The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to describe the library development in Sandviken, during a period from 1865 to 1945. I will mainly focus this examination on the two most significant libraries of the period; on one hand the library facilitated by the ironworks company, and on the other hand the library of the Workers’ Educational Association (ABF). This study is carried out within a theoretical framework consisting of the two concepts paternalism and the formative moment, as formulated by Lars Magnusson and Bo Rothstein, respectively. In order to explain the process the development in Sandviken is compared with the general history of the public libraries in Sweden, and specifically with the history of libraries owned by large industrial companies. The results of this study show that the library of the iron works company represents the strategy of paternalism, strongly associated with the Swedish bruk, or company town. However, the employers’ use of cultural and social reforms as a means of exercising control over the workforce, is challenged by the counter culture of the labour movement. In this case, the ABF library managed to grow and gain influence through its connections with the labour movement on the national level. This status made it possible for the ABF library to take advantage of the formative moment, and thus shape the future of the libraries in Sandviken.

Today's environmental problems have serious results and have been created by human actions. The loss of biological diversity is one of the results and the world's ecosystem is in a critical situation. To recover, biodiversity needs more political action. As one of the most important political and economic organizations in the world, the EU has a major role to play. The aim of the essay is to examine how the EU's efforts to protect biological diversity between 1987 and 2022 have changed in terms of content, tools for policy and the sovereignty of member states. The essay uses a qualitative case study methodology to achieve a detailed analysis of a specific phenomenon. With the help of historical institutionalism, the EU's path towards a policy for the protection of biological diversity is examined. Formative moments are identified, and the EU's path dependence shown, to show how institutional change creates the conditions for what is politically feasible. The conclusion is that the EU's politic for biological diversity has gradually grown in step with the actualization of treaties, cooperation within the Union and international attitude and that the sovereignty of the member states will be limited to allow cross-border environmental activities.

Sverigedemokraterna är det enda partiet i Sverige som ökat antalet röster på alla nivåer sedan bildandet. Syftet med denna uppsats är att försöka identifiera vilka orsaker som kan förklara Sverigedemokraternas framgångar. För att göra detta har historie-institutionalismen, nedfrysningsteorin och diffusionsteorin använts. Vidare analyseras framgångarna även genom de olika – såväl endogena som exogena – faktorer sociologiprofessor Jens Rydgren tar upp. Resultatet visar att Sverigedemokraterna ända sedan bildandet 1988 haft en tydligt planerad strategi som hela tiden anpassats utifrån partiets storlek. / Since the inceptions of the democratic election system in Sweden the Sweden Democrats is the only party which has shown a continuously increasing numbers of voters. The aim of this essay is to try to identify the causes of the success of the Sweden Democrats.  In doing so, the thesis will apply historical-institutionalism, refrigeration theory and diffusion theory to this historical event. It will also analyze both endogenous and exogenous factors outlined by Professor Jens Rydgren with reference to the party's precedent history. The result shows that the Sweden Democrats since its foundation in 1988 has had a clear and planned strategy which has been constantly adjusted to the size of the party. / <p>2011-06-03</p>