The purpose of this master thesis is to study and compare conservative, fascist and nationalist youth movements active in Sweden during the 1930s and 40s. The political youth movements at the centre of this study are the Young Swedes (Ungsvenskarna), Swedish Rural Youth League (Svenska Landsbygdens Ungdomsförbund), Nordic Youth (Nordisk Ungdom) and National Youth League of Sweden/National League of Sweden (Sveriges nationella ungdomsförbund/Sveriges nationella förbund). During the early 1900s, youth was often described as both the reviver of society and the future of the nation. Regardless of different ideological and political alignments, the youth movements were all invested in shaping and educating young people to prepare them for the future. In this study, the focal point has been the question why these youth movements wanted the role as educators of young people, as well as what was expected of the young after this education. The main task of the political youth movements seems to have been to give young people ideals to fight for through physical and spiritual education. Through this education the young would realize what was expected of them and finally transform into an ideal youth that could inherit the responsibility as caretakers of the nation as well as the future. The view on the ideal youth varied between the studied youth movements. The Young Swedes wanted to create a conservative youth, actively engaged with the main political party of the movement, the Right (Högern). The ideal youth of the Swedish Rural Youth League were aware of their responsibilities towards the rights of the rural areas and agriculture. The ideal youth of Nordic Youth and National Youth League would have very similar personalities and would be ready to fight and sacrifice for the future rebirth of the nation into similar, yet different, fascistic utopias.

Since the financial crisis infrastructure has become an increasingly attractive asset class for investors, especially among financial institutions, who recognize the value of diversification opportunities within infrastructure. In parallel with the emergence of infrastructure as an investable asset class, the global financial turbulence has generated even greater incentives for investors to diversify their portfolios with infrastructure, as the asset class exhibits characteristics to navigate in a more challenging economic environment. A growing trend are real estate companies entering the infrastructure market for the first time, strategically seeking to balance their real estate portfolio with other real assets and capitalize on global trends such as the energy transition and digital progress. This approach allows real estate companies to achieve portfolio diversification while potentially generating greater financial returns, depending on the investment strategy and type of infrastructure asset. The global privatization of infrastructure has also been reflected in the Nordic market, with the public sector showing more reliance on private capital inflows for initiatives such as infrastructure renovation and transition toward sustainable energy. As the market has grown, the concept of infrastructure has also transitioned from a traditional notion of including railways, roads and bridges, subsidized by the public sector, to incorporate several different sectors backed by private financiers. Consequently, the study seeks to establish an appropriate definition of infrastructure from a Nordic perspective, serving as a foundation to identify opportunities and barriers for Nordic real estate actors seeking to diversify their portfolios into the infrastructure sector. As part of the study, the strategies of Nordic institutional infrastructure investors are analyzed, as well as prevailing trends and prospects for the Nordic infrastructure market. In order to obtain the results, a qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted, involving eight actors with different backgrounds, active in the Nordic infrastructure market. The results showed that Nordic actors have divided opinions of what should be included in the definition of infrastructure. The conclusion is that the definition of infrastructure is dynamic, with capital-intensive infrastructure investors characterizing different asset classes depending on where the capital is allocated. In addition, there is currently an incentive for a real estate actor to involve infrastructure in the portfolio to strengthen the company's sustainability profile through green renewable energy and to benefit from real estate expertise in grey areas consisting of infrastructure assets with property-like attributes. Through the act of diversifying a portfolio, real estate actors have the potential to benefit from tomorrow's infrastructure market, which will consist of more private actors, and provide enhanced risk diversification as new technology is constantly being integrated in the Nordic region. One avenue for future research would involve examining quantitative transaction data to gain a comprehensive understanding into the dynamics and patterns associate with different investment approaches and risk appetites. / Sedan finanskrisen 2008 har infrastruktur blivit en alltmer intressant tillgång för investerare och främst tunga institutioner som ser värdet med de ekonomiska diversifieringsmöjligheterna infrastruktur kan erbjuda. Parallellt med att infrastruktur växer fram som ett attraktivt tillgångsslag, har den ekonomiska turbulensen runtom i världen skapat ännu större incitament för investerare att söka sig till infrastruktur, då klassen visar på karaktärsdrag som kan hantera ett oroligare ekonomiskt klimat. Här ser man bland annat fastighetsbolag som för första gången tar klivet in i infrastrukturmarknaden i syfte att balansera sin fastighetsportfölj med andra reala tillgångar och dra nytta av globala trender inom tillexempel energiomställningen samt det digitala framsteget. Strategin tillåter fastighetsbolag att både diversifiera sina portföljer och kan potentiellt leda till större ekonomiska vinningar beroende på investeringsstrategi och typ av infrastruktur. Den globala privatiseringen av infrastruktur har även återspeglats i den nordiska marknaden, då det offentliga i större grad blivit beroende av privata inströmningar av kapital när infrastrukturen ska renoveras och samhället genomgå en energiomställning. I takt med att infrastrukturmarknaden har utvecklats, har även begreppet gått från en traditionell uppfattning av att innehålla järnvägar, vägar och broar, subventionerat av det offentliga, till att omfatta flera sektorer påbackade av privata finansiärer. Studien syftar således till att identifiera en lämplig definition av infrastruktur från ett nordiskt perspektiv för att kunna kartlägga möjligheter och barriärer för nordiska fastighetsaktörer att diversifiera sina portföljer mot infrastruktur. Som en del av studien undersöks därmed nordiska institutionella infrastrukturinvesterares strategier samt trender och framtidsutsikter för den nordiska infrastrukturmarknaden. För att nå fram till resultatet har en kvalitativ semi-strukturerad intervjustudie genomförts omfattandes av åtta aktörer med olika bakgrunder involverade inom infrastruktursegmentet i Norden, varpå den empiriska studien jämförts med en litteraturgenomgång av ämnet. Resultatet visar bland annat på att nordiska aktörer har delade uppfattningar om vad som ska ingå i definitionen av infrastruktur. Slutsatsen är att definitionen av infrastruktur är dynamisk där kapitalintensiva infrastrukturinvesterare sätter prägel på olika tillgångsslag beroende på var kapitalet allokeras. Därutöver finns det idag incitament för en fastighetsaktör att involvera infrastruktur i sin portfölj för att bland annat stärka bolagets hållbarhetsprofil genom grön energi samt kunna dra nytta av fastighetsexpertisen inom gråzoner som utgörs av infrastrukturtillgångar med fastighetsliknande attribut. Genom att diversifiera sig kan en fastighetsaktör dra nytta av morgondagens infrastrukturmarknad som kommer utgöras av flera privata aktörer och erbjuda en större riskspridning när ny teknologi ständigt tillkommer Norden. En möjlighet för framtida forskning är att undersöka och analysera kvantitativa transaktionsunderlag för att skapa en djupare förståelse i dynamiken förknippad med investeringsstrategier och riskbenägenhet.

