Global ETD Search

81	A family landscape : On the geographical distances between elderly parents and adult children in Sweden Hjälm, Anna January 2011 (has links) With a background in the ageing of the population and the new challenges facing individuals, families and the welfare state, the aim of this thesis is to analyse the changing family landscape and the geographical distances between elderly parents and adult children. The thesis consists of four empirical studies derived from three different sources of data: In the first paper (Paper I), historical population data is combined with modern register data for two Swedish regions. In the second and third papers, individual-level register data covering the entire Swedish population serves as the empirical starting point. The fourth paper leaves the registers aside and builds upon interviews. Paper I provides an introduction and historical background to the question of intergenerational geographical proximity and distance. The paper analyses intergenerational distances and seeks to compare and discuss the significance of the variations. It is shown that concerning extreme proximity a great decrease has occurred over 200 years, however when it comes to having kin within reach the decrease is less dramatic, and that now, just as then, a majority of elderly parents have an adult child within reach. The article concludes that even though geographical distances between generations vary over time and space, no clear linear trend towards intergenerational geographical separation can be established. In Paper II we analyse some features and trends in intergenerational distances in Sweden. We find that 10% of all elderly parents have at least one child living very close and that a majority, 85%, have an adult child within reach. The study shows no clear trend towards increasing intergenerational separation, but suggests that periods of intense societal restructuring, such urbanisation, can lead to spells of increased intergenerational separation on an aggregated level. Paper III investigates whether, and to what extent, elderly parents and adult children move close to each other. We find that even though the older generation makes up a smaller share of the moves made, when they do move they are more likely to move closer to an adult child. Further, having more than one relative at a destination adds to the attraction, and that older elderly are less likely to move close to a child than younger elderly. One interpretation is that young-old parents serve as a resource for their adult children, while older elderly are more influenced by the need for welfare state based assistance. The last paper, IV, returns to the elderly parents living very close to an adult child. In interviews with 14 elderly the aim of the paper is to gain new understanding about the interaction between intergenerational proximity, assistance and the meaning of being close. Some of the issues raised in the paper relate to migration histories, reciprocity and independence. / I två av delarbetena har författaren efternamnet Pettersson. Family elderly parents adult children intergenerational child-parent proximity migration distance ageing support register data Sweden Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
82	Regionbildning : En institutionell studie av Region Skåne, Västra Götalandsregionen, och "Region Svealand" Lind, Patrik January 2010 (has links) Based on the concept of path-dependence, this thesis examines regional representatives’ notion of rationalizations in three Swedish regions. In the provinces of Skåne and Västra Götaland the responsibility for welfare issues like health care, regional development, communications, and culture, is appointed to the two organizations Region Skåne and Västra Götalandsregionen. Both organizations are results of merger processes between old organizations called landsting, with a smaller geographical scale and less responsibility. In Svealand three landsting formally have applied for a similar fusion like the ones in Skåne and in Västra Götaland. The idea behind these fusions is that rationalizations in the field of welfare, are achieved by changing the scale of production, from lesser to larger units. This thesis shows that the perceived effect of rationalization by fusion, can take time. Old norms, values, and cultures that emanate from the landsting are for example conceived by the regional representatives in Västra Götaland and in Svealand, to prevent what kind of rationalizations the organizations are able to accomplish. In Skåne, on the contrary, the notion that the regional organization has overcome its historically defined problems, dominate. In that sense, Västra Götalandregionen and the region-building process in Svealand are path-dependent. But Region Skåne, on the other hand, has overcome its historical institutional legacy. This thesis highlights the importance of examining organization histories to be able to understand why certain decisions are hard to make, and why institutions evolve or not. This is also important to acknowledge when the regions’ representatives try to construct regions. From this perspective, the thesis tries to clarify how people’s expectations can delay what kind of rationalizations an organization can implement and how these expectations seem to legitimize what decisions the organization are able to take. The thesis also tries to clarify one way of using the concept of “path-dependence” in academic studies by the usage of ideal types. path-dependence region-building region institutions organizations mergers rationalizations change history ideal types legitimacy Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
