describe their work within their discretion on children who experience violence. More specifically focus has been on cases where there is a lack of consent to voluntary interventions according to the Social Services Act and when compulsory care is not possible. Previous research about this specific situation is limited which makes this study necessary. The questions of this study had a focus on how social secretaries use their discretion in these cases, which challenges they meet in their work and also their reasoning on today´s legislation regarding children who experience violence. The method of this study has been qualitative semi-structured interviews with five social secretaries in three different municipalities in Sweden. Our results have been analysed with previous research and two theoretic starting-points, discretion and caring power. This study shows that knowledge about children who experience violence is an important part in the work of social secretaries and is a crucial factor in children’s right to protection. It also shows that parental rights to refuse interventions is a major aspect that prevents the possibilities of social secretaries to protect children who experience violence which the social secretaries describe as a difficult challenge. Another difficult challenge described was when parents deny that their children are experiencing violence and there is a lack of proof in the same time. The social secretaries in this study expressed a wish to have a possibility in the law to force parents of children who experience violence to receive interventions even though there is a lack of consent.

The purpose of the current study is to examine the experiences of social workers who have worked with violence in close relationships during the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the study aims to investigate how social workers felt that their approach and discretion were affected during the pandemic's restrictions. The previous research as well as the theoretical concepts Discrection and Coping Strategy have formed the study's theoretical basis which has been used to analyze the study's results through a thematic analysis. The study has a qualitative approach with five semi-structured interviews whose respondents work on various supportorganizations that work with violence in close relationships. The results of the study showed that the social worker's experiences clarified that the organizations have followed the restrictions and designed new approaches to be able to reach victims of violence who need support and help. The social workers' personal competence and discretion were decisive factors as to whether the social workers' approach was shaped during the pandemic. The results also showed that it varied in the experiences around the pandemic's impact. The organizations had to adapt to the digitalization of social work, which in turn resulted in varying challenges in social work. / Den aktuella studiens syfte är att undersöka erfarenheter hos socialarbetare som har arbetat med våld i nära relationer under Covid-19 pandemins restriktioner. Dessutom syftar studien till att undersöka hur socialarbetare upplevde att deras tillvägagångssätt och handlingsutrymme påverkades under pandemins restriktioner. Den tidigare forskningen samt de teoretiska begreppen Handlingsutrymme och Copingstrategi har utgjort studiens teoretiska underlag som har använts för att analysera studiens resultat genom en tematisk analys. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med fem semistrukturerade intervjuer vars respondenter arbetar på olika stödverksamheter som arbetar med våld i nära relationer. Studiens resultat visade att socialarbetarens erfarenheter synliggjorde att verksamheter har tillämpat restriktionerna och utformat nya tillvägagångssätt för att kunna nå våldsutsatta personer som behöver stöd och hjälp. Socialarbetarnas personliga kompetens och handlingsutrymme var avgörande faktorer till huruvida socialarbetarnas tillvägagångssätt formades under pandemin. Resultatet visade dessutom att det varierade i upplevelserna kring pandemins påverkan. Den främsta påverkan som verksamheterna fick anpassa sig efter var digitaliseringen av det sociala arbetet som i sin tur resulterade i varierande utmaningar i det sociala arbetet.

This paper aims to investigate how needs assessors in the municipality experience their work with elderly people who experience loneliness, and what different types of support measures they can offer. In addition the paper looks into the discretion which the needs assessors use to provide the elderly people with care that is adapted to individual needs. This qualitative study has been carried out conducting semi-structured interviews with seven needs assessors from five different municipalities. The findings indicate that the work with elderly people experiencing loneliness is very much a question of interpretation. Loneliness can manifest itself in different ways and is not always easy to talk about, nor to interpret. The study also shows that individual assessments can be difficult to implement due to strict guidelines and a tight budget. However, the work towards helping-and supporting elder people and acknowledging the issue of loneliness in later life is an important matter for both older people and needs assessors.

Att arbeta som första linjens chef innebär ett komplext uppdrag där arbetsuppgifterna består av ansvar för personal, budget och arbetsmiljö. I arbetet befinner sig första linjens chefer i en mellanposition där de behöver ta hänsyn till att politiska riktlinjer följs och finnas tillgängliga för medarbetare och kunder. Syftet med studien är att undersöka första linjens chefers psykosociala arbetsmiljö i äldreomsorgen. Studien bygger på kvalitativ metod. Metoden som vi använde oss av var nio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter är Rubenowitz modell av psykosocial arbetsmiljö och Karasek och Theorell modell om krav, kontroll och stöd. Resultatets teman är första linjens chef, psykosocial arbetsmiljö, handlingsutrymme samt socialt stöd och meningsfullhet. Temat psykosocial arbetsmiljö har en underrubrik som heter covid-19. Vi har kommit fram till att studiens resultat visar på att respondenterna delar samma uppfattning om att det är viktigt med en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. / Working as a first-line manager implicates a complex mission where the tasks consist of responsibility for staff, budget and working environment. In their work, first-line managers are in an intermediate position where they need to consider that political guidelines are followed and are available to employees and customers. The purpose of the study is to investigate the psychosocial work environment of first-line managers in elderly care. The study is based on a qualitative method. The method we used was nine semi-structured interviews. The study's theoretical starting points are Rubenowitz's model of psychosocial work environment and Karasek and Theorell's model of requirements, control and support. The themes of the result are first-line manager, psychosocial work environment, margin of action and social support and meaningfulness. The theme psyhosocial work enviroment has a subheading named covid-19. We have concluded the results of the study show that the respondents share the same view; that it is important to have a good psychosocial work environment.