The overarching aim of this essay is to understand why gender equality policy proposals sometimes fail to be adopted even in very favorable circumstances. The paper searches to do so by examining the political debate and the process that lead to the Swedish Social Democratic Party’s decision in 2014 to not adopt a law against gender discrimination in commercial in Sweden, despite their longstanding arguments to impose such a ban. The case is considered being a “failed case”, that is, a situation where gender policy adoption failed. Drawing on feminist political theory and frame analysis the study examines the arguments made by proponents and opponents in the debate. The study finds that the Liberal People’s Party possibly might have managed to pursue the Social Democratic Party to switch position by reframing the issue regarding gender discrimination in commercial. The study also observes that freedom of speech can be seen as a competing and higher valued interest to gender equality. Furthermore, the paper demonstrate that Sweden generally have been reluctant to reach gender equality through harder measures, which additionally can be seen as an explanation to the failure of the proposal.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka om omsorgspersonalens upplever en förändring under införande av en ny arbetsmetod som är framtagen av Socialstyrelsen, ÄBIC (Äldres behov i centrum). Studien baseras utifrån sju stycken utförares upplevelser i äldreomsorgens hemtjänstgrupper i den utvalda kommunen. Respondenterna är kvinnor i blandade åldrar (uppskattningsvis mellan 20 till 60 år). Studien utgår ifrån kvalitativ metod med fenomenologisk ansats som tillvägagångsätt. Empirin hämtades genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer för att få en mer djupgående förståelse kring respondenternas upplevelser. Intervjuerna ägde rum på varje enskild respondents arbetsplats/enhet för att uppnå en mer trivsam situation för respondenten. Informationen som framkom via intervjuerna har sedan transkriberats och analyserats för att kunna framställa de resultat som varit passande för studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Tidigare forskning och valda teorier för denna studie är framtagna ur forskningsartiklar, avhandlingar, teorier och kurslitteratur som handlar om områden liknande ÄBIC, samt områden/teorier som Socialstyrelsen har använt sig av för att bygga upp metoden. I studiens resultat har det framkommit fyra övergripande kategorier; Implementering, delaktighet och inflytande, utförarnas upplevelser av respons för ÄBIC för den enskilde samt behovsbedömning. Studien framlyser att arbetsmetoden ÄBIC i implementeringsskedet ter sig ge en mer administrativ förändring än synbar förändring för den enskilde kunden. Respondenterna uppger att kunderna/de enskilda överlag är nöjda med hjälpen som vid tidigare arbetssätt. I slutsatsen så framkommer det till största del att kommunen vid införande av ny arbetsmetod inte har fokuserat på alla delar som skall vara kompatibelt med ÄBIC innan uppstart av implementering. Utförarna anser att deras arbetsverktyg är en stor ”bov” i att ÄBIC inte får någon större förändring i själva utförandet. Förhoppningen är att förändringen sker fullt ut när allt är kompatibelt och att denna arbetsmetod bidrar till ett mer kvalitetssäkrat arbete i vård och omsorg för äldre. / The purpose of this study is to investigate whether home care personnel experience a change while introducing a new working method developed by the National Board of Health, “ÄBIC” (Elderly needs in the center). This study is based on data gathered from seven home care staff in the elderly care home groups in the selected municipality. Respondents are women of mixed ages (estimated between 20 to 60m years). This study is based on qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach. The empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the respondents’ experiences. The interviews took place at each individual respondent’s workplace / unit in order to achieve a more pleasant situation for the respondent. The information obtained through the interviews has since been transcribed and analyzed to produce the results that were appropriate for the purpose and questions of this study. Previous research and selected theories for this study were developed from research articles, dissertations, theories and course literature that is related to areas similar to ÄBIC, as well as areas / theories that was used by the National Board of Health to build their method. In the results from this study, four main categories have been identified; Implementation, participation and influence, home service staff experiences of ÄBIC responses for the customer / individual, and needs assessment. The results suggests that the working method ÄBIC in the implementation phase appears to give a more administrative change rather than a visible change for the individual customer. Respondents state that customers / individuals are satisfied with the help as in previous work practices. In conclusion, it is largely found that, when introducing a new working method, the municipality are not focused on all parts to be compatible with ÄBIC before launching implementation. The home care staff consider their work tool to be a big "villain" in the fact that ÄBIC does not result in a major change in the performance itself. The hope is that the change takes place fully when everything is compatible and that this method contributes to a more quality assured job in the health and social care for the elderly.