83	Labour mobility and plant performance : The influence of proximity, relatedness and agglomeration Eriksson, Rikard January 2009 (has links) The purpose of this thesis is to shed new light on the theorizations discussing the economic benefits of geographical clustering in a space economy increasingly characterized by globalization processes. This is made possible through the employment of a plant-perspective and a focus on how the relative fixity and mobility of labour influence plant performance throughout the entire Swedish economy. By means of the longitudinal micro database ASTRID, connecting attributes of individuals to features of plants and localities for the whole Swedish economy, the empirical findings indicate that both localization and urbanization economies produce significant labour market externalities and that such inter-plant linkages positively affect plant performance as compared to the partial effects of relative regional specialization and diversification. Moreover, it is also demonstrated that it is necessary both to distinguish how well the external skills retrieved via labour mobility match the existing knowledge base of plants and to determine the geographical dimension of such flows to verify the relative effect of labour market-induced externalities. Finally, it is demonstrated that whereas general urbanization is beneficial within close distance to the plant, the composition of economic activities is more influential at greater distances. In such cases the geographical dimension influences whether plants benefit from being located in similar or different local settings. In conclusion, it is argued that the circulation of labour skills, created and reproduced through the place-specific industrial setup, is crucial for understanding the mechanisms creating geographical variations in plant performance as compared to other regional conditions often proxied as relative specialization or diversification. This is because the relative fixity of labour tends to create place- and sector-specific skills which by means of their mobility in space are likely to facilitate the recombination of local skills, make the acquirement of non-local skills possible and secure sufficient affinity between economic actors by strengthening other dimensions of proximity – all aspects regarded as crucial to facilitate interactive learning processes and contribute to sustained regional growth. Agglomeration economies labour mobility plant performance geographical proximity related variety clusters Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi Economic geography Ekonomisk geografi
84	On the road : Social aspects of commuting long distances to work / På väg : Sociala aspekter av långväga pendling Sandow, Erika January 2011 (has links) With its point of departure of increasing numbers of people being engaged in commuting, the aim of this thesis is to reveal prerequisites for and consequences of long-distance commuting in Sweden for the individual and his or her partner. Special attention has been given to prerequisites for long-distance commuting in sparsely populated areas, and to social consequences related to long-distance commuting in terms of gender differences in commuting patterns, earnings and separation. The thesis is based on four empirical studies, presented in different papers. Two studies draw on individual longitudinal register data on all Swedish long-distance commuters living with a partner. The other two focus on commuting behaviour in sparsely populated areas, one based on individual register data and the other on a survey. Long-distance commuting (>30 kilometres) has become an increasingly common mobility strategy among Swedish workers and their households. Results from the thesis show that 11 percent of Swedish workers are long-distance commuters and about half of them live in a relationship. Among these couples many are families with children, indicating the importance of social ties in households’ decisions on where to work and live. Most long-distance commuters are men, and it is also likely that long-distance commuters have a high education level and are employed in the private sector. For the majority, long-distance commuting gives higher earnings; however, men benefit economically more than women do. As long-distance commuting reduces available family time, the non-commuting spouse often takes on a larger share of household commitments. The thesis shows that men’s long-distance commuting may therefore serve to reproduce and reinforce traditional gender roles on the labour market and within households. On the other hand, women’s long-distance commuting can lead to more equalitarian relationships on the labour market and within households. For the majority of couples it seems as if long-distance commuting becomes more than a temporary mobility strategy, while for some couples it does not work out very well. Separation rates are found to be higher among long-distance commuters compared to other couples; especially the first years of commuting seem to be the most challenging. It is suggested that coping strategies are important to make the consequences of long-distance commuting easier to handle and adjust to in the daily life puzzle. For those unable to handle these consequences, long-distance commuting is not a sustainable mobility strategy and can even end a relationship. The extent of long-distance commuting is low in sparsely populated areas, and those who do long-distance commute are mainly men. Most people work and live within the same locality and do not accept longer commuting times than do those in densely populated areas. In this thesis it is argued that facilitating car commuting in the more sparsely populated areas of Sweden can be more economically and socially sustainable, for the individual commuters as well as for society, than encouraging commuting by public transportation. Long-distance commuting social aspects households gender differences sparsely populated areas longitudinal study register data Sweden Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
85	Urban-Rural Relations in China : A Study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region Li, Yuheng January 2011 (has links) Over three decades of rapid economic growth in China, beginning in 1978, has been accompanied by ever-enlarging urban-rural inequalities in terms of the various aspects of income, welfare, infrastructure, medical treatment, and education (amongst others). These two parts – the urban and the rural - have long been treated separately, without much consideration being given to their mutual linkages (relations). Urban and rural development can, essentially, be interpreted as the deployment of key factors (terms of trade for agricultural products, land requisition, and labor transfer), and the supply of public goods and services (infrastructure, education, insurance, and medical care). Thus, the urban-rural inequalities experienced by China at present can be understood as the consequence of the factor flows (labor, capital, goods, information, and technology, etc.) and agglomeration between these two parts. This thesis aims to investigate urban-rural relations in China in the post-reform era, and their influences on the economic, social, and environmental development in both the urban and the rural areas. The thesis consists of five papers and the cover essay. The first two papers provide a detailed picture of urban-rural relations in China, while the other papers examine the impact of urban-rural relations in terms of population mobility, arable and built land use change, and regional economic inequality in the study area. The findings of the thesis reveal that urban-rural relations in China became gradually intensified in the post-reform era, especially when the central government initiated a shift from a situation of urban bias to comprehensive support for the rural areas. However, the mutual resource flows in the study area still tend to agglomerate in the urban districts, while only reaching the rural peripheries to a limited extent. This is demonstrated in the way in which the urban districts experienced fast and large scale demographic growth and land use change, while slow and small-scale demographic and land use change took place in the peripheries. The urban-rural interface, which is situated between the urban and rural areas, evidences medium-level resource agglomeration. This thesis, through the discussion which it sets out, emphasizes the necessity of exercising both political and market forces in order to achieve balanced urban-rural resource flows in China. Another implication for policy making is to develop more sub-centers at the peri-urban or periphery, making these areas the interface for urban-rural resource linkages. / QC 20110909 Urban-rural linkages Urban bias Urban-rural interface China Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
86	Gentrifiering : teorierna som får människor att flytta / Gentrification : theories that make people move Pettersson, Lukas January 2009 (has links) Gentrifiering pågår idag ständigt i vårt samhälle. Det är en social förändringsprocess som består i att människor med hög socioekonomisk status flyttar till områden som traditionellt sett har dominerats av människor ur lägre sociala klasser och från etniska minoriteter. Den här studien undersöker teorier och bakomliggande faktorer till varför människor väljer att gentrifiera och vilka likheter det finns mellan dem som väljer att gentrifiera. Genom en litteraturstudie visar pekar undersökningen på tidigare forskning och för en diskussion om ämnet. Resultat av den här studien visar att anledningarna till varför människor gentrifierar idag ser väldigt olika ut, man har alltså inte kommit fram till vad den