The 2008-2009 global financial crisis, and the protracted European sovereign debt and banking crisis that followed, re-shaped the institutions that govern Europe’s financial system. Despite demands for comprehensive and integrated reform, patterns of regulatory change varied significantly across core elements of the financial system. Through case studies of the banking, securities, insurance and pensions sectors, this study documents the emergence of a patchwork of European financial regulatory institutions that entail new divisions in the responsibilities held by the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), and domestic governments. Employing an historical institutional framework, the study finds that the distribution of financial regulatory authority between member states and the European Union preceding the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis was instrumental in shaping changes to EU regulatory institutions during and in the immediate aftermath of the crises. Sectoral variation in levels of regulatory integration among member states prior to the crises shaped state preferences and predisposed institutions to particular patterns of institutional change. Where high levels of regulatory integration existed before the crisis, EU institutions expanded through a process of institutional layering, gradually hardening enforcement mechanisms, extending regulation to new markets, and issuing more binding technical standards. This contrasts with the displacement in the locus of supervisory authority experienced in the creation of a European banking union in 2013, in which supervisory control over eurozone banks was transferred from domestic authorities to the ECB. Low-levels of regulatory integration are found to have been a necessary condition for this transformative change to occur, while the protracted eurozone sovereign debt crisis is found to have provided a period of heightened contingency during which the ECB was able to exert significant political agency at the European Council to effect the resulting shift. In explaining the emergence of a complex financial regulatory system in Europe after 2008, the study contributes to deeper understanding of the political processes that shape the evolution and integration of national and international institutions of economic governance in the early 21st century. / Political Science

Interaction between the civil society and the state has increased in modern democracies. This thesis analyzes the forms and dynamics of the interaction between civil society and governmental institutions in Skåne about the issue of refugee reception. This is done by examining two overarching research questions: 1. How, why and between which actors interaction occurs; and 2. How interaction develops over time and which factors influence the changing nature of the interaction. With the theoretical framework of civil society and state relations, governance, social movements and critical junctures, a research model is developed to analyze the case of interaction between the spheres in Skåne. The research model is based upon semi-structured interviews with governmental institutions and representatives from civil society organizations. The development of the interaction is described through the framework of critical junctures, showing the interaction developed with an intention of increased interaction and participation, while being cautious of the independence and neutrality of the civil society at the same time. The results show that the interaction occurs through partnership, networks, funding and personal informal interaction. Shared goals and the intention of increasing interaction because it is believed to better solve the complex problems are reasons for interaction. The empirical findings point at factors such as ideological affinity, structure, resources and experience to be important to gain access to the interaction. Another important conclusion is the lack of representation of certain valuable perspectives, such as Muslim organizations or free churches. The issue of representation stems mostly from structural factors and lack of resources. Relations between the civil society and governmental institutions in Skåne has grown closer, and the interaction is complex and dynamic. Together, the spheres address the complex issue of refugee reception. It is characterized by a mutual respect and an awareness of the necessity of an independent and neutral civil society. In spite of problems with representation, the interaction does facilitate knowledge exchange and increases adaptability to complexity. It has increased the overall participation in interaction between the spheres.

Under 50- och 60-talet i USA växte bilismen och städer byggde väldigt mycket motorvägar. Trots detta började då i Washington, D.C. det förlopp som skulle leda till att de fick en tunnelbana på 70-talet. Denna uppsats studerar hur denna osannolika och oväntade tunnelbana kunde uppstå med hjälp av teorin om stigberoende.Genom att använda teorin om stigberoende som ett analytiskt verktyg, identifierar denna uppsats följande: (1) vilka små händelser, även kallade formativa moment, som startade processen att ge D.C. en tunnelbana, (2) den resulterande kedja av händelser, även kallade reaktiva sekvenser, vilka ledde tunnelbanerörelsen till den punkt där den upplevde självförstärkande processer. (3) Dessa självförstärkande processer, vilka slutligen resulterade i uppkomsten av tunnelbanan i D.C.Uppsatsen identifierar tre relativt små händelser som genom olika kedjor av reaktiva sekvenser leder till att kongressen, år 1965, beviljar tunnelbanan pengar vilket, genom efterföljande självförstärkande processer, säkerställer tunnelbanans uppkomst. / During the 50's and the 60's automobile usage in the United States grew significantly and cities constructed extensive highway networks. In spite of these trends, key events in the 1950's initiated a process that would result in the construction of the Washington, D.C. Metro System – one of the first metro systems built since the 1920's. By applying the Path Dependence Theory and examining narratives of actors and events in Washington, D.C. that influenced the development of the metro during that time, this paper shows how this unlikely and unexpected process occurred.Using the Path Dependence Theory as an analytical tool, this paper identifies the following: (1) certain small events, also known as critical junctures, which started the process of giving DC a metro; (2) the resulting chain of events, also known as reactive sequences, which allowed the metro (movement) to reach the point at which it experienced self-reinforcing processes; (3) these self-reinforcing processes, which finally resulted in the genesis of the metro in DC.The paper concludes that three relatively small events, through different chains of reactive sequences, led to Congress granting the metro funds in 1965 – which then brought about self- reinforcing processes that ensured the metro's genesis. / To be translated into English (upon request).; Appendix included.

