<p>Abstract</p><p>Why do Political Parties emerge? – A Study of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland"</p><p>Political Science, Johan Utter</p><p>The political parties have important roles to play in contemporary society. They act as bearers of power and presents the voters with finished packages of ideas on how society should grow, develop and change. Political parties are essential to the survival and wellbeing of representative democracy. Many theories have been developed over the years concerning matters related to political parties, but one area of research remains largely unexplored, namely the topic on why political parties do emerge in the first place. Why do some individuals become creators of political parties?</p><p>Since this is a weak theoretical field an attempt will be made to contibute to the understanding concerning what makes new political parties emerge. This is done by relating previous contributors theories to the results obtained from a case study undertaken on the emergence of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland", a political party risen from a protest-movement concerning the preservation of the local hospital in Kristinehamn. By testing this case against earlier research a foundation will be created and from which new ideas about political parties can be generated.</p><p>By interviewing the creator of the political party "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland" an attempt is made to reveal the incentives which led to the party formation. These results are then compared to the causal mechanisms proposed by earlier research. The purpose is to analyze if theories from earlier research is able to explain the emergence of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland".</p><p>The results show that party formations are cryptic political phenomena, which needs larger and more developed theoretical constructions before the question "Why do political parties emerge?" can be properly answered.</p><p><strong><p> </p></strong></p>

Abstract "Citizen Influence, Forms and Effects - A study of the Resistance Concerning the Establishment of a Juvenile Detention Center in Kristinehamn 2005-2007" Political Science, Johan Utter   This essay circles around the concepts of citizenship and the questions if and how citizens in the modern democracy can influence and effect the political decisions made by the governing body on the local level. This is done by the means of a case-study concerning the establishment of an institutional facility for convicted youths in Kristinehamn. The planning of this facility and especially its planned location in Sunneberg aroused a significant negative response from the citizens, demanding a better alternative for the location. The proposition resulted in heavy protests from the citizens as the planned location was viewed as an important recreation area, where the citizens could experience nature first hand, close to the centre of town. As a result, some citizens living close to the planned location, formed a network called "Bevara Sunneberg", whose purpose was to influence the decision-makers and make the citizen’s voices heard. Also of interest are the classification of the resistance, by using already established theoretical models concerning interest groups, social movements and the concept of NIMBY-groups. The results show that the citizen led by the group "Bevara Sunneberg" in fact managed to influence the decision-makers by adopting a wide variety of strategies, both by conventional and unconventional means. As the case haven’t yet been decided, the full extent of the resistance’s efforts are yet to be seen. Whether or not the planned establishment will be build, the fact remains that the resistance managed to effect the outcome of the case. The network "Bevara Sunneberg" showed similarities to the concept of NIMBY-groups, but evolved into a form of hybrid, positioning itself somewhere between the theoretical positions of social movements and interest groups. As a conclusion I would like to state that citizen influence is possible in the local political context, though the extent of the influence can not be proved by this essay.   Key Words : Citizen Influence, NIMBY-group, Political Participation, Kristinehamn, Juvenile Detention Center, Interest Group

Abstract Why do Political Parties emerge? – A Study of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland" Political Science, Johan Utter The political parties have important roles to play in contemporary society. They act as bearers of power and presents the voters with finished packages of ideas on how society should grow, develop and change. Political parties are essential to the survival and wellbeing of representative democracy. Many theories have been developed over the years concerning matters related to political parties, but one area of research remains largely unexplored, namely the topic on why political parties do emerge in the first place. Why do some individuals become creators of political parties? Since this is a weak theoretical field an attempt will be made to contibute to the understanding concerning what makes new political parties emerge. This is done by relating previous contributors theories to the results obtained from a case study undertaken on the emergence of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland", a political party risen from a protest-movement concerning the preservation of the local hospital in Kristinehamn. By testing this case against earlier research a foundation will be created and from which new ideas about political parties can be generated. By interviewing the creator of the political party "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland" an attempt is made to reveal the incentives which led to the party formation. These results are then compared to the causal mechanisms proposed by earlier research. The purpose is to analyze if theories from earlier research is able to explain the emergence of "Sjukvårdspartiet i Värmland". The results show that party formations are cryptic political phenomena, which needs larger and more developed theoretical constructions before the question "Why do political parties emerge?" can be properly answered.