In 1996, Guatemala achieved peace after 36 years of civil war which took root in the political and social oppression of the country’s vast indigenous population. To counter the country’s widespread poverty, inequality and ongoing political and social frustrations the Guatemalan government adopted a liberal peace building agenda by ‘globalizing’ its economy and by decentralizing the political and economic process. Through this process, Guatemala has achieved a democracy which is accepted by western standards as well as the classification of a middle income country. However, the vast, and predominately rural, indigenous population has been left behind in this progress; it is estimated that 7 out 10 indigenous Guatemalans today are facing more or less severe livelihood conditions below the poverty line, why Guatemala remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. The government now hopes to overcome the shortcomings in the rural sector by stimulating local agricultural projects and ideas which are anchored in the many and various territorially strengths and challenges throughout Guatemala’s countryside; the intention is, in other words, to encourage a stronger local control over the development process.This study explores the conditions for, and the relevance of, local ownership of development in terms of livelihood improvements in Yalambojoch, one indigenous agriculture community in one of the poorest and most war torn regions in Guatemala. An abductive field work with a holistic livelihood-approach has been necessary in order to localize more or less obvious factors that are trapping the village in poverty, and to understand to what degree poverty is determined by the village’s level of autonomy, or ownership, over its development process. The results shows that the village's low livelihood level is determined by agricultural insufficiency, poor access to crucial services and political and socio economic isolation. The village's empowerment is restricted to protection of territory, which reproduces a context in which a more participant autonomy in a wider societal setting is thwarted, where external development projects are often reluctantly rejected due to local mistrust, frustration and discontentment with governmental as well as private agencies and where the livelihood situation consequently remains essentially static.

Denna studie om nollalternativ i en miljökonsekvensbeskrivning utgör ett examensarbete inom masterprogrammet i Miljövård och fysisk planering på för naturgeografi och kvartärgeologi vid Stockholms universitet. Examensarbetet har även tagits fram i samarbete med WSP Samhällsbyggnad. I dagsläget tycks det saknas en entydig samsyn över hur nollalternativ i en MKB ska formuleras och hanteras. Med anledning av det har syftet med denna studie varit att utforska vilka förhållningssätt som finns till nollalternativet i en MKB samt att försöka ge en ökad förståelse för hur nollalternativet i en MKB bör hanteras. Därför redogör denna studie för vilket syfte och funktion nollalternativet fyller i en MKB tillsammans med de aspekter som bör beaktas vid hanteringen av nollalternativ i en MKB. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av fyra olika metoder som gemensamt bör kunna besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar. För att bidra med en ökad förståelse kopplas den erhållna empirin till teorier om förutsägelse, osäkerhet och scenarier i en MKB. Resultatet i studien visar att syftet med nollalternativ i en MKB är att sätt den tänka planen eller projektet i en kontext och fyller därmed en betydelsefull funktion. I en MKB är det viktigt att belysa den osäkerhet som råder i de förutsägelser som görs om framtiden och ligger till grund för de bedömningar som görs. Detta gäller även för nollalternativet. Med anledning av osäkerheten är det även nödvändigt att överväga ifall det i alla lägen är lämpligt att nollalternativet utgör ett referensalternativ i relation till de övriga alternativen i MKB:n. I miljöbalken finns det även två definitioner av nollalternativet, beroende på ifall det är en plan eller projekt som ska miljökonsekvensbeskrivas. Denna skillnad är däremot inte alltid synlig i praktiken. Under studiens gång har det framkommit att det finns en efterfrågan om råd och rekommendationer för hantering av nollalternativ i en MKB. En förhoppning är därmed att denna studie ska generera en ökad kunskap om hanteringen av nollalternativ i en MKB. / This study of the zero alternatives in an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) constitutes a thesis in the Master's program in Environmental Management and Physical Planning at the Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology at Stockholm University. The work has also been produced in collaboration with WSP Civils. In the current situation, it seems to lack a clear consensus over how the zero alternatives in an EIA should be formulated and managed. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes towards the zero alternatives (or the no-action alternative) in an EIA and try to give a better understanding of how the alternative should be managed. Therefore, this study describes what the purpose and function of the zero alternatives have in an EIA, together with the aspects that should be considered when dealing with zero alternatives in an EIA. The study was conducted using four different methods that together should be able to answer the study's purpose and issues. To provide a better understanding the empirical data was connected to theories of prediction, uncertainties and scenarios in an EIA. The results of the study indicate that the purpose of the zero alternatives in an EIA is to put a plan or a project into context, and therefore fulfill an important function. It is important in an EIA to illustrate the uncertainty that exists in the predictions made about the future, which are the basis for the assessments that are made. This is also important for the zero alternatives. Regarding the uncertainty, it is also necessary to consider whether it in all circumstances is appropriate to use the zero alternatives as a reference alternative in relation to the other alternatives in the EIA. The Swedish Environmental Code also has two definitions that describe the zero alternatives, depending on whether it is a plan or a project the EIA should describe. This distinction is unfortunately not always visible in practice. During the study, it emerged that there is a demand for advice and recommendations for dealing with zero alternatives in an EIA. One hope is that this study will generate a greater knowledge of the handling of zero alternatives in an EIA.

