This study applies a post-structural discourse analysis developed by Carol Bacchi, called the WPR-approach, on both Estonia's and the Czech Republic's cyber security policy with the purpose of comparing it to the Swedish cyber security policy. It utilizes Foucauldian ideas about how policy creates rather than discovers “problems'' through representation, and what effects this can have. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the government's work to strengthen Swedish society's cyber security policies, which includes both the public and private sectors, through analysis and comparison of two previously vulnerable countries' policy documents. By previously exposed countries is meant here exposed to socially disruptive cyber-attacks. The results show that many of the identified fundamental problems in the two equivalent policies are not taken into care by the Swedish policy. A conclusion is drawn that the Swedish cybersecurity strategy seems to fail to sufficiently address in what way knowledge-raising measures are needed, especially at the strategic levels. This is important for enabling an overall positive cyber security climate which probably affects how well cyber security will be integrated in ordinary business processes. Lack of sufficient incentive structures seem equally important to acknowledge as well as to investigate further, and perhaps there is also a need for a more ambitious approach as well as a less vague view on responsibility. Finally, as other researchers suggest, there is an urgent need to conduct significantly more research in the interdisciplinary field of cyber security. / <p>2022-05-25</p>

Klimatförändringar och säkerhet har gradvis framträtt som en viktig fråga. Klimatsäkerhet har länge förespråkats inom EU men möts av motstånd på grund av ihopkopplandet av klimat och säkerhet. Syftet med denna studie är att studera hur problemrepresentationer inom en kontroversiell fråga som klimatsäkerhet har för effekter på beslutsfattande och konstruktioners påverkan på integrationsprocesser. Utifrån diskursanalytisk metod kunde problemkonstruktionen och dess förändringar följas. Ett flertal konstruktioner och underliggande antaganden framkom, vilket uppvisade ett flertal indikationer. EU:s positionering som global aktör, dess försök till legitimerande av kunskap och sin syn på vem som har ansvaret. Resultaten visar hur konstruktionerna eventuellt kan rättfärdiga och leda till ytterligare integration, på grund av hur man representerar problemen. Analysen bidrar till en bredare förståelse i hur ett problem representeras kan leda till reella effekter.

The European Union and Africa have sought to establish tight economic and political relations after the era of colonialism. However, European colonialism in the African continent has left behind colonial legacies that are still present in the postcolonial world. Contemporary EU- Africa relations have aimed to transcend the conventional donor-recipient relationship shaped by colonial legacies, towards a more equal and mutually beneficial partnership. Such a partnership of equals has been a declared goal of the current European Commission outlined in the EU-Africa Strategy “Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa”. This thesis aims to examine the partnership and power relations between the EU and the AU, seeking to answer the question of how the EU constructs Africa as an equal partner in the EU- Africa Strategy. This thesis entails theoretical and analytical frameworks combining two critical approaches, postcolonial theory and the WPR method. By applying these frameworks to the thesis, the findings reveal that the EU constructs Africa as a dependent partner through pragmatic discourse on partnership, due to the deep-seated remnants of colonial structures within the EU-Africa Strategy. These colonial structures position the EU as a dominant actor providing support for the dependent actor, Africa, implying that the partnership is based on asymmetrical power relations between the two actors. This research attempts to contribute to the somewhat underdeveloped canon of postcolonial approaches to EU-Africa relations and highlight the suitability of a postcolonial approach for this type of research.

Although the reality of Swedish race relations is very complex, Sweden presents itself to the world as a colorblind utopia where race does not exist. Since the mid-1900s, Sweden has embraced an anti-racist rhetoric that developed into post-racism and colorblindness, where race is not seen, and racial discrimination is not acknowledged as a societal problem. This study seeks to problematize the complexities of Swedish post-racism and colorblindness. By drawing on previous research, it is clear that the Swedish hegemony has not been thoroughly deconstructed, which necessitates further studies in this area. By drawing on the WPR approach to poststructural policy analysis, this study looks at how Swedish law is influenced by the narratives of colorblindness and details the shortcomings of excluding the term ‘race’ from legislation. Furthermore, this study employs expert interviews to access the knowledge of experts on how colorblindness and post-racism came to be. It is concluded in this thesis that the post-racist and colorblind perception of Sweden influences Swedish law in negative ways and that the removal of the term race is a denial of the existence of a racial hierarchy in Sweden.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka Jämställdhetsmyndighetens styrdokument. Undersökningen görs på två sätt, och de svarar mot var sin frågeställning: det ena är en diskursanalys, som utgår från Ernesto Laclau och Chantal Mouffes diskursteori och begrepp. Den ska svara på frågan om vilka diskursiva begrepp som används i styrdokumentet. Det andra är Carol Bacchi’s sex frågor, som används för att analysera policydokument. Metoden kallas What’s the problem represented to be, WPR-metoden. WPR-metoden svarar på frågan om vad styrdokumentets problembeskrivning leder till. En kort sammanfattning av resultaten kan vara: de viktigaste diskursiva begreppen som används av Jämställdhetsmyndighetens styrdokument, är ”jämställdhet”, ”mäns våld mot kvinnor”, könen ”kvinna” och ”man”. Och styrdokumentets problembeskrivning leder till ett jämställdhetsarbete i myndigheter som kallas för jämställdhetsintegrering.