gemensamma nämnaren som får gentrifierarare att gentrifiera är. Vad man har ringat in är vad som sker, vilka det drabbar och vilka som har bra förutsättningar att bli gentrifierare. Studien visar också att man måste sätta in gentrifiering i ett större samhällsperpektiv i vidare forskning för att finna nya svar och att inte bara studera den gentrifierande sidan, de som flyttar in i dessa områden. / Gentrification is something that is constantly going on in our society. It is a social change that consists of people with high socioeconomic status that are moving to areas which traditionally have been dominated by people from lower social classes and ethnic minorities. This is a study which examines theories and underlying factors of why people choose to gentrify and what similarities exist between them. Through a literature study I examine previous research and I undertake a discussion of the topic. The results of this study show that the reasons why people gentrify today are very different, they have not figured out what the common denominator is which make gentrifiers gentrify. What it has identified is what happens, what it affects and which individuals has good potential to become gentrifiers. The study also shows the need to deploy gentrification in a broader societal point of view in further research to find new answers and to think not only of the gentrifiers, those who move into these areas. gentrification cultural capital rent gap value gap gentrifiering kulturellt kapital rent gap value gap Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
87	Volatility, integration and grain banks : studies in harvests, rye prices and institutional development of the parish magasins in Sweden in the 18th and 19th centuries Berg, Bengt Åke January 2007 (has links) This study is the first to focus primarily on the Swedish parish magasins, the country’s most widespread credit institution in the last half of the 18th, and the first part of the 19th, century. During the Early Modern Period, grain price volatility was a matter of great concern. The parish magasins were conceived as a substitute for government action intended to stabilize grain prices and offer relief in case of crop failure. The thesis analyzes the problems of harvest variability and grain price fluctuations utilizing both theory and empirical evidence. It is concluded that market integration, especially by permitting imports, was more effective than inter-harvest storage in reducing the likelihood of high prices. Initially the peasants were sceptical of the new institution. Although the establishment of the magasins was strictly speaking voluntary, substantial hierarchical pressure was applied. Once they had come into existence, however, the magasins evolved into a type of grain bank. The parishioners found them useful as a source of communal revenue at a time of rising need for local public expenditure for education and poor relief. In addition, the failure of the grain market to meet the needs of the peasantry created a demand for loans in kind. Although by no means ideal, in the absence of any superior institutions, the magasins provided valuable services. When improvements in both municipal finance and the functioning of the grain markets occurred in the second half of the 19th century, the magasins became obsolete. Both history and geography impact the formation of institutions. This study describes one such case of institutional development and attempts to explain why the outcome deviated from the original intention. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, 2007</p> Agricultural credit Harvest fluctuations In kind loans Price integration Storage Storehouses Sockenmagasin ekonomiska aspekter historia 1700-talet 1800-talet Sverige Kreditväsen historia 1700-talet 1800-talet Sverige Business and economics Ekonomi Economic history Ekonomisk historia Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
88	Framtidens vinnare och förlorare i Östra Götaland? : Infrastruktur och tätortsutveckling i Östergötlands, Jönköpings och Kalmar län 2010-2020 / Winners and losers of the future in Eastern Götaland : Infrastructure and urban development in the County of Östergötland, Jönköping and Kalmar 2010-2020 Runnsjö, Joakim January 2010 (has links) <p> Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera möjlig utveckling av kommunerna och tätorterna i Jönköpings, Kalmar och Östergötlands län fram till 2020, med utblickar mot framtiden. Bakgrunden till uppsatsen är de diskussioner som förs i Sverige kring nya regionkommuner, där sammanslagningar av befintliga län ska ske. I denna process är Östra Götland ett förslag för de tre länen och därför är det av intresse att studera hur dessa kan utvecklas i framtiden.