Given the global food price spike experienced in 2007/8, the core question of this research is, ‘what was the impact of the rising food prices on household welfare in Zambia'? Taking an empirical approach and using micro-economic methods, four welfare outcomes are assessed: consumption, equality of income distribution, poverty and nutrition. The 2006 and 2010 cross-section household surveys - Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys (LCMS) - are primarily used to answer the question. The thesis first assesses the changes in consumption patterns across time, geographical locations and quintiles. The short-term distribution of income from the rise in prices is then analysed using non-parametric methods to show the likely winners and losers from the price spike and the subsequent impact on poverty. These results are supplemented by a supply response as an attempt to understand longer-term poverty effects. The final empirical exercise focuses on nutrition outcomes. The thesis confirms the hypothesis that on average, urban households may suffer a welfare loss but rural households may gain. In the case of maize grain, the results suggest that the highest gain may accrue to rural households clustered around the poverty line. Furthermore, the findings suggest that, while overall poverty may increase in the short-run, the long-run impacts of rising food prices (once supply response are accounted for) may lead to a marginal decline in poverty. Finally, we observe that the slight increase in income, from selling maize, among some rural households may not necessarily lead to an improvement in nutrition outcomes. In particular, while rural households exhibit a small net rise in income from an increase in maize prices, the impact on stunting levels among children below five years appears to be regressive in both urban and rural areas. The overall results of this research strengthen the case for contextual impact analysis of covariate shocks and also highlight the policy challenges arising from such conflicting results.

The dissertation provides a systematic analysis of global obligations relating to a decent standard of living. Global obligations represent a type of extraterritorial obligations, which does not presuppose any causal link between acts/omissions of global actors and individuals’ inability to enjoy their human rights. Global obligations are a key legal tool for empowering the most vulnerable individuals, promoting social justice, and reducing extreme poverty and inequality worldwide. Despite their importance, global obligations have not yet received adequate legal recognition, regulation, and realization. They are the least elucidated and the most unfulfilled type of extraterritorial obligations. Many scholars and practitioners highlight a major discrepancy between globalization and contemporary human rights law: socio-economic rights obligations are still often considered to be applicable only within states’ borders (if at all); obligations of intergovernmental organizations and non-state actors are frequently believed to be exhausted by negative duties to respect human rights; and contemporary mechanisms of the implementation of global obligations (for instance, obligations of development cooperation or international assistance) are insufficient, inefficient, and often violate human rights. In this context, the justification, conceptualization, and furtherance of global obligations is a task of paramount importance. The primary goals of the dissertation are, therefore: first, to justify global obligations as human rights obligations of multiple actors; second, to analyze their nature, status, types, content, scope, right-holders, and duty-bearers; and third, to examine contemporary mechanisms used for the realization of global obligations and suggest some measures for their improvement. The research is aimed at proposing a coherent and plausible framework for a reconstruction of human rights law regulating global obligations. The dissertation intends to uncover the interrelation between philosophical discourse, normative legal order, and legal practice. On the one hand, it demonstrates how contemporary theories of global justice can contribute to the justification, conceptualization, allocation, and implementation of global obligations. It translates philosophical ideas into the language of law and incorporates empirical findings in relation to global obligations. On the other hand, it explores whether human rights theory and practice are capable of, and essential to, solving the most pressing issues of global justice, extreme poverty and inequality alleviation. In particular, it shows that the existing international soft and hard law instruments, customary international law, and human rights practice also give an important framework for the legal acknowledgement, specification, and attribution of global obligations to various actors. The dissertation takes a form of three Articles. The first Article provides a legal-philosophical justification for and outlines a legal conception of global obligations of multiple actors relating to a decent standard of living. The second Article undertakes a legal analysis of global obligations for sustainable development. The third Article explores the legal theory and practice of global obligations to assist in the realization of socio-economic rights.

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Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.--University of Hong Kong) under the title: Tang dai shou du Chang'an de ju min sheng ji yu cheng shi zheng ce yan jiu. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 330-390).