In recent studies of Scandinavian Populist Radical Right (PRR) parties, a convergence of their socioeconomic and sociocultural politics have been emphasized. This evidence points towards them having tempered their more radical agenda as they have moved towards the mainstream. But the description of the Sweden Democrats, the Progress Party and the Danish People’s Party as a homogenous entity doesn’t fit their own perception. Across different channels, like printed media and debates, the Scandinavian parties have made clear statements about how they should not be equated with one another. Through comparative method this study wants to shed light on the Scandinavian PRR-parties dividing and uniting ideological features to discuss if they should be described as homogenous - or can we find divergence? Drawing on Cas Muddes theory of populism as a thin ideology, together with Benedict Anderson's theory of nationalism as an ‘imagined community’, this study demonstrates how we can cover the full range of ideas that PRR-parties represent, and thereby present a more nuanced description of them.

D. Tech. (Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Faculty of Human Sciences) Vaal University of Technology. / The elderly in Nigeria are used to consuming foods that are inadequate in providing the required amount of nutrients for a healthy living due to uninformed food choices and dietary food intake habits. The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of the developed food and nutrition guidelines on the dietary behaviour of the elderly in Ondo West city Ondo, Nigeria. The developed food and nutrition guidelines were used to generate a training manual for the caregivers’ in order to apply and disseminate the correct information about food nutrients and food choices to the elderly through the knowledge acquired in the nutrition education training programme by the caregivers. A baseline study was conducted making use of the measuring instruments namely, socio-demographic questionnaire, 24-hour recall, food frequency questionnaire completed by the elderly attending the old people’s home and a nutrition knowledge questionnaire to test the nutrition knowledge of the caregivers. The methodology for the study was in six phases: Phase 1: is about the baseline survey, involving the training of fieldworkers, administering and completing questionnaires: Socio-demographic, 24-hour recall, food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), by the elderly and the nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ) by the caregivers. Phase 2: It involved the planning and development of food and nutrition guidelines for the caregivers of the elderly. Phase 3: This phase is about the training of the caregivers by the researcher, making use of the developed training manual with information sourced from the developed food and nutrition guidelines. Phase 4 was about the intervention programme in the study, i.e. the nutrition education programme (NEP) using information from guidelines of USA, Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria and adapted FAO framework. Phase 5 was about the evaluation of the study, involving the completion of the nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ), by the caregivers on post-test assessment after intervention, conducting observation and group interview. Phase 6 involved determining the impact of the food and nutrition guidelines and conducting a post-test making use of the research instruments, 24-hour recall, and food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) with the main objective drawn and followed up by the conclusion and recommendations in the study. A content analysis of both the observation and focus group discussion resulted in compliance with the food and nutrition guideline specifications and a remarkable improvement on food preparation skills and performance of the old people’s homes’ personnel. The main findings in the study revealed that consistent and, full compliance, with effective implementation of the food and nutrition guidelines would improve the older people’s dietary behaviour and food consumption patterns. The NEP did not improve the knowledge of the caregivers at the expected rate and level because of the low-level basic scientific background of the caregivers. The socio-demographic questionnaire revealed that 61.7% of those researched were females and 38.3% males with an average age between 60 and 65 years; 54% were married with a household income between N20001- N50000 and majority of them spending between N10001-N15000 on two meals (40%) and three meals (30%). The result from 24-hour recall and the food frequency (FFQ) questionnaires indicated that, the intake of energy, calcium and fiber were below the recommended daily allowance (RDA), while protein and carbohydrate were higher, with an emphasis on starchy foods. The nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ) identified the need for higher level of food and nutrients by the caregivers in their responsibility to the elderly, for improvement in their healthy dietary habits as indicated in the four sections of NKQ results (A, B, C and D). The consumption of fruits and vegetables were impressively high, after the intervention compared to before. Moreover, there was a drastic reduction in the consumption of carbohydrate-sourced food items, fat, sugar and salt as informed by the developed guidelines. Conclusively, the study was able to establish a reliable basis on the improvement of nutrient based dietary intake with the effective utilisation of available information in the guidelines. Also, awareness was created for the elderly to improve their eating habits through the exposure of the caregivers to training on nutrition knowledge. The researcher recommended an in-house organized refresher programme which should take place periodically and consistently on the information in the developed nutrition guidelines along with encouraging the personnel in the handling of foods (caregivers, chefs, cooks) for effective implementation.

