abstract: This research examines the experiences and perceptions of immigrant and refugee women social entrepreneurs located within a context of economic instability, as well as the strategies that they develop to cope with such crises and volatility. To conduct this research I used a mixed-method, qualitative approach to data collection, including semi-structured, open-ended interviews and a focus group. I used feminist theory and a grounded theory approach to inform the design of my study; as such I acknowledge the participants as knowledge producers and allow for them to add in questions to the interviews and focus group and to comment on drafts of the written portion of the dissertation. The findings have indicated that these women are surviving the economic crisis by combining different income streams, including social entrepreneurship, traditional jobs and state and non-profit-aid. Moreover, the participants have found that besides monetary value, social entrepreneurship also provides alternative benefits such as personal sovereignty in their work environment, work-life balance and well-being. Also, personal history, and family and community embeddedness contribute to women's decisions to pursue social entrepreneurship. This research contributes to the growing body of research on gender and work and fills the gaps in literature currently existing in social entrepreneurship. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Justice Studies 2015

Legalization of Abortion in Argentina: A Path-Dependency Reading of the Influence of the Catholic Church and the Contrast with the Uruguayan Experience Alexa Elleny Quiles Hernández Abstract Argentina's abortion laws only allow women to access a lawful procedure in cases of rape and health or life threat, and this has been driving women who do not wish to continue a pregnancy into criminal considerations and, in many cases, dangerous and unhygienic environments. The aim of this work is to delineate part of the historical path that has forged the strong relations between the Argentinean State and the Catholic Church since the colonial period and the influence this has had on restrictive abortion rights for women today despite the growing number of demands to legalize voluntary termination. To highlight this influence, this study contrasts the Argentinean experience with that of neighboring Uruguay, a country that successfully legalized abortion in 2012 and which drew an effective division between the Church and the State at an early stage, furnishing a more autonomous environment for the government to respond to citizens' needs. For this, this work takes on Paul Pierson's approach to increasing returns and path- dependency theory and researches and analyzes events, dynamics and factors that have paved...

The world’s demand for energy has steadily increased in recent years, driven by economic and population growth, coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, using fossil fuels to meet the energy demand has led to various environmental and social problems, including air pollution, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts. As a result, there has been a growing interest in shifting from fossil energy to green energy sources, which offer a cleaner, and often more cost-effective alternative. This essay will explore the opportunities and challenges of transitioning from fossil energy to renewable energy, with a focus on the economic, environmental, and social implications of this shift, throughout the current state of renewable energy technologies and their potential for widespread adoption, as well as the political and regulatory frameworks that facilitate or hinder this transition. The essay also provides an empirical literature overview of the costs and benefits of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including the impact on the environment and employment. I argue that while the transition to renewable energy will not be easy, it is necessary to ensure a sustainable future for our planet and future generations

Sverige har historiskt sett haft en god tillgång till sötvatten. Under de senaste åren har dock problematiken kring torka och vattenbrist ökat och periodvis blivit ett problem i vissa regioner. Torka och vattenbrist förväntas bli mer förekommande till följd av klimatförändringar, vilket i bland annat Skåne blir problematiskt eftersom tillgången till sötvatten redan är begränsad. Problematiken ökar i kombination med att det finns ett stort vattenbehov, eftersom det är en folktät region med mycket verksamheter och jordbruk. Som följd har intresset för alternativa vattenkällor ökat, såsom återvinning av avloppsvatten. Syftet med studien var att undersöka utvecklingen av vattenåtervinning i Skåne. Mer specifikt ämnade studien att ta reda på vad skånska aktörer som initierat och påbörjat projekt kring återvinning av vatten stött på för hinder och drivkrafter. Ett kriteriestyrt urval samt snöbollsurval användes för att hitta lämpliga respondenter för de semistrukturerade intervjuerna. Respondenterna bestod av kommunala och regionala tjänstepersoner samt forskare som varit involverade i lokala projekt kring vattenåtervinning i Skåne. Genom induktiv kvalitativ kodning visade resultaten att de främsta drivkrafterna för att utveckla vattenåtervinning i Skåne var vattenbrist, engagemang hos olika aktörer samt tillgång till finansiella och tekniska resurser. Följande visade resultaten att lagstiftning och andra juridiska aspekter, ekonomiska aspekter och infrastruktur utgör de främsta hindren för utvecklingen av vattenåtervinning i Skåne. Slutsatsen visade att VA-systemet och utvecklingen av återvinning av vatten i Skåne befinner sig i en sorts lock-in, på grund av path dependency, där olika system såsom lagstiftning, infrastruktur och ekonomi hämmar utvecklingsmöjligheter. Dock framkom också slutsatsen att engagerade nyckelaktörer såsom VA-organisationer, myndigheter och politiker eller stora kriser såsom torka och vattenbrist harförmågan att agera som focusing events eller path break-outs och bryta den lock-in som finnsoch därmed driva utvecklingen framåt inom vattenåtervinning. Det etiska perspektivet av intergenerationell rättvisa bör integreras vid planeringen av ny VA-infrastruktur. / Sweden has historically had sufficient access to freshwater. However, during the last years drought and water scarcity has increased and periodically become a problem in some regions. Drought and water scarcity is expected to occur more often due to climate change, which in Scania becomes problematic as the access to freshwater is already limited. Combined with thelarge need for water, the issue increases due to how the region is densely populated with numerous industries and agriculture. Consequently, alternative water sources, such as the recycling of wastewater, have gotten more interest. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of water recycling in Scania, Sweden. More specifically, the aim was to determine what barriers and drivers actors in Scania, who have initiated or participated in projects related to water recycling, have encountered. A criteria-driven selection and snowball selection was used to find appropriate respondents for the semi-structured interviews. The respondents consisted of municipal and regional public-officials as well as researchers who have been involved in local water recycling projects in Scania. Through inductive qualitative coding, results showed that the major drivers of water recycling were water shortage, dedication of different actors and availability of financial and technical resources. Furthermore, the results showed that laws and other juridical aspects, economic aspects and infrastructure were the major barriers of the development of water recycling in Scania. In conclusion, the water and wastewater system and development of water recycling in Scania is in a lock-in face, in accordance with path dependency theory. The study revealed how several systems have contributed to this lock-in, and how legislation, infrastructure and economy therefore prevent development possibilities. However, another conclusion is that dedicated key-actors such as wastewater organisations, government agencies and politicians or major crises like drought or water shortage have the ability to act as focusing events or pathbreak-outs. They have the capability to break the lock-in and therefore act as drivers for further development of water recycling. The ethical perspective of intergenerational justice should be integrated in the planning of new wastewater infrastructure.