Overview:  Civil wars have turned many aspects of Cambodia upside down: traditional norms and beliefs of a post-conflict society are at the forefront of the citizens of Cambodia’s mind, ahead of all current regulations and laws. The value of women has been reduced to traditional values in the current society. It is traditionally believed that women are second class citizens, even though females and males are legally viewed as equals in all issues based on the Royal Institution of Cambodia. This phenomenon, the treatment of women as second class citizens, is recognized as a major social issue that needs to be addressed. The Cambodian government and various non governmental organizations (NGOs) strive for the improvement of women’s social status by addressing the issue in the National Strategy Development Plan 2006-2010 (NSDP, 2005). The plan focuses on enhancing the quality of education and fostering gender equality through women empowerment projects.                          The subject study of entrepreneurship has entered into a new era social development. A growing number of case studies have increased the awareness of female entrepreneurship. Researchers around the world are now interested in the link between gender and entrepreneurship development. The topic of female entrepreneurship is a hot topic addressed in recent world economic discussion forums to find the solution for world economic crisis; thus, it is significant to investigate and observe how this new approach integrates in to the social development process though empowerment projects.             Thus, this research will be based on following main research questions:   How does “Women Empowerment projects” promote Female Entrepreneurship? And How does the female entrepreneurship contribute to provide a better living condition to Cambodian citizen?   Purpose:   The aim of this research is to discover the impact of social development projects and women empowerment projects using entrepreneurship as the foundation for social change.  In line with this, the findings will uncover the impact of specific social development projects, i.e. women empowerment, and how they contribute to the creation of female entrepreneurs and its affects on individual family’s finances within small communities. This shall be accomplished through the study of gender issues in Cambodia, as well as the impact of the women empowerment program “self-Worth”, which is a social development project created by NGOs with the aim of aiding and developing female entrepreneurs. The secondary objectives of this study is to bring awareness of the potential financial value women can contribute to the household, which is the capital for improving family economy; as well as leading to advancing the quality of living condition through the concept of entrepreneurship.          Target Audience: This paper would benefit various areas of to academia, especially areas focused on entrepreneurship, social development, and gender studies. The presentation will be made to Industrial Management Students in Mälardalen University, with its focus on delivering the female entrepreneurship concept and sharing the personal experiences of the impact the social development projects had on the individuals who have participated.  In addition, the adolescents in the Cambodia community high schools, universities and group of staff in Pact-Cambodia Organization are selected as additional key audiences for future workshops according to their availability.     Method: The design of this research thesis is neither purely qualitative nor quantitative. It is hybrid of both research strategies. This case study is also based on primary and secondary data. The bulk of the information came from three sources: documents, interviews, and direct observations. The evidence, data, and literature review are focused on female and male entrepreneurship, gender study, and female empowerment. All of the data presented are aimed at addressing the research objectives.   Result:   The national strategy development plan (NSDP), Pact-Cambodia activities, and self-WORTH women empowerment program are designed to foster female entrepreneurship through the education of literacy, basic mathematic, leadership skills, and advocacy. Microfinance is a powerful tool to fight poverty and transform lives. After the establishment and implementation of empowerment projects participation are able to access to more information and increase their cooperation network more than ever before. The programs permit thousands of Cambodian women to recognize opportunities. They learned how turn their creativities in to profits, and advance their family’s social status via their knowledge, skill and ability through social networking. This scope is the result of entrepreneurship creation which leads the improvement of family economy growth while more than one members of the family have ability to increase the income. This could be recognized as an innovative sustainability growth of living condition. Poor households use microfinance to move from daily basic survival to a better nutrition, housing, health, and education. The impact of social development programs has led to less gender discrimination in Cambodian society, and has aided with the poverty reduction of national strategy.