By looking at the reactions of Russian actors regarding the development of the Belt and Road Initiative of the People’s Republic of China in Central and Eastern Europe, this dissertation presents new theoretical and empirical findings that can be used extensively in the fields of Area and Global Studies, as well as practical policymaking. In this context, the Russian Federation’s foreign policy in the region is understood as cumulative activity and strategy developed by the government of Russia regarding the relationship with other countries that are being impacted by multiple internal and external factors. In order to understand a complex relationship between Russian, Chinese, and Central-Eastern European actors, this study employs uniquely created methods focusing on analyzing the reactions of the relevant Russian policymakers, as well as literature, documents, and statistical data. The reactions are also collected via extensive reflection of interviews and primary source material. In this framework, the areas of Russian interests directly related to and operationalized in Central-Eastern Europe are identified, and those affected by the Belt and Road Initiative the most are researched. The study’s results highlight the many discourses and contradictions when contrasting portrayal and perceptions against statistical data. Since none of these areas were analyzed under these circumstances before, many characterizations about the nature of the Initiative, perception of the actors’ behavior, understanding of the positioning of Russia within contemporary geopolitical realities, and many other aspects have been broadened. That leads to a better comprehension of the mechanisms and networks between the companies and political actors based in the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, and Central-Eastern Europe, the effects of their interdependencies and relationship, and general international relations. This research demonstrated a tension of interests within the Russian expert community when assigning securitization to the Belt and Road Initiative sections that affect Russia and East-Central Europe. They are recognized as intertwined with internal politics, economics, geopolitical competitiveness, and international strategy and are thus appropriately employed when reacting to and debating them.

Introduction How we can increase children’s opportunities to participate and influence society is a highly topical issue. Against the background of a reduced commitment to political participation and a reduced trust in politicians (see e.g. Amnå & Ekman, 2013; Öhrnvall, 2023), it becomes more important to work on promoting dialogues between decision-makers and citizens. These dialogues can contribute to deepening and strengthening democracy (Bornemark, 2017). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (SFS 2018:1197) describes the child’s right to form and express his or her views and to have these considered. Swedish youth policy describes the goal as "all young people should have good living conditions, the power to shape their lives and have influence over the development of society" (Prop. 2013/14:191). In addition to the statutory requirements for children’s and young people’s opportunities for participation and influence, there are positive individual and societal benefits. The work with children’s and young people’s participation strengthens social capital and reduces social exclusion (Andersson & Sandgren, 2015; Wennerholm, Juslin & Bremberg, 2004). Municipalities must ground their efforts in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is incorporated into Swedish law and stated in political objectives. However, in several municipalities, politicians and civil servants find it difficult to put their knowledge of the Convention into practical work (see e.g. Barnombudsmannen, 2022; Stern & Jörnlund, 2011).  Children and young people have been the main focus in previous studies regarding the work with children’s and young people’s influence. These studies have examined children’s and young people’s political interest and commitment (see e.g. Amnå & Ekman, 2013; Amnå, Ekström & Stattin, 2016; Tukkannen, Kankaaranta & Wilska, 2012) and the significance of forums for the future of democracy such as youth councils (Kassman & Vamstad, 2019; 2022). Other studies have shed light on forums for children’s and young people’s opportunities for participation and influence and how children and young people are given the opportunity to develop by participating in these forums (Andersson, 2018a; Harada, 2023; Kassman & Vamstad, 2019). Informal learning focuses mainly on how children and young people learn to cooperate (Harada, 2023), develop their thoughts by listening to others (Kassman & Vamstad, 2019), and develop their democratic skills (Andersson, 2018a; Harada 2023; Kassman & Vamstad, 2019). There are also studies that have emphasized pedagogical perspectives on adults’ attitudes and the consequences for the way they approach children and young people (Andersson, 2015, 2018a, 2018b, 2022). Viewing young people as future citizens rather than current citizens has been described as a risk that limits their opportunities for participation (Taft & Gordon, 2013). While these previous studies have focused to a greater extent on children and young people, they lack in focus regarding adults and their learning (politicians and civil servants), meaning what skills, abilities, and knowledge adults develop (see e.g. Andersson, 2015, 2018a; Harada, 2023; Kassman & Vamstad 2019; Svensson, 2006; Waara et al., 2010). This study focuses on the adults by highlighting the conditions and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence. A large proportion of the decisions concerning children and young people are made at the municipal level. Local civil servants and politicians deal with a wide range of issues relating to schools, social services, leisure, and community planning, a complex task that requires both education and acquired knowledge in these areas. In a changing world with various demands on the organization, knowledge development and learning processes become central to meeting the challenges they face (see e.g. Argote, 2011; Tjulin & Klockmo, 2023; Sunnemark et al., 2023). The point of departure for this study is that politicians and civil servants have both individual and collective experiences as well as knowledge that can be made visible when they work with children’s and young people’s influence. The learning that takes place within organizations thus becomes central to adapting, developing, and managing the changes in the work that politicians and civil servants are faced with (see e.g. Argote & Miron-Spektor, 2011).  