Recent damage to the Nord Stream pipelines 1 and 2 has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the critical undersea infrastructure which our modern societies so heavily depend on. As our societies turn more dependent on these undersea systems- the question of the security, protection and resilience of critical undersea infrastructure is put to the forefront. In an European context both the policy of EU and NATO is analyzed to examine how two of the European institutions with the highest decision-making capacity is responding to the situation. Through qualitative content analysis, the research paper aims to delve into the development of European critical underwater infrastructure. With a theory testing perspective both critical junctures theory and securitization theory is applied to the specific event of the Nord Stream-sabotage and its following aftermath. The results of the study implied, through operationalized criteria, that a) the Nord Stream-sabotage could be seen as a critical juncture in relation to the development of the critical undersea infrastructure and b) confirmed the securitization of European critical undersea infrastructure.

Le but de ce mémoire est d’analyser l’évolution de la politique africaine du Brésil et des relations Brésil-Afrique, en mettant l’accent sur les changements apportés par le président Lula da Silva depuis son arrivé au pouvoir en 2003. La portée du travail couvre la période allant du milieu des années 1980 jusqu’en 2015, alors se prolongeant dans l’administration de Dilma Rousseff. Il suit le cadre théorique proposé par David Collier et Ruth Collier (1991) relatif aux conjonctures critiques, incluant quelques adaptations pour le contexte de cette recherche. L’étude est divisée en quatre chapitres, en partant d’une revue de littérature, suivie par une analyse de l’engagement brésilien en Afrique entre 1985 et 2002. Les deux derniers chapitres se concentrent, respectivement, sur la conjoncture critique hypothétique et sur l’héritage de la nouvelle politique africaine du Brésil. Le travail termine par tirer des conclusions ainsi que par souligner des contributions pour l’étude de la politique étrangère du Brésil, y compris sur l’applicabilité des modèles théoriques peu utilisés dans le domaine, tels que celui des conjonctures critiques. / The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse the evolution of Brazil’s African policy and Brazil-African relations, lending particular emphasis to those changes brought by President Lula da Silva since his accession to power in 2003. The scope of the work covers the period from the mid-1980s through 2015, extending into President Dilma Rousseff‘s administration. It follows the theoretical framework proposed by David Collier and Ruth Collier (1991) on critical junctures, including some adaptations to the context of the present research. The study is divided into four main chapters, starting with the literature review, followed by an analysis of Brazil’s African engagement between 1985 and 2002. Immediately after, the two remaining chapters, respectively, focus on the hypothesized critical juncture and the legacy of Brazil’s new African policy. The work closes by drawing conclusions and stating its contribution to the broader study of Brazil’s foreign policy, including the applicability of underexplored theoretical models in the field, such as the critical junctures framework. / O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar a evolução da política africana do Brasil e as relações Brasil-África, dando ênfase especial às mudanças trazidas pelo Presidente Lula da Silva desde sua ascensão ao poder em 2003. O escopo do trabalho cobre o período desde os meados dos anos 1980 até 2015, estendendo-se até a administração da Presidente Dilma Rousseff. O arcabouço teórico escolhido é aquele proposto por David Collier and Ruth Collier (1991) que focaliza conjunturas críticas, incluindo algumas adaptações para o contexto da presente pesquisa. O estudo é dividido em quatro capítulos principais, iniciando pela revisão de literatura, seguida de uma análise do comprometimento africano do Brasil entre 1985 e 2002. Logo a seguir, os dois capítulos restantes focalizam, respectivamente, a conjuntura crítica hipotetizada e o legado da nova política africana do Brasil. O trabalho finaliza apresentando conclusões e afirmando sua contribuição para o estudo mais abrangente da política exterior do Brasil, incluindo-se a aplicabilidade de modelos teóricos pouco explorados na área, tais como a perspectiva das conjunturas críticas.

