Overconsumption has become a common phenomenon in our contemporary consumer society. Furthermore, overconsumption has repeatedly been pointed out for its negative impact on the wellbeing of both humans and the environment. Alternative consumption and minimalism have, in recent years, become increasingly noticeable as a solution to this problem. The purpose of this study is threefold. First, from a Swedish context provide information on the motives of individuals who choose an alternative consumption or a minimalistic lifestyle, second, how these choices are important to the construction of these individuals’ self-identity, and third to discuss the significance of objects for these individuals. Previous research shows that motives for individuals who choose alternative ways of consumption are both personal benefits and activist ideologies. Financial capacity also plays a major role in an individual’s ability to consume alternatively or choose a minimalistic lifestyle. We have noted that previous research is currently lacking to explain how alternative ways of consumption are related to the construction of self-identity. Previous research also shows that there seems to be an ongoing discussion about the definition of the concepts of alternative consumption and minimalism. Our study is based on qualitative interviews with five individuals where both alternative consumers and minimalists are represented. This study's findings show that the main motive of our interviewees to choose alternative ways of consumption is that these lifestyles has given rise to increased well-being. It also shows that some participants have been able to develop an emotional distance to their belongings through these lifestyle choices. The results also indicate that the interviewees do in fact construct their self-identity through alternative ways of consumption. Also, that class affiliation is a crucial factor for the individuals' ability to choose a lifestyle characterized by alternative ways of consumption. / Överkonsumtion har blivit ett vardagligt fenomen i vårt samtida konsumtionssamhälle. Detta har upprepade gånger pekats ut som en bidragande faktor till att välbefinnandet hos både människa och miljö påverkats negativt. Både alternativ konsumtion och minimalism har på senare år blivit allt mer uppmärksammade som lösningar på detta problem. I denna studie är syftet att utifrån en svensk kontext bidra med kunskap om vilka motiv individer har till att välja en alternativ konsumtion eller en minimalistisk livsstil, hur detta i sin tur har betydelse för konstruktionen av självidentiteten samt vilken betydelse ting har för dessa individer. Tidigare forskning har visat att personliga fördelar och aktivistiska ideologier varit motiv för individer till att välja alternativa konsumtionssätt. Förutsättningarna för att göra dessa livsstilsval skiljer sig dock beroende på vilken ekonomisk kapacitet människor besitter. Vi har uppmärksammat att nuvarande forskning är bristfällig i att förklara hur alternativa konsumtionssätt står i relation till identitetsskapande. Det tycks även finnas en pågående diskussion i tidigare forskning om definitionen av begreppen alternativ konsumtion och minimalism. Vår studie är baserad på kvalitativa intervjuer med fem intervjupersoner där både alternativa konsumenter och minimalister finns representerade. Studiens resultat visar att intervjupersonernas huvudsakliga motiv till att välja ett alternativt konsumtionssätt är att livsstilen givit upphov till ett ökat välbefinnande. Resultatet visar även att vissa deltagare har utvecklat en emotionell distansering till sina ägodelar genom deras val av livsstil. Resultatet tyder även på att intervjupersonerna konstruerar sin självidentitet genom alternativa konsumtionssätt samt att klasstillhörigheten återigen anses vara en avgörande faktor för individers förmåga att välja en livsstil präglad av alternativa konsumtionssätt.