Aim and research question In this study, the focus is on conditions for and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work on children’s and young people’s influence. Conditions are understood as what enables and hinders learning, which reflects the premises for what kind of learning is made possible in their work. Central to their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence is dialogue, which makes it possible to share experiences and knowledge.  The purpose of this study is to examine the conditions and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work with children's and young people's influence. The following research questions guided the study:  x How do politicians and civil servants describe the experiences they bring with them from their work with children and young people?  x What conditions enable and hinder the learning processes of politicians and civil servants in their work with children’s and young people’s influence?  Method This study emanates from data produced between October 2020 and June 2022, primarily through observations of meetings in which nine politicians and 16 civil servants participated. The study is designed as a case, where the case is framed by the model that the municipality has designed for their work on children’s and young people’s influence. The study’s empirical data has been collected through observations and dialogue sessions. Through these observations of their work, it became possible to see how their understanding is expressed (see e.g. Lalander, 2015; Kawulich, 2005). In doing so, the observations have been a prerequisite for studying conditions and expressions that emerge while they work and how these can enable or hinder politicians’ and civil servants’ learning. The study’s dialogue sessions were inspired by unstructured focus groups (Wibeck, 2010) and reflexive participant collaboration (Motulsky, 2021). Prior to the dialogue session, participants viewed a stimulus material based on the observations. These meetings allowed politicians and civil servants to develop their thoughts about the work previously observed (see e.g. Motulsky 2021; Wibeck, 2010). The empirical material that forms the basis of the analysis consists of three parts, (1) observation notes, (2) transcripts from dialogue sessions and (3) written documents. In the current study, data triangulation has been used. By collecting data in such a way, it’s possible to see what commonly occurs on different occasions and what becomes visible in situated contexts (Fusch, Fusch & Ness, 2018). It can be described by the way observations relate to different activities between people and groups where the context becomes central. Triangulation has been used in this study to deepen knowledge about how these different factors complement each other in the municipality’s work. All data was analysed through a thematic analysis based on the work of Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis aimed to identify and investigate patterns in the material in relation to the purpose of the study and resulted in five themes with subthemes. Results The study’s material shows how politicians’ and civil servants’ experience external demands and internal expectations become prerequisites for the shaping of their learning processes. The external and internal contexts create conditions for what knowledge both individuals, groups, and the organization obtain (see e.g. Argote 2013; Argote & Miron-Spector, 2011). The study shows how their work is shaped by external requirements which contain overall goals based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the national goals for youth policy (SFS 2018:1197; Prop. 2013/14:191). The external context is also shaped by existing norms, such as norms about age, and the way politicians formulate policies that are institutionalized in their work (see e.g. Butler, 1980). Norms regarding children and childhood shape their work including policies and politics. In the external contexts of the work, there is also a contradiction that can be exemplified by nationally prevalent political expressions such as "being the adult in the room" which comes into conflict with the point of view regarding children as competent actors, stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (SFS 2018:1197). The different demands formulated by the external context also have an impact on how the local goals and efforts are shaped.  This study shows how commitment and motivation are prerequisite for sharing experiences and knowledge at work. Politicians and civil servants participate in various knowledge-raising activities related to work with children’s and young people’s influence and then bring these experiences to their smaller working groups. The discussions that take place at work can be understood as a way of assimilating knowledge, i.e. how they try to make sense of others' experiences and knowledge in their own context (see e.g. Cohen & Levinthal, 1990; Vaghefi, Lapointe & Shahbaznehad, 2018). However, the results reveal challenges in transferring the information to new situations and making use of it. The results show that the new forms of work largely resemble their previous structures. An explanation could be seen in terms of how their experiences affect the knowledge they acquire (see e.g. Argote, 2013; Argote & Miron-Spektor, 2011). An alternative way of understanding this might be that reaching out to a wider range of young people is a complex issue. It also appears from previous studies that organizations can encounter difficulties in dealing with complex problems and that individuals and groups tend to propose solutions that are familiar to them (Fang, Lee & Shilling, 2010). These issues can be difficult to address in the context of previous experience, and this demonstrates the need to develop new knowledge in and for efforts to increase children’s and young people’s influence.  