</p><p>För denna analys har tidsgeografiska utgångspunkter kombinerats med Christallers centralortsteori för att skapa ett tredimensionellt tillgänglighetslandskap. Detta har sedan legat som en viktig förklaringsgrund för hur tätorter utvecklas. Resultatet av uppsatsen visar att de som lyckats locka till sig nya invånare kan delas upp i huvudsak i tre grupper;<strong> </strong>pendelorter med goda kommunikationer till andra orter, förorter med kort avstånd till regioncentra eller residensstäder (undantaget Östergötland där både Linköping och Norrköping är tillväxtorter). För de orter som inte lyckats utmärks dessa av att de ofta saknar goda kommunikationer och/eller befinner sig i en näringsomvandling, från dominerande basindustri till ett mer tjänstebaserat näringsliv. Framtidens vinnare blir troligen samma som idag och för den studerade regionen får Jönköping anses vara den största vinnaren, även om de andra länscentrana, Kalmar och Linköpipng/Norrköping, också är vinnare. Vissa frågetecken kring hur Norrköping klarar konkurrensen med Jönköping finns, på samma sätt som mellan Kalmar och Växjö, då en stark tillväxt i en ort kan få andra orter att stå tillbaka.</p> / <p> The purpose of the paper is to study the possible development of municipalities and urban areas in the county of Jönköping, Kalmar and Östergötland to 2020, with glimpses into the future. The background to the paper are discussions taking place in Sweden on a new regional division, where a merge of existing counties are about to happen. In this process is the forming of Eastern Götaland a proposal for the three counties and it is therefore of interest to study how these may evolve in the future.</p><p>For this analysis, time-geographical bases combined with Christaller central place theory are used to create a three-dimensional landscape of accessibility. This has then been used as an starting point in the discussions about how urban areas evolve. The results of the paper shows that those who succeeded in attracting new residents can be divided mainly into three groups; commuter towns with good transport links to other places, suburbs whit short distances to a regional center or provincial capitals (except in Östergötland, where both Linköping and Norrköping are growth centers). For those which have not been able to this has often a lack of good communications and/or are in a business transformation, from primary industry to a more service-based economy. Tomorrow's winner will likely be the same as today, and in the studied region Jönköping may be considered as the biggest winner, though the other county towns, Kalmar and Linköping/Norrköping, also are winners. There are some uncertainties about how Norrköping stands in the competition with Jönköping, just as between Kalmar and Växjö,. A strong growth in one urban area may cause that the growth in other areas are reduced.</p> Infrastructure regional development urban development regional expansion attractiveness accessibility landscape of accessibility time-geography central place theori Kalmar County Östergötland County Jönköping County Eastern Götland Infrastruktur regional utveckling tätortsutveckling regionförstoring attraktivitet tillgänglighet tillgänglighetslandskap tidsgeografi centralortsteori Kalmar län Östergötlands län Jönköpings län Östra Götaland Human geography Kulturgeografi Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
89	Framtidens vinnare och förlorare i Östra Götaland? : Infrastruktur och tätortsutveckling i Östergötlands, Jönköpings och Kalmar län 2010-2020 / Winners and losers of the future in Eastern Götaland : Infrastructure and urban development in the County of Östergötland, Jönköping and Kalmar 2010-2020 Runnsjö, Joakim January 2010 (has links) Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera möjlig utveckling av kommunerna och tätorterna i Jönköpings, Kalmar och Östergötlands län fram till 2020, med utblickar mot framtiden. Bakgrunden till uppsatsen är de diskussioner som förs i Sverige kring nya regionkommuner, där sammanslagningar av befintliga län ska ske. I denna process är Östra Götland ett förslag för de tre länen och därför är det av intresse att studera hur dessa kan utvecklas i framtiden. För denna analys har tidsgeografiska utgångspunkter kombinerats med Christallers centralortsteori för att skapa ett tredimensionellt tillgänglighetslandskap. Detta har sedan legat som en viktig förklaringsgrund för hur tätorter utvecklas. Resultatet av uppsatsen visar att de som lyckats locka till sig nya invånare kan delas upp i huvudsak i tre grupper; pendelorter med goda kommunikationer till andra orter, förorter med kort avstånd till regioncentra eller residensstäder (undantaget Östergötland där både Linköping och Norrköping är tillväxtorter). För de orter som inte lyckats utmärks dessa av att de ofta saknar goda kommunikationer och/eller befinner sig i en näringsomvandling, från dominerande basindustri till ett mer tjänstebaserat näringsliv. Framtidens vinnare blir troligen samma som idag och för den studerade regionen får Jönköping anses vara den största vinnaren, även om de andra länscentrana, Kalmar och Linköpipng/Norrköping, också är vinnare. Vissa frågetecken kring hur Norrköping klarar konkurrensen med Jönköping finns, på samma sätt som mellan Kalmar och Växjö, då en stark tillväxt i en ort kan få andra orter att stå tillbaka. / The purpose of the paper is to study the possible development of municipalities and urban areas in the county of Jönköping, Kalmar and Östergötland to 2020, with glimpses into the future. The background to the paper