近年政府推廣政策的過程中不斷借重創新思維，嘗試抓住民眾的注意力，政府必須將人民視為顧客，盡力提供服務使民眾滿意，換言之，企業型政府治理模式必然包含「治理」甚至是「政策推廣」相關概念，在公部門推廣政策的同時，我們時常看到政府向企業學習行銷手法推廣公共政策。本研究嘗試向企業行銷學習，藉由文獻回顧以及檢視公共政策行銷實例，從「移情作用、自我指涉、自我認同」三個面向，探討虛擬代言（avatar endorsement）如何應用在公共服務推廣，及促使民眾了解政府政策並使用公共服務的意願為何。 本研究以高雄都會大眾捷運系統目前執行的虛擬代言為討論主題，研究方法採用準實驗設計，由於過去研究指出高雄捷運旅運目的多半為觀光旅遊，因此受試者招募以年輕族群為調查對象，以了解當前虛擬代言能否提高年輕族群的喜好程度、使用捷運系統意願、購買相關商品意願、以及對捷運品牌的吸引程度，招募受試者後，採用配對分派方法進行實驗，以利進行實驗組與控制組態度變化比較。研究發現不同學歷的受試者對於虛擬代言的想法有顯著差異，而虛擬代言能有效提升外縣市的受試者對於該公共服務的吸引程度，只是對於既有的客群掌握則有待加強。 / In recent years, governments start to emphasize the importance of policy promotion and policy marketing. Under the belief of treating people as customers, the ultimate goal is to draw people’s attention and to increase their satisfaction on public services. Normally, the entrepreneurial-oriented governments would spend more time and efforts on “good governance” and “policy promotion”. As a result, when the governments want to promote certain policies, they often try to learn from the private sector on their marketing strategies. This study aims at applying the policy marketing strategies to promote public policies, particularly the effects of avatar endorsement strategy. Using the case of Kaohsiung metro system, this study focuses on three different aspects, the transference, self-reference, and self-identity, to explore how avatar endorsement worked with regard to public policy promotion, as well as to understand how it performed on increasing people’s willingness to receive more public services. This research adopts a quasi-experimental design to understand how the current avatar endorsement strategy affect younger generations on four different attitudes and behaviors, such as brand attitude, purchase intention, brand association, and attraction to the Kaohsiung metro. Results show that people with different educational levels have significantly different attitudes toward avatar endorsement strategy. In addition, the avatar endorsement strategy may effectively enhance the attractiveness of public transportation service toward the younger generation. Policy and managerial implications for the governments are discussed in the thesis.

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How does the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam affect Ethiopia’s ontological security? This study proposes that the ontological security perspective must be comprehended within the analysis of the dam’s importance, in order to grasp certain dimensions of security which otherwise could remain unnoticed. Thus, the fact that Ethiopia has executed the dam’s building, despite the regional controversy and different forms of attacks it has implied – and was expected to imply in the initial case - suggests that the traditional security perspective is not sufficient in order to understand the dam’s causes as well as the long-term determination regarding the dam’s execution. Hence, by adopting Steele’s and Mitzen’s two conceptualizations of the biographical narrative, as well as Carol Bacchi’s conceptualisation of meaning-making within representation, the dam’s ontological significance is analysed.   I argue that the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam constitutes a meaningful symbol within the Ethiopian biographical narrative, due to the grand political and emotional significance it has been interlinked with. Further on, I argue that this is partly due to the meaning and emphasis which the Ethiopia’s State agents have expressed in conjunction with the comprehending needs which the dam is aimed to satisfy. I conclude by proposing a discussion to weather the dam could be considered to increase the ontological security of Ethiopia, or in fact weaken it.

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Bakgrund: Statistik visar på att allt fler i Sveriges befolkning upplever en ökad stress i så väl privat- som yrkesliv. Detta yttrar sig till exempel inom områden där digitaliseringen är avhängig för en fortsatt relevans på arbetsmarknaden och inom yrkesgrupper som redan tidigare haft höga krav på kunskap, effektivitet och hastighet. Tidigare forskning visar på ett samband mellan modernitetens framväxt samt de accelerationsprocesser som därigenom tagit fart. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om svenska nyhetsreportrars bakgrund och deras upplevelser avseende stressrelaterade frågor går att påvisa i förhållande till modernitetsstudier. Metod: Undersökningen är en kvantitativstudie som utförts med hjälp av digitala enkäter med främst fasta svarsalternativ på en ordinalskalenivå. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes av 78 svenska nyhetsredaktioner varav 21 TV-, 26 radio- och 31 tidningsredaktioner där 118 respondenter deltagit i undersökningen. Urvalet var icke slumpmässigt vilket medför att studiens resultat utgörs av deskriptiv statistik. Bearbetning av resultaten gjordes i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer att stressrelaterade utmaningar finns i yrkesgruppen och att dessa går att relatera till modernitetsstudier. Ytterligare resultat visar att yrkesgruppen identifierar sig i mycket hög grad med sitt yrke, att de inte får tid för reflektion mellan arbetsuppdragen och att de inte är oroliga för att inte hänga med i den tekniska utvecklingen. Konklusion: Bakomliggande variabler såsom kön, ålder, medium och utbildningsnivå har inte uppvisat någon påverkan för upplevd stress. Däremot påvisar modernitetsteorier att indikationer finns på att förhållanden inom yrket skulle behöva vara bättre. Nyhetsreportrars höga krav och positiva inställning till förändring och utveckling i kombination med brist på återhämtning och reflektion kan mot bakgrund till att denna studie vilar mot deskriptiv statistik sägas vara i linje med teorier om samhället som en juggernaut och social acceleration i enlighet med både Anthony Giddens och Hartmut Rosa. / Background: Statistics show that more and more of Sweden’s population is experiencing increased stress in both private and professional life. This manifests itself, for example, in areas where continues relevance on the labor market is dependent on digitization as well as in professional groups with high demands on speed, knowledge and efficiency. Previous research shows a connection between the rise of modernity and increasing acceleration processes.  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether Swedish news reporters’ background and their experiences regarding stress-related issues can be demonstrated in relation to modernity studies. Method: The survey is a quantitative study carried out using digital questionnaires with mainly fixed response options at an ordinal scale level. The survey was conducted at 78 Swedish newsrooms, of which 21 TV, 26 radio and 31 newspaper rooms, where 118 respondents participated in the survey. The selection was not random, which means that the results of the study consist of descriptive statistics. Processing of the results was done in the statistical program SPSS.  Results: The results show that stress-related challenges do exist in the occupational group and that these can be related to modernity studies according to modernity studies. Further results show that the occupational group identifies to a very high degree with their profession, that they do not have enough time for reflection between work assignments and that they are not worried about not keeping up with technical developments.  Conclusion: Underlying variables such as gender, age, medium and level of education have no effect on perceived stress. On the other hand, modernity theories can be emphasized that there are indications that conditions in the profession need to improve. News reporters' high demands and positive attitude to change and development in combined with a lack of recovery and reflection, in light of the fact that this study rests against descriptive statistics, can be said to be in line with theories of society as a juggernaut and social acceleration in accordance with both Anthony Giddens and Hartmut Rosa.

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Text in Afrikaans / Die doel met hierdie studie is om te bepaal of daar 'n verband is tussen die aktivering van die middelpuntsoekende en middelpuntvliedende kragte van nasionalisme enersyds en andersyds die tegnieke van demokrasie in die hedendaagse staat. In die ondersoek na so 'n verband, is die nasie beskou as 'n versameling individue wat in terme van 'n bepaalde identiteit assosieer ten einde 'n stel belange te realiseer. Belange wat uitgesonder word is: selfidentiteit, die noodsaaklikheid om met ander mense te kan assosieer, selfdeterminasie as 'n motiverende krag in menslike gedrag, en die persepsie dat die vermoe bestaan om belange te kan realiseer. Die spanning tussen die selfdeterminerende aard van die menslike natuur enersyds, en andersyds die onvermydelike groepkonteks van die mens, word in hierdie studie beklemtoon. Ten einde hierdie spanning te minimiseer, sal die individu die eise van die groep (in hierdie konteks die nasie), as sy eie internaliseer. Ten einde 'n selfdeterminerende individu midde in die nasie te bly, word die selfdeterminasie van die nasie belangrik. Selfdeterminasie word verder beskou, as 'n belangrike kenmerk van liberale demokrasie. Ongelukkig is die groepkonteks en die spanning tussen die belange van die individu enersyds en andersyds die eise van die samelewing weer eens onvermydelik. Verskeie tegnieke van demokrasie word evalueer in terme van hul sukses om die selfdeterminasie van die individu en die realisering van sy belange te verseker. Daar is bevind dat geen tegniek 'n waarborg in hierdie verband kan bied nie. In die studie is bevind dat negatiewe persepsies oor selfdeterminasie en belangerealisering in die algemeen, die middelpuntvliedende kragte in die staat kan aktiveer. Die verskillende tegnieke van demokrasie kan inderdaad die bron van negatiewe persepsies wees. Verder is bevind dat indien hierdie negatiewe persepsies saamval met etniese en/of regionale subidentiteite in die staat, hulle aanleiding kan gee tot rebelse nasionalisme. Die verskillende tegnieke van demokrasie verleen dikwels die meganismes waardeur hierdie subidentiteite georganiseer en gemobiliseer kan word. / The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between the activation of the centripetal and the centrifugal powers of