This bachelor thesis covers the subject of the impressionist painter Nils Kreuger and aselective five works of art he produced during the industrialization. The aim of the study is toexamine how Kreuger expressed his oppositional position to the industrialization through therepresentation of horses and their relation to the landscapes in which they are depicted. Withthe use of the viewer's reflective perception the study takes interest in aesthetic dimensionsand meanings and if or how they can mediate the concept of freedom in visual arts. And if so,how is it expressed in the works of Kreuger? The result shows that there is reason to believehis paintings express and mediate the concept of freedom through the analysis of hisaesthetics and the intrinsic meaning in his work.

This thesis is about covers of books and DVD movies. I have tried to find out if the visual communication of the covers differs between the book and movie with the same story. Do they appeal to different target groups? I have also been trying to find out what designers can do to increase the visibility of covers among others. Are there certain rules to follow for making a cover visible? To reach a conclusion I have been studying components in advertising pictures, since covers work as a kind of advertiser for the product. I have also been studying visual communication and how designers use advertising pictures to communicate with the observer. Semiotics, advertising and comparisons between the covers have been my method for analyze. I have come to the colclusion that covers of books and DVD movies do communicate in different ways and partly to different target groups. There are certain rules to follow if you want to increase the visibility of a picture among others. The results indicate that the book covers have an older target group than the DVD covers.