Syftet med undersökningen är att beskriva hur levnads- och arbetsförhållanden inom svensk sjöfart har förändrats till följd av MLC-2006. Undersökningen visar hur dessa förändringar till följd av MLC-2006 upplevs av sjökaptener och representanter från Seko, SFBF och Transportstyrelsen. Examensarbetet har genomförts med hjälp av intervjuer för att ge en bild av hur MLC-2006 upplevs i svensk sjöfart. Informanternas upplevelse är att svensk sjöfart inte har förändrats nämnvärt till följd av MLC-2006. Däremot medförde MLC-2006 en högre standard på fartygen i hela världen, för att främja en mer rättvis konkurens mellan olika flaggstater samt för att tillgodose sjömännens rättigheter. / The purpose with this study is to describe how standard of living and working conditions in Swedish ships has changed as a result of the MLC-2006. This study shows how the changes have been experienced by the Swedish crews unions, the Swedish ship officers associations and the Swedish transport agencies representatives and two captains as a result of MLC-2006 implementation. The study was carried out by means of interviews in order to display implementation of MLC-2006 has been experienced in Swedish shipping. Results show that the representatives experienced no significant change in Swedish shipping after the MLC-2006 implementation. MLC-2006 resulted in higher standards in ships, a fair competition between flag states and to the advancement of seamen's rights in global shipping.

published_or_final_version / Applied Statistics / Master / Master of Social Sciences

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In this dissertation, the occurence of tuberculosis and it's causes are studied with special attention to developments in Sweden. The perspective is a comparative one. Secular trends as well as shortterm fluctuations are analysed. The decrease in the mortality rate in the West that has taken place in recent centuries has primarily been the result of a decrease in infectious diseases. Among the factors which have been cited as having an decisive role are: the decline in the death rate, the role of therapy, genetic changes in man and microorganisms, the immunologic process, and most commonly, the general increase in living standards. Tuberculosis is a social disease that is extremely sensitive to changes in the standard of living. The disease is an infection that is primarely spread directly from human being to human being. The degree of crowding and the standard of housing are therefore important factors when it comes to the spreading of the disease. Usually, steady contact is required in order that the disease should be transmitted. Tuberculosis is also sensitive to nutrition. Persons with good diets are far more resistant to the disease than those suffering from mal­nutrition or those with a poor diet. A protein deficiency is particularly dangerous. A reduc­tion of nutritional intake together with a greater degree of crowding should thus lead to an increase in tuberculosis in societies where the disease is endemic. On the other hand, a decrease in the tuberculosis frequency presupposes better standards of nutrition and housing, at least for the period prior to modern chemotherapy. Where diet and housing operate against each other, the frequency and occurence of tuberculosis functions as measure of the net result. Tuberculosis is a disease that shows clear symptoms in the lethal stage. The disease has been sufficiently widespread to permit statistical analysis even in small areas. This makes it possible to test the applicability of tuberculosis as an indicator of alterations in living standards. However, this presupposes that the effects of biological determinants can be accounted for. These biological determinants consist of both biological elements of the human body and changes in microorganisms. In this disseration, therefore, the following hypotheses are tested: —   that the extent of tuberculosis in a given society is governed by immunological processes resulting in an epidemic wave, —   that variations in the numbers of deaths from tuberculosis are an expression of changes in the standard of living. In addition to these hypotheses, the question is raised as to whether it is possible to measure deaths due to tuberculosis in historical populations with attention to each of the following: (1) changes in age and sex distributions; (2) possible changes in the virulence of the bacillus; and (3) also the results of changes in the degree of competition from other diseases. In the study, statistics for causes of death for counties, towns and parishes in northern Sweden were used together with parochial records and a number of other sources from seven parish districts with differing socio-economic structures. The thesis shows that tuber­culosis was endemic in both Sweden and Finland from about 1750. In Norrland, the disease was one of the most common causes of death. Thus, we can reject the hypothesis that the high tuberculosis frequency in Norrland during the 19th century was a result of a virgin population coming into initial contact with the disease. The regional distribution pattern and the rural/urban differences indicate a close relationship between different living standard factors. In the dissertation it is also shown that the age and sex structure was relatively constant during the period of study. Thus, we can reject the hypothesis of age transition. An age structure with an upper limit in youth is natural for the disease. The high level of tuberculosis in upper age strata during the 18th and early 20th centuries is seen as a residual effect of a higher tuberculosis mortality rate in earlier age cohorts. The major perspective is socio-economic, but the disease's histoire de mentalité has been treated . Popular beliefs concerning the disease and the attitudes formed in literature and in art — the myth-building that took place — is given particular treatment. The aim of this dissertation has been to investigate the relationship between bacilli, "human beings and society over a long period of time, 230 years. / digitalisering@umu

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