The results of the study also indicate that the information and knowledge gained at work is mostly limited to discussions in smaller working groups. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of information and knowledge being discussed between individuals with different backgrounds, which benefits the organization’s ability to utilize it in and for work (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990). Experiences and knowledge are mainly discussed in smaller constellations, limiting the possibility of making these discussions into a common knowledge resource.  Discussion and Conclusions The results of the study show that external and internal contexts of work, together with experiences, affect directions that politicians and civil servants see as viable in their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence. The external context for work includes goal formulations, legal provisions as well as norms that shape conditions for the way politicians and civil servants make sense of their work within a local context. The results also show vague goal formulations in both the external and internal contexts of their work, which contributes to creating implicit goals for work. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of breaking down overall goals, to make the core of the work visible and for individuals and groups to create the circumstances for sharing relevant experiences and knowledge (see e.g. Goswami & Agrawal, 2020). The results of the study highlight the importance of working within the organization to develop a common understanding of goals and the reason for working to increase children’s and young people's influence. The results also indicate that existing norms regarding children and childhood constitute a hinderance to the conditions needed for politicians’ and civil servants’ learning processes. The division between children’s rights and children’s protection contributes to the challenges that politicians and civil servants encounter in their work. The results of the study show that politicians and civil servants need to reflect upon their experiences of children and understanding of childhood and how doing this is a condition for doing their job. This is to bridge a dichotomous way of thinking about children’s rights and children’s protection. These two perspectives do not have to create contradictions but can be united in the efforts to increase children's and young people’s influence. These two perspectives have been highlighted in previous studies which found that they do not have to imply contradictions, but rather that it is necessary to include both concerns in their work (see e.g. Hellman, Hekkilä, Sundhall, 2014; Gustafsson, 2022). The results indicate that there is a need to pay attention to norms about age that appear in the work done by politicians and civil servants. This study contributes to other findings showing it is important to think critically about one’s previous notions regarding age and what these experiences add to new situations at work. / Den här studien belyser villkor och uttryck för politikers och tjänstemäns lärande i deras arbete med barns och ungas inflytande. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i hur politiker och tjänstemän beskriver erfarenheter de tar med sig från arbetet med barn och unga och vilka villkor som möjliggör och hindrar deras lärprocesser i arbetet med barns och ungas inflytande. Studien är en fallstudie som ramas in av politikers och tjänstemäns arbete med den modell som de utvecklat för arbetet med barns och ungas inflytande. I studien har nio politiker och 16 tjänstemän deltagit. Materialet har samlats in genom observationer, dialogmöten samt dokument. Observationerna genomfördes vid möten som har en relation till kommunens modell, under tidperioden oktober 2020 – juni 2022. Inför studiens dialogmöten användes tematiseringar från de genomförda observationerna som stimulusmaterial. Avslutningsvis genomfördes dialogmöten i två grupperingar, politiker respektive tjänstemän. Dialogmötena möjliggjorde för politiker och tjänstemän att resonera och reflektera kring det arbete som tidigare observerats.  En utgångspunkt i studien är att politiker och tjänstemän har individuella och kollektiva erfarenheter och kunskaper som synliggörs i arbetet med barns och ungas inflytande. Dessa erfarenheter blir, tillsammans med de yttre och inre kontexterna i arbetet, centrala för vilka vägar de ser som framkomliga. De yttre kontexterna innehåller målformuleringar, lagrum och normer som formar villkor för hur politiker respektive tjänstemän begripliggör arbetet inom deras lokala kontext. De vaga målformuleringarna inom de yttre och inre kontexterna bidrar till att det skapas implicita mål för arbetet. Resultatet visar även på att normer kring barn och barndom utgör ett hindrande villkor för politikers och tjänstemäns lärande. Uppdelningen som finns i såväl omgivningen som organisationen mellan barns rätt och barns skydd kan här förstås bidragande till de utmaningar som de möter. Studiens resultat visar ett behov av att rikta uppmärksamhet mot normer kring ålder som framträder i arbetet och vad de erfarenheter som de formar bidrar med till och för arbetet.  I studien framträder även hur engagemang och motivation hos politiker och tjänstemän blir förutsättningsskapande för att utveckla arbetet likväl som för att skapa lärandeprocesser. Diskussionerna som sker i arbetet, kan förstås bidra till att politiker respektive tjänstemän delar erfarenheter och kunskaper. För att dessa erfarenheter och kunskaper ska bli till en resurs för arbetet krävs att dessa assimileras, det vill säga omsätts i nya situationer. Studiens resultat visar att de individer som deltar i olika former av kunskapshöjande aktiviteter får en viktig roll i att dela och begripliggöra information och kunskap till övriga inom organisationen. Det framgår även att de erfarenheter och kunskaper som utvecklas framför allt delas i mindre arbetsgrupper. Här framträder ett behov av att utveckla arbetssätt för att ta vara på de erfarenheter och kunskaper som utvecklas, för att dessa framåt kan utgöra en gemensam kunskapsresurs för och i arbetet.

