The European Union is now facing with the enormous enlargement processes, which comprise thirteen new countries. Different from the European Union member states, these candidate countries are suffering significant socio-economic problems and have to face with the need for adjustment of their regional policies, administrations and institutions. In this process, the EU is intervening actively into the development of the Central and Eastern European Countries&rsquo / regional policies and institutional structures. While twelve of these countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia) will be definitely the member states until the year of 2007, Turkey is not currently negotiating her membership and is highly backward status in comparison with the other candidate countries. In this context, the thesis study is composed of four main parts: 1. the changing system of the European Union regional policy, 2. the realized applications of the candidate countries in the field of regional policy after the year 1989, 3. the developments of the candidate countries&rsquo / institutional structures on regional policy, and 4. the position of Turkish regional policy and institutional structure. Basically, the thesis investigates how the European Union is following a similar system for the candidate countries in the field of regional policy and institutional structure and tries to provide significant outputs in Turkish case.

Construction and operation of cross-boundary transportation infrastructure is a challenge at the local, state, and international levels. Trends in travel patterns show increases in travel demand in both the United States and Europe resulting in greater attention to cross-boundary infrastructure and services. In the United States, this challenge has arisen most frequently in provision regional transit services and infrastructure while Europe is faced with a challenge of connecting its member-states. One question that remains unknown is whether when governments are faced with providing cross-boundary infrastructure or services, do they develop similar organizational arrangements when meeting these challenges regardless of what level of government is involved? This research asks whether governments at all levels of governance develop similar organizational solutions in the construction and operation of transport infrastructure. This question is answered through an examination of regional transit provision in seven U.S. metropolitan areas, six commuter rail systems in the United States, a series of bi-state river highway bridges in the United States, and five cross-border segments of the Trans-European Transport Network in the European Union, three similar organizational arrangements types were found to govern cross-boundary provision of transportation infrastructure and/or services. These three types, an independent entity, an intergovernmental agreement or contract, or direct financial payment, were found at all levels of governance. The research suggests that there is a relationship between the complexity of the service involved the level of financial control indicating that more complex operations such as network of services requiring day-to-day operation tend to be arranged as independent entities with various levels of public and/or private financing.

Cette thèse a pour enjeu de traiter des paradoxes étudiés en théorie du choix social.Le paradoxe d'Ostrogorski sur deux axes programmatiques a été traité, notamment sa probabilité de réalisation par l'ajout d'un critère discriminant sur les axes au moment de réaliser le choix de l'électeur : une formule de calcul exacte a été mise au point pour des valeurs de population finies afin de mesurer son occurrence pour différents effectifs, et une borne maximale émerge autours de 0,085.Parmi, les différentes anomalies étudiées en théorie du choix social affectant le fonctionnement des démocraties, le paradoxe du référendum occupe une place particulière du fait de son observation assez récurrente dans l'histoire électorale récente.L'un des enjeux de cette thèse a été de déterminer une méthode utilisable pour mesurer précisément sa probabilité d'occurrence dans des conditions précises de taille du corps électoral et de découpage.Il a été notamment recherché un moyen de comparer sa fréquence selon le nombre de circonscriptions retenu.Une formule a ainsi été déterminée pour des découpage du corps électoral en 3, 5, 7 et 9 circonscriptions de taille homogène.Un second résultat de la thèse sur le même paradoxe a été d'abolir l'hypothèse d'homogénéité parfaite des effectifs des circonscriptions pour mesurer l'effet de leur variation sur la probabilité de conflit pour un découpage en 3 circonscriptions.Des pistes ultérieures de recherche ont également explorées, en particulier la possibilité d'abolir partiellement l'hypothèse de culture neutre avec un découpage en 3 circonscriptions.Il a également été procédé à un état des lieux des types d'architecture institutionnelle, dont une classification globale en quatre catégories a été établie.Il a été tenté de déterminer leur poids dans les conflits de pouvoirs observés dans certains pays, en ayant notamment recours à des résultats obtenus grâce au paradoxe du référendum. / This thesis has aimed issues to deal with paradoxes studied in social choice theory.The Ostrogorski paradox with two programmatic axes was treated, including its achievement by adding a distinguishing criterion on the axes to realize the voter choice: an exact formula has been developed for a finite population to measure its occurrence for different numbers, and a effective maximum bound has emerged around 0.085.Among the various anomalies studied in social choice theory in the functioning of democracy, the referendum paradox holds a special place because of its fairly recurrent observation in recent electoral history.One of the stake of this thesis was to determine a suitable method to accurately measure its probability of occurrence in precise terms of size of the electorate and cutting.It was particularly sought a way to compare its frequency depending on the number of selected districts.A formula has been determined for cutting the electorate in 3, 5, 7 and 9 homogeneous size constituencies.A second result of the thesis on the same paradox was to relax the perfect homogeneity assumption on the constituencies size to measure the effect of their variation on the likelihood of conflict for a division into 3 districts.Subsequent research directions have also explored the possibility to partially abolish the assumption of impartial culture with a division into three districts.An inventory has been also conducted of the institutional architecture types.A comprehensive four-category classification was established, and we have tried to determine their weight in conflicts of powers observed in some countries,in particular using results deduced from the referendum paradox.

This study investigates the interplay between institutional structures, organizational culture, and the efficacy of employment initiatives, focusing on the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) and its implementation of subsidized employment programs known as "nystartsjobb."  Through qualitative interviews and analysis of existing literature, the study examines how external institutional pressures shape Arbetsförmedlingen's approach to addressing potential exploitation within “nystartsjobb” placements. Findings reveal a complex dynamic wherein the organization navigates formal and informal norms of the labor market while striving to maintain legitimacy and public trust.  Despite acknowledging the risk of employer exploitation, respondents note a lack of proactive measures to prevent exploitation, with interventions typically triggered by specific complaints or suspicions. Furthermore, the study highlights internal organizational attitudes, with nystartsjobb often viewed as a short-term support mechanism rather than a pathway to sustainable employment. The absence of systematic follow-up exacerbates this issue, hindering the program's ability to fulfill long-term employment goals.  Ultimately, the study underscores the significance of both institutional structures and organizational culture in shaping the implementation and outcomes of employment policies, while also prompting considerations for future research on program effectiveness and sustainability.