nationalism, on the one hand and on the other hand, the techniques of democracy in the contemporary state. In researching this relationship, the nation is regarded as a collection of individuals who associate in terms of a particular identity in order to realise a set of interests. Interests that are singled out in this study are: self-identity, the need to associate with fellow human beings, self-determination as a motivational force in human behaviour, and the perception of being able to realise particular interests. The tension between the self-determining nature of human beings, on the one hand and the inevitable group context of human beings, on the other hand, is stressed in this study. In order to minimize this tension, the individual will internalize the demands of the group (in this context the nation) as his own. Thus for the individual to remain a self-determining human being within the nation, the self-determination ofthe nation becomes important. It is further pointed out that self-determination of the individual is an important feature of liberal democracy. Unfortunately the group context and the tension between the interests of the individual on the one hand and the demands of society on the other hand, are also inevitable. Various techniques of democracy are evaluated in order to determine their success in safe-guarding the selfdetermination of the individual and the realization of his interests in general. It is pointed out that no technique can in fact provide a guarantee in this regard. In the study it was found that negative perceptions regarding self-determination and the realization of interests in general, may activate the centrifugal powers within the state. The various techniques of democracy may indeed be the source of these negative perceptions. It was furthermore found that when these negative perceptions coincide with ethnic and regional subidentities, they may give rise to rebellious nationalisms. The various techniques of democracy often provide the mechanisms through which these subidentities could be organized and mobilized. / Political Sciences / D.Litt. et Phil. (Staatsleer)

In this thesis the vocational orientation of the courses offered - as an expression of the folk high school's self-identity- is analysed. The point of departure was that what the folk high school do, is a way to show what it wants to be and, therefore, reflects what it is. Focus is on how the folk high school meets with contemporary tasks and demands in different areas of society. The research objects are, the folk high school as type of school (a total of 147 schools) and a sample of ten individual schools with different ownership. The study is about what the offered courses reveal about the folk high school's reflections and conclusions as regards its future activities in relation to its history and contemporary society. The theoretical framework of the thesis is built on the sociologist Anthony Giddens 'Theory of Structuration' and the concepts of structure and agency. Reflections about the surrounding world and the contributions the schools' want to make in society is assumed to result in a more or less conscious strategy for the future, the folk high school's course politics as it is expressed in action. The identity has been interpreted in vocational roles as they appear in course contents. The word 'vocation' is used in almost the same sense as Giddens defines 'work'. Self-identity was analysed from three different kinds of texts and with one question for each. In the first perspective focus is on official investigations and political decisions, in the period 1970-2000. What role in society is imposed upon the folk high school in contemporary educational policies? In the second perspective all courses offered at all folk high schools in 1972 and 2000 are studied, in order to present a picture of the overall pattern of vocational orientation. In the third perspective the course politics of the ten selected folk high schools are investigated, from the start of the respective schools, and in relation to what each school thinks it 'is'- with different owners and in its particular geographical situation. One overriding conclusion is that the characteristics that make the identity of the folk high school seem unclear and paradoxical are the very same that constitute the self-identity of the folk high school as being complex and multifaceted. The self-identity seems paradoxical when the vocational orientation presents itself as both preserving traditions and answering to today's needs. In other words, the school 'does what it has always done' (is conservative) and at the same time 'captures new needs and tasks' (is flexible). The folk high school's role and uniqueness in what they actually do can be understood as what I have called 'contemporaneous civic functionaries'. Their profiles emerge when flexibility is based on history. I want to designate 'existential rationality' to the motivating mechanism that seems to at the same time force changes and lean on own experiences. Expressing contemporary self-identity is grounded in the individual tradition as motivationbased values, cultural and geographic conditions.