La thèse a pour objectif d’étudier l’ordre administratif : vers une réforme du système judiciaire en RDP Lao à travers l’étude d’identification des règles de droit administratif parmi les textes législatifs existants. La thèse est divisée en deux parties : Première partie : La création d’un droit administratif laotien. L’existence d’un droit administratif laotien est une hypothèse départ qui a permis d’évoquer le développement d’un droit autonome. Puis, les procédures actuelles de résolutions des litiges administratifs ont été étudiées sur la base du questionnaire qui avait été élaboré pour cette étude. Deuxième partie : Pour l’autonomie du droit administratif laotien par la mise en place d’une justice administrative. Il s’agit d’analyser les expériences des pays étrangers : France, Thaïlande et Vietnam sur la création de juridictions administratives. Le but est de connaître comment les juridictions administratives ont vu le jour dans ces pays d’une part et d’autre part d’examiner les caractéristiques celles-ci en tirant les bonnes leçons et expériences afin de proposer le modèle le plus adapté pour le Laos. / This thesis aims at researching the system of administrative justice towards the reform of judicial system in Lao PDR through a study of administrative rules among the existing legislative texts. This thesis consists of two parts: Part I: The creation of Lao administrative law. The existence of Lao administrative law is considered as the beginning hypothesis which was allowed us to identify the development of an autonomy law. Then the current administrative procedures of administrative dispute settlement were studied basing on the data bases gained from the questionnaire which had been prepared for this study. Part II: To ensure the autonomy of Lao administrative law by creating of the administrative court. It was to study and analyze the experiences of foreign countries: France, Thailand and Vietnam on the establishment of administrative courts. Its aim was to know, on the one hand, how the administrative courts have been establishing in these countries, and on the other hand, to identify the characteristics of these courts by gaining good lessons and experiences in order to propose the most suitable model for Laos.

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe young people’s perceptions of access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Swaziland. The study provided insights into the SRH services currently available to the young people of Swaziland and reveals the opportunities that can be used to improve accessibility and utilisation of the current reproductive health services. The findings will inform policy-making and appropriate future interventions for young people’s sexual and reproductive needs and services. Data were collected through a descriptive exploratory study design. Colaizzi’s seven steps of data analysis were used. The study provides ample evidence that young people face sexual health risks that justify their need to access and utilise SRH services. The findings revealed that access to service is an important but complex element of quality care, as it determines whether a client gets to the service provider. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Cette thèse en Histoire et sémiologie porte sur les représentations de l’unité du peuple chinois (1949-2009) et le traitement médiatique des conflits au Tibet (2008) et au Xinjiang (2009). Dans le cadre d'une approche sémiotique, l'analyse des images et des textes nous permet de considérer comment les discours d'information, les discours institutionnels et ceux des industries culturelles font la promotion de l'unité du peuple chinois. Ce travail se concentre sur les écritures portées par le gouvernement chinois soucieux de proposer le récit collectif d'une société harmonieuse, de maintenir une nation solidaire au moment de deux crises sociales entre les Hans et les ethnies minoritaires. L'année 2008 aurait dû, grâce aux Jeux Olympiques, être l'année favorisant le nation-branding d'une Chine victorieuse. Or, cinq mois avant l’ouverture des JO de Pékin, les événements de Lhassa, capitale de la région autonome du Tibet, mettent sous tension le gouvernement chinois et soulignent une fracture profonde entre les Hans et les Tibétains. Un an après, des émeutes surviennent dans la Région autonome ouïghoure du Xinjiang. Pour traiter les récits médiatiques, nous comparons à la fois les différents points de vue portés par des journalistes chinois et français sur ces événements, nous observons aussi comment un certain nombre d’Ouïghours ont participé à un mouvement de réhabilitation des Xinjiangrens (habitants du Xinjiang) à la suite de la publication d’un livre Je viens du Xinjiang, ouvrage qui fait partie de notre corpus. Cette thèse observe donc comment les médias d'information, les séries télévisées, les écritures de l'histoire officielle promue par le gouvernement chinois, les productions des industries culturelles (cinéma, émissions de plateau, projets d'éditions imprimées...) finissent par former la légende collective de l'unité du peuple chinois. / The present thesis in History and Semiology concentrates on the representations of the unity of Chinese people (1949-2009) and the media coverage of conflicts in Tibet (2008) and Xinjiang (2009). From a semiotic approach, the analysis of images and texts give us an overview of how the information discourse, political discourse and cultural industry discourse, promote the unity of the Chinese people. This current research focuses on the writings of the Chinese government whose main concerns are to construct a collective narrative of a harmonious society and to maintain a united nation at the time of two social crises between the Han Chinese and other Chinese ethnic minorities. The year of 2008 should, thanks to the Olympic Games, be the year in favor of the nation-branding of a victorious in China. However, five months before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, the events in Lhasa -the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region- put the Chinese government under pressure and brought to light the great divide between the Han and the Tibetans. A year later, riots occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In order to analyze the media narrative, we compare different points of view of both Chinese and French journalists on these events. We also observe how a number of Uyghurs participated in a rehabilitation movement of Xinjiangrens (people of Xinjiang) after the publication of the book I come from Xinjiang - a work that is a part of our corpus. As a result, this thesis observes how, in 21st centry, the news, the television series, the official writings of the history promoted by the Chinese government, a diverse range of productions of cultural industries (new technology of information and communication, social network, cinema, TV program and the traditional media...) contribute to re-write a new collective legend of the unity of Chinese people.

本研究分成兩部分，研究對象為中國大陸之上市公司，第一部分以2004至2009年之財務資料，探討2008年中國大陸企業所得稅法之實施對中國大陸上市公司平均有效稅率之影響；第二部分以1998至2009年之財務資料，探討中國大陸上市公司是否為了因應企業所得稅法實施對有效稅率的影響，而從事租稅誘因盈餘管理之行為。 第一部分之實證結果發現，中國大陸上市公司之平均有效稅率在2008年企業所得稅法實施後有顯著的下降，表示中國大陸上市公司之有效稅率隨著名目稅率降低而下降。外資持股比例超過20%之上市公司（定義為外資企業），其2008年後之有效稅率上升，且內外資企業之其平均有效稅率之差異有縮小之趨勢。屬於高科技產業之上市公司在2008年企業所得稅法實施後，其有效稅率並未下降；但與除了農林牧漁業外之其他產業相比，高科技產業之上市公司其有效稅率較低。第二部分之實證結果發現，在2008年有效稅率下降之上市公司，其於2008年後的裁決性應計項目較大，有將盈餘遞延認列之傾向。 / This study consists of two research issues. The first part uses the financial statement and capital structure data of China listed companies from 2004 to 2009, to investigate the effects of the implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Enterprise Income Tax in 2008(hereafter 2008 Income Tax Law). And the second part which uses the financial and capital structure data of China listed companies from 1998 to 2009 investigates if China listed companies take the action of earnings management in response to the implementation of the 2008 Income Tax Law. The empirical findings of the first part show that the average ETRs of China listed companies declined after the implementation of the 2008 Income Tax Law. The listed companies whose proportion of foreign ownership is above 20% (defined as foreign enterprises) increased ETRs after 2008 and the differences in ETRs between domestic enterprises and foreign enterprises are reduced gradually. Further, the average ETRs of China listed companies of information technology industry do not appear to be decreased after the implementation of the 2008 Income Tax Law. However, besides the agriculture, forestry, herding, fishery industries, listed companies of information technology industries remain to have lower average ETRs after implementation of the 2008 Income Tax Law. The empirical findings of the second part show that China listed companies whose average ETRs decreased in 2008 appeared to have greater discretionary accruals after 2008, suggesting those companies shifting earnings to 2008.