The aim of this study is to analyse the Moderate Party and the Swedish Democrats idea development in the issue of migration in 2010-2018. The inquiry consists of the following two research questions. How has the Moderate Party and the Swedish Democrats positions regarding migration developed in 2010-2018? How can institutional theories explain the Moderate Party and the Swedish Democrats idea development? The study is encompassed by three theoretical perspectives also recognised as rational-choice institutionalism, historical institutionalism and discursive institutionalism. In regard to the methodological approach, the study employs the comparative case study design with the most-similar system and is essentially an idea analytical study. The main results reveal that both the Moderate Party and the Swedish Democrats have adjusted their migration policies but to different degrees. The Swedish Democrats promote similar policies in 2010 as in 2018 with smaller alterations while the Moderate Party has customised larger alterations, distinguishing the party’s migration policy from 2010 and 2018. These policy alterations are primarily explained as a result of rational action, societal discourses and critical junctures.

本文以「歷史制度主義」為途徑，去分析毛澤東時期「二線分工」的運作與變遷。並就「歷史制度主義」的三個主要觀點，包括「路徑依賴」、「關鍵點」以及「漸續平衡」為架構，去鋪陳本文的論證。 首先，在「路徑依賴」上，本文認為因「民主集中制」的矛盾，使得中共政治在運作上，衍生出另一套非正式制度以修補之。而「二線分工」就是這套非正式制度，其目的是為了防制「民主集中制」的三項缺失，包括權力集中、非正式政治的影響以及政治繼承的危機。是故，只要中共堅持「民主集中制」，則「二線分工」就會成為一項路徑依賴，以修補「民主集中制」的缺失。毛時期「二線分工」的起點是在一九五六年九月的八大，該會決議重組中央書記處，以作為和中央政治局分工的機構。因此，開啟了毛時期「二線分工」的運作。 其次，在「關鍵點」的改變上，以一九五九年四月，毛辭去國家主席，退居政務二線為重要的關鍵。促成該關鍵點的成因上，可以「內因」和「外因」分別說明之。「內因」是起於反右運動、大躍進運動以來，逐步繁瑣的內政事務，使得毛決心辭去國家主席，以減輕工作負擔。「外因」則起於中蘇關係的惡化，使得毛有意識的了解培養革命繼承人的重要性，遂將劉少奇扶植至政務一線，以培養其接班能力。 最後，在「漸續平衡」上，在歷經一九五九年四月的「關鍵點」後，中共的「二線分工」運作由原來的「優勢政治」型演變為「權力平衡」型。在「關鍵點」之前，毛集黨務、政務一線於一身，可以直接參與黨務與政務決策的制定，因此呈現出以毛為主的「優勢政治」運作。但在「關鍵點」之後，毛雖仍居黨務一線，但因退居政務二線，所以大幅減少對於重要會議的直接參與，部分決策權轉移至劉少奇、鄧小平手中，故乃呈現出一、二線互為抗衡的「權力平衡」型。 本文在最後的結論，將討論毛時期立下的「二線分工」運作，對於後毛時期的延續性。此外，將提出中共政治的「二線分工」模式，以做為本論文的研究發現與研究成果。 / In the political regime of CCP, democratic centralism is the formal system of an organized form. “Two-front arrangement” is informal system, which is used to renovate three defects of democratic centralism, including the effects of informal system, power centralization, and the crisis of political successor. This article is used three concepts of ”historical institutionalism”, which are path dependence, critical juncture, and punctured equilibrium, to explain the transition of “two-front arrangement” in CCP. First, in the path dependence, “two-front arrangement” is a method used by CCP to repair the deficiency of democratic centralism. Second, the path of “two-front arrangement” was gone through two critical junctures of transition, one is the CCP twelve party congress in 1982, and two is the CCP sixteenth party congress in 2002. At last, the results of these critical junctures produced new punctured equilibrium . The work of “two-front arrangement” changed to patron-client type after the CCP twelve party congress and evolved to functional type after the CCP sixteenth party congress. The change of “two-front arrangement” is gradually evolving to some kinds of institutionalization. From the random type in Mao’s era, the patron-client type in Deng’s era, to the functional type in Jiang’s era, we can find that the “two-front arrangement” has remarkable function to repair three defects of democratic centralism as time went by. So we can take it as the formation of institutionalization. We analyze the “two-front arrangement” during Mao Zedong’s era. “First-front” leaders are those who participated in the policy-making process directly while leaders on the “second-front” are referred to those who only indirectly involved in the process. The article argues that the best way to identify leaders in their affiliation in the “two-fronts” division of work is to have a detailed breakdown on personnel in the highest decision-making bodies, the Politburo and the Central Secretariat. We divide Chinese leadership during Mao’s era into four categories according to official document and reputation and status of the leaders. The article further delineates the operation of the “two-front arrangement” according to the division of work between the party and the state, charisma of the leaders and formal institutions. At the end, we try to assess the impact of the “two-fronts” model on Chinese politics.