Diaconia research in the Nordic countries 2015-2019 This master thesis is a systematic literature review of the field of diaconal research in the Nordic countries during the period 2015 - 2019. I have conducted a Mixed Methods Research Synthesis on 134 selected titles, corresponding to the search protocol. Diaconia is sometimes defined as the social work or social care performed by the Christian church, but as my report shows, the concept of Diaconia can be defined in several ways, from narrow to wide delimitations. As a research field, Diaconia research is not clearly defined. One of the findings of my study is that Diaconia research draws from and contributes to ecclesiology, sociology and psychology of religion, systematic theology, church history and patristic studies. The main Nordic research site for diaconal studies is VID Specialized University in Norway. Other major contributors to the field are Uppsala University (CRS), Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University, University of Eastern Finland and MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. My report shows recent developments in the theology of Diaconia, and makes visible differences and similarities in the understanding of the Deacon’s office in the Nordic majority churches. Deacons in Finland, Norway and Sweden struggle with similar challenges of mandate and responsibilities, which is shown by comparison between several referenced studies. These challenges appear to be connected to gender, a low over all appreciation of social care in society and church alike, and not the least, outdated theological interpretations of the Deacon’s office as humble or lowly service. Contributions from an international research project at University of Eastern Finland are aiming to correct some of these misunderstandings by retranslating texts from the patristic era. All in all, the referenced studies show, that diaconal works in the Nordic countries are making important contributions to society, expanding beyond the concept of care, engaging in theological development, social innovation, social mobilisation and interreligious cooperation. My study makes a theoretical contribution by adapting the concentric model for Diakonia developed by Erik Blennberger (1946 – 2018), based on this empirical finding.

There is an increasing demand for the private sector to include corporate social responsibility in their business and everyday work. This thesis has studied the corporate responsibility of firms in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), compared with firms in 18 other OECD countries. The results are then analysed by referring to the institutional framework that firms operate in; national and international institutions. In particular, the thesis aims at examining whether there is a distinctive Nordic approach towards CSR. The Nordic countries are argued to operate in a specific national business system, influenced by the welfare state model which also impact firms’ approach towards CSR. Furthermore, the role of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) is emphasized. National institutions are, due to increased globalization and awareness of global governance gaps, increasingly challenged by international institutions. To address this issue variables are collected from the MSI UN Global Compact (UNGC) Implementation Survey from 2017, the main variable being overall CSR actions the companies take, and more specifically with regard to human rights (HR), labour rights (LR), environment (EN) and anti-corruption (AC). A simple OLS with robust standard errors was performed to define the relationship between the variables. The result show both similarities and differences between the Nordic and OECD companies, but also differences to a larger extent than expected between the Nordic countries. The main contribution of this study is thus to highlight factors that influences companies’ CSR, with possible implications for policy makers as well as managers on a national and international level. Further research should elaborate and expand the CSR actions and compare on a cross-country level instead of a Nordic and OECD level and include companies in other MSIs. / Det finns ett ökat krav på den privata sektorn att inkludera CSR (corporate social responsibility = företags samhällsansvar) i deras verksamhet och dagliga arbete. Detta arbete har studerat de nordiska ländernas (Danmark, Finland, Norge och Sverige) företags hållbarhetsarbete och jämfört med företag i 18 OECD länder. Resultatet är sedan analyserat genom att referera till vilka institutionella ramverk som företag verkar inom; nationella och internationella institutioner. Framförallt, detta arbete har studerat om det finns ett distinkt nordiskt förhållningssätt till CSR. De nordiska länderna är omtalade av att verka i en speciell nationell struktur (national business system), påverkad av välfärdsmodellen och som i sin tur påverkar förtagens förhållningssätt till CSR. Följande, vilken roll multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) har är diskuterat. De nationella institutionerna är i dagenens kontext, med ökad globalisering och medvetenhet om globala problem som kräver globala lösningar, konfronterade med internationella institutioner. För att undersöka detta hämtades variablerna från MSI UN Global Compact (UNGC) Implementation Survey 2017 och huvudvariabeln är CSR aktiviteter inom hela CSR arbetet, men framförallt inom mänskliga rättigheter (human rights, HR), arbetsrättigheter (labour rights, LR), miljö (environment, EN) och anti-korruption (anti-corruption, AC). En vanlig OLS med robust standard errors användes för att bestämma sambandet mellan variablerna. Resultatet visar både likheter och skillnader mellan de nordiska och OECD länderna, men däremot visar resultatet mer skillnader mellan de nordiska länderna än förväntat. Det viktigaste bidraget med denna studie är att uppmärksamma de faktorer som påverkar företagets CSR, med vidare rekommendationer till beslutsfattare och managers på en nationell och internationell nivå. Fortsatta studier kan utveckla CSR aktiviteterna, jämföra på en nationell nivå istället för på en nordiska och OECD nivå, samt inkludera företag från andra MSIs.