The buying of domestic services in Sweden has become an increasingly privatized practice, something that correlates with the global feminization and racialisation of domestic labour. Although RUT deductions within the domestic sector historically have been a criticised phenomenon, it is today representing a politically normalised labour market measure. In using a WPR-method, social constructions of equality in parliamentary debates are examined with the theoretical perspectives of post-colonial feminism. The result indicate that the parliamentary social constructions of equality are connected to a neoliberal narrative where women’s increased time in the labour market equals female emancipation.

In October 2022 the Swedish governing parties and the Sweden Democrats signed an agreement called Tidöavtalet. The aim of this thesis is to explore what the problem regarding criminality is represented to be in that political agreement. To answer the research question the analysis have been based on Carol Bacchi´s methodological and theoretical approach “What´s the problem represented to be?” (WPR) to through the suggested solutions understand the underlying representations of the problem. Additionally, theories of punishment have been used to better understand the material. Following four main problems have been identified: Insufficient laws and punishments, insufficient methods to solve crimes, gang violence and immigration. The method also targets what is left unproblematic and since drug policy and zero tolerance historically have been the salient topic of criminal policy in Sweden, the absence of a discussion regarding drugs in Tidöavtalet was surprising. Furthermore, the rehabilitative process of convicted criminals is also left unproblematic, and the deleterious consequences of incapacitation are not addressed. / <p>2023-06-09</p>

This thesis employs the use of Carol Bacchi's "What's the problem represented to be?"(WPR) approach and sets out to analyze the articulation of sexual harassment in fifteenexisting and current US academia policies. The analysis was completed within the broaderframework of gender theories including radical feminism and intersectionality, examininghow patriarchal systems can or cannot influence the development and application of policydocuments within the context of gender and law. This thesis explores the real and impactfulimplications of policy interventions and scrutinizes the position of sexual harassment being agender-neutral issue and not a gendered one.

This study examines how Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, both state-sponsored media, presented the Israeli prime minister’s first official visit to Bahrain in February 2022. The study aims to show differences in the written presentation of the same news in the light of the two different editorial positions of the two channels. The primary sources of analysis are four online published articles, two from Al-Jazeera and two from Al-Arabiya. The study applies qualitative content analysis and uses the discourse analytical ”What’s the problem represented to be” approach (WPR). WPR was used by posing the same predetermined questions to all articles to reveal differences in each channel’s presentation of the visit. The study finds that Al-Jazeera continues to highlight the negative aspects of Arab normalization with Israel, gives voice to oppositional actors who condemn normalization, and underlines the moral aspects of the visit. On the other hand, Al-Arabiya avoids mentioning any part of normalization or any negative element of such a controversial visit. Instead, Al-Arabiya focused on raising how Israel is now a defense partner in combating terrorism from Iran.

Sweden is one of the most equal countries in the world. Despite this studie show that every fifth woman is subjected to serious sexual violence and 14 percent of women have been subjected to threats of physical violence. Men’s violence against women is a global, societal problem and occurs in all cultures throughout the world. To stop men’s violence against women the Swedish government have made an equality policy goal named “men's violence against women must end”. This essay will examine how Länsstyrelsen Västernorrland och Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland use the national policy about men’s violence against women. With Carol Bacchi's What's the problem represented to be method and poststructuralist theory, the problem representations of the county administration policies, their underlying assumptions and their effects are analyzed. The results show that the problem represented in the county administrations' documents is: lack of routines as a problem, insufficient competence and knowledge as a problem and women as a problem. The analysis also shows that the problem representations originally come from the national strategy and that they create different effects that affect society. / <p>2023-06-20</p>