are discussions taking place in Sweden on a new regional division, where a merge of existing counties are about to happen. In this process is the forming of Eastern Götaland a proposal for the three counties and it is therefore of interest to study how these may evolve in the future. For this analysis, time-geographical bases combined with Christaller central place theory are used to create a three-dimensional landscape of accessibility. This has then been used as an starting point in the discussions about how urban areas evolve. The results of the paper shows that those who succeeded in attracting new residents can be divided mainly into three groups; commuter towns with good transport links to other places, suburbs whit short distances to a regional center or provincial capitals (except in Östergötland, where both Linköping and Norrköping are growth centers). For those which have not been able to this has often a lack of good communications and/or are in a business transformation, from primary industry to a more service-based economy. Tomorrow's winner will likely be the same as today, and in the studied region Jönköping may be considered as the biggest winner, though the other county towns, Kalmar and Linköping/Norrköping, also are winners. There are some uncertainties about how Norrköping stands in the competition with Jönköping, just as between Kalmar and Växjö,. A strong growth in one urban area may cause that the growth in other areas are reduced. Infrastructure regional development urban development regional expansion attractiveness accessibility landscape of accessibility time-geography central place theori Kalmar County Östergötland County Jönköping County Eastern Götland Infrastruktur regional utveckling tätortsutveckling regionförstoring attraktivitet tillgänglighet tillgänglighetslandskap tidsgeografi centralortsteori Kalmar län Östergötlands län Jönköpings län Östra Götaland Human geography Kulturgeografi Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi
90	Working Together : Exploring Relational Tensions in Swedish Academia Fridholm, Tobias January 2010 (has links) This study explores the basic social conditions for high-quality university research, and focuses on research in science and technology in Sweden. Swedish research policy has adopted more of a market perspective on academic research and its role in society. This has meant the promotion of competition between researchers, increased focus on efficiency at universities, and attempts to make academia harmonize more with industry and other actors. How do such policies affect the variety of perspectives within the academic system? How do they affect the positions and identities of individual academics? These issues are discussed through the concept of "relational tensions". Relational tensions refer to social strains arising when interacting actors have different perspectives. Relational tensions can stimulate creativity, but may also cause unproductive conflicts. The discussion is underpinned by interviews with university researchers and a case study of Uppsala BIO-X, a program to commercialize university research in biotechnology. Typical cases of relational tensions are identified. These concern both interpersonal relations and differences between organized science and industry. A notable observation concerns potential frustration of individual academics, as competition and efficiency tends to make their positions and identities more contested. Researchers cope with relational tensions in three identified ways: socialization, seclusion, and lateral authority. Socialization is natural and often necessary, but reduces the variety of perspectives. Seclusion serves to retain variety and independence, but reduces interaction with others. Lateral authority is to formally or informally lend a researcher more authority, which improves the chance of maintaining a variety of perspectives without reducing interaction. The sustained usefulness of academic research arguably depends on its ability to foster and communicate a variety of perspectives. Hence, (i) promoting lateral authority seems fruitful within academia and in relations between academia and industry, and (ii) encouraging competition and efficiency may to some extent be counterproductive. / Research Excellence and Science-Based Industrial Systems Economic geography Relational tensions Academic research Academic entrepreneurship Research commercialization Creativity Creative milieus Innovation Innovation systems Trust Authority Research policy Triple helix Biotechnology Swedish research Universities Expertise Professionalism Professions Research collaboration Collaborations Research funding Ekonomisk geografi Relationella spänningar Akademisk forskning Akademiskt entreprenörskap Forskningskommersialisering Kreativitet Kreativa miljöer Innovation Innovationssystem Tillit Auktoritet Forskningspolitik Trippel helix Bioteknik Svensk forskning Universitet Expertis Professioner Professionalism Samverkan Tredje uppgiften Forskningsfinansiering Human geography, economic geography Kulturgeografi, ekonomisk geografi

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