Denna uppsats syftar till att förklara samband mellan insynsägande och svenska börsnoterade företags finansiella prestation. Insynsägande definieras i uppsatsen som andelen ägande innehavd av styrelse och företagsledning. Finansiell prestation operationaliseras i uppsatsen som Tobin’s Q och ROIC. Syftet uppnås genom en kvantitativ analys av sekundärdata inhämtad från Holdings och Börsdata för perioden 2017-2022. Resultatet framställs genom korrelationer, deskriptiv statistik och regressionsanalyser. Utfallet kan inte styrka att insynsägande har någon signifikant effekt på finansiell prestation. Det kan med anledning av resultatet inte bevisas att svenska börsnoterade företags finansiella prestationer påverkas av insynsägandets omfattning. Då studien är genomförd på ett stort urval bör utfallet ligga nära hela populationen, vilket innebär samtliga bolag noterade på Large- och Mid cap. Den bristande effekt insynsägande har på finansiell prestation förklaras främst av stewardship-teorin och av de särdrag som definierar nordisk bolagsstyrningskultur. Studien har kunnat bidra till att fylla kunskapsluckan kopplat till insynsägande i Norden. / This essay aims to explain the relationship between insider ownership and the financial performance of listed Swedish companies. Insider ownership is in this essay defined as the share of ownership held by the board and the company's management. Financial performance is operationalized in this essay using Tobin's Q and ROIC. The purpose is achieved through a quantitative analysis of secondary data obtained from Holdings and Börsdata for the period 2017-2022. The results are obtained through correlations, descriptive statistics, and regression analyses. The findings do not provide evidence that insider ownership has any significant effect on financial performance. Consequently, it cannot be proven that the financial performance of listed Swedish companies is affected by the extent of insider ownership. As the study is conducted on a large sample, the outcome should be close to the entire population, which includes all companies listed on the Large- and Mid cap. The lack of impact insider ownership has on financial performance is primarily explained by the stewardship theory and by the characteristics that define the Nordic corporate governance culture. The study has been able to contribute to filling the knowledge gap linked to insider ownership in the Nordic region.

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the artistry of the Swedish artist Gerda Wallander (1860–1926). Wallander’s artistry has until recently been overlooked in Swedish art history, it is therefore uncharted territory. Provincialism is used as the overall theoretical framework in this study. By applying provincialism as the overall theoretical framework, the study distinguishes between international, national, and personal characteristics in Wallander’s aesthetics. In order to rediscover her artistry, the following study analyzes her biography, exhibitions, works of art, as well as the media coverage of Wallander’s artistry. The applied method is based on network analysis inspired by Pierre Bourdieu, biographical method, picture analysis inspired by Jan-Gunnar Sjölin, and close reading. The study demonstrates that Wallander’s artistic career is divided in two different periods, 1883–1895 and 1909–1919. Wallander’s aesthetics is characterized as moderate progressive in both of these periods, as the study suggests that this artistic sensibility enables her to gain recognition as a professional artist within the Swedish art scene. In addition, Wallander specializes in cityscape-painting depicting Stockholm during the early 20th century in her second artistic period. This illustrates the provincial aspects of Wallander’s artistry, as she implements both international and national artistic influences into her art. Furthermore, this study suggests that Gerda Wallander’s way of depicting pre-modern Stockholm is her way of dealing with the new urban experience, which is an effect of the rapid transformation of the Swedish capital in the beginning of the 20th century. The study exposes the lack of knowledge of this field, namely the depiction of Stockholm in early Swedish 20th century art within the Swedish art history discipline.

People who are racialized in Sweden as ‘Asian’—a panethnic category—come from different countries or ethnic backgrounds and yet, often face similar, gender-specific forms of discrimination which have a significant impact on their whole lives. This thesis centres women who are racialized as 'Asian', focusing on how their racialization affects, and is shaped by, their social, professional and intimate relationships, and their interactions with others—in particular, with white majority Swedes, but also other ethnic minorities. Against a broader context encompassing discourses concerning ‘Asians’ within Swedish media, art and culture, Swedish ‘non-racist’ exceptionalism and gender equality politics, the narratives of nine women are analysed through the lenses of the racializing processes of visuality and coercive mimeticism, and epistemic injustice.