Vad det innebär att vara svensk yrkesofficer i det militära har förändrats radikalt under de senaste decennierna. Förändringar i uppgift från den politiska makten har medfört nya arbetsuppgifter, en ny organisation och ökat deltagande i internationella insatser. Detta har medfört en utveckling av vilka uppgifter som en militär bör kunna hantera, med hjälp av vilka medel samt vilka karaktärsdrag som främjar framgång i arbetet. I samband med denna utveckling talas det om begreppet professionell autonomi, det handlingsutrymme politikerna ger officerarna att utföra sina uppgifter. I denna uppsats undersöks svenska officerares upplevda professionella autonomi i deras arbete under det svenska bidraget till Afghanistaninsatsen. Undersökningen utförs med stöd i två operationaliserade idealtyper utvecklade från teorier av Julia Evetts, som beskriver den organisatoriska spänning som den svenska officerskåren lyder under; å ena sidan en externt styrd professionalism där de professionella normerna bestäms av den politiska makten, och å andra sidan en internt styrd professionalism där de professionella själva styr över och formulerar de professionella normerna. Resultatet av undersökningen talar på organisatorisk nivå till fördel för den externt styrda professionalismen men på en individnivå visar resultatet att officerarna själva styr över de professionella normerna. Vad som även är avgörande är den förmåga de använder givet det handlingsutrymme de blivit tilldelade.

Idéer om styrning och organisation har de senaste decennierna blivit allt mer framträdande i den offentliga förvaltningen där ett ideal om en mer företagslik organisation har vuxit fram. I relation till pågående diskussioner om den politiska styrningens påverkan på den konstnärliga friheten presenteras i denna uppsats en studie av managementidéernas genomslag inom kulturområdet och dess påverkan på den professionella autonomin inom offentlig kulturverksamhet. I studien undersöks Stiftelsen Dansens Hus organisation och verksamhet utifrån intervjuer och skriftligt material. Av studiens resultat framgår hur managementidéer är tydligt närvarande inom organisationen. Det handlar till exempel om ett aktivt varumärkesarbete, en tydlig marknadsinriktning och införandet av en ny verksamhetsstyrning. Organisationen befinner sig i ständig förändring där verksamheten ska utvecklas och effektiviseras, i vissa fall med den konstnärliga friheten som argument. Managementidéerna har till viss del motarbetats av medarbetare inom organisationen, men idéerna har också fått inflytande på ett sätt som direkt påverkar eller riskerar att påverka den professionella autonomin. Ekonomiska värden har exempelvis fått en framskjuten plats i kärnan av Dansens Hus konstnärliga verksamhet, vid urvalet av gästspel.

Since New Public Management's alteration of the public administration during the 1980s and 1990s, the role of the state has shifted from producing the welfare services itself to instead taking a regulatory position. The shift towards an increasingly decentralized welfare has resulted in an increasingly extensive public audit, and a contradiction within the public administration has been made visible: the relationship between control and trust.The purpose of this study is to contribute to a greater understanding of the relationship between public audit and professional autonomy; in this study, the Swedish School Inspectorate's quality inspections are a case of public audit, and teachers' discretion is a case of professional autonomy. By applying a qualitative content analysis this study investigates how the Swedish School Inspectorate's quality inspections have changed over time with regard to its possible impact on teachers' professional autonomy; whether the changes indicate a strengthened or weakened professional autonomy. The results of the study show that the quality inspections have become more comprehensive, and that the Swedish School Inspectorate has become more detailed in its definition of quality and more specific in its feedback to the schools. The combination of an increased external control and a more detailed and elaborate method could weaken professional autonomy. However, more research is needed in the area, partly to enable an explanation for the changes, partly to be able to gain more evidence that the professional autonomy has been weakened.

This study explores how teachers in social studies experience balancing their professional autonomy with the requirements for equivalent education, which can be described as a critical issue in contemporary educational discourse. Despite the legislative backing for equivalent education in Sweden, the implementation and maintenance of such standards pose a considerable challenge, notably for social studies teachers. These professionals are tasked not only with curriculum compliance but also with cultivating inclusive learning environments that cater to the diverse needs and development of all students. This qualitative study utilizes Colnerud's dilemma model and Self-Determination Theory(SDT) as its theoretical framework. It investigates the experiences of social studies teachers' professional autonomy, the strategies they use to manage this balance, and how these strategies impact their pedagogical practices. Additionally, the study explores the opportunities and challenges associated with equivalent education. Contrary to initial expectations, the findings reveal that there is no perceived tension between professional autonomy and the requirement for equivalent education. Instead, the interviewed teachers report a significant sense of autonomy, competence, and belonging. While the teachers recognize opportunities for promoting equitable education, they also face numerous challenges in its implementation on a political level.

The Swedish education system underwent extensive reforms in the late 1080s and early 1990s, alongside changes in the public sector. These reforms involved a transition from a centralized to a decentralized system, where decision-making was delegated to municipalities and their respective operations. The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) was tasked with reviewing the quality reports of municipalities and reporting their assessments to the state. The evaluations displayed multiple flaws in the municipalities operations, and as a result of this, the Systematic Quality System (SKA) was implemented as a regulation in the Education Act of 2010.  Despite some researchers and teachers expressing their opinions on this subject, there are still konwledge gaps regarding primary school teachers´ experiential perceptions of the Systematic Quality Sysstem and its impact on their work situation. Using the central concepts of institutional norms, decoupling, and path dependence from neoinstitutionalism as analytical instruments, will contribute to understanding how SKA with its rules and guidelines affects primary school teachers´ perceptions on the SKA.  Furthermore, the study examines how primary school teachers, acting as street- level bureaucrats, are influenced by the SKA in their professional autonomy. Employing a qualitative method, six primary school teachers from two different cities and schools were interviewed. By gathering primary school teachers´ experiential perceptions and analyzing them using analytical instruments, it demonstrates that there is no consensus regarding systematic quality system. The reasons for this phenomenon stem from differences in implementation strategies, local adaption, and contextual factors across different school operations.