The importance of including indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) and their traditional knowledge (TK) into environmental forums such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is being increasingly recognized. Despite numerousefforts to open up forums and assessment processes to diverse types of knowledge, extensive challenges remain for the full and effective participation of IPLCs at all levels of environmental governance. This paper explores three cases of assessment processes at different levels, where TK has been mobilized for monitoring progress towards Aichi Target 18 of the CBD. Through in-depth interviews with representatives for IPLCs, policy-makers and scientists, the mechanisms for mobilizing TK across scales in ways that are legitimate and credible and fulfill the needs for multiple actors are explored. Findings suggest that community-based monitoring and information systems (CBMIS) have greater potential than top-down approaches for capturing the complexity of social-ecological systems and for monitoring progress towards Aichi Target 18. In addition, CBMIS is embedded in the institutions and ecosystem management of IPLCs, providing a direct link between knowledge and action, hence advancing implementation of the CBD on the ground. However, findings across the three cases also demonstrate that hierarchies between knowledge systems and institutional norms of science constitute substantial barriers for the inclusion of insights and knowledge from local monitoring into national and international processes. Overcoming such barriers requires an increase in focus on the process of knowledge sharing rather than solely on the outcomes. A Multiple Evidence Based Approach, where TK and science are viewed as equally valid knowledge, is suggested as a way forward to mobilize TK in forums such as the CBD. Parallel validation methods and intercultural dialogue between TK-holders, scientists and policy-makers is key for creating processes that are legitimate, credible, and salient among a diversity of actors.

Children are the group of a society that is most vulnerable to the effects of poverty and inequality.Street children, particularly, could represent the ultimate misfortune of poverty and inequality. The problem is enlarged by the indication that the number of street children around the world isincreasing in pace with increasing social inequality. This study departs from a rights-based approach of research informed by United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The purpose of this study is to compare Brazil and South Africa in their levels of commitment to children's rights, specifically in making internationaland national laws and regulations widely known and enforced in their respective societies, measured through the knowledge and perceptions of NGO-staff not only as professionals, but also as private citizens. The main data sources used were email-surveys and telephone interviews with NGO-staff, alongside with analysis of the CRC and the national child protection regulations in Brazil and South Africa. The main findings of this study represent a step towards covering some of the gaps in the researchliterature concerning street children. These findings are that Brazil and South Africa do not fully cover the contents of the CRC into their national child protection laws. The other finding regards the fact that Brazilian NGOs working with street children do not make consistent use of the national institutions responsible for the protection of children's rights. South African institutions, on theother hand, do make use of the national institutions responsible for the protection of children's rights.

This thesis aims at investigating women’s force in development through engagement in informal, small-scale entrepreneurship. During fieldwork in Babati, Tanzania, network analyses and semi-structured interviews have been conducted, capturing responsibilities, challenges and opportunities of informal women entrepreneurs. The theoretical framework centres socio-economic analyses, through development and feminist economics. Two theories, about development through capital accumulation and cumulative processes, are compared and supplemented with a gender and empowerment perspective. The results are presented through narratives, complemented with a general picture. It is concluded that informal female entrepreneurs are important in development of Babati. They face challenges due to economic, social and gender-related conditions such as lack of capital, high interest rates, poverty, lack of education, malfunctioning government, discouraging men, and increased workload from domestic responsibilities. Their complex, informal networks, based on cooperation and solidarity, are seen as a driver in development. Top-down policies that fight gender norms, empower women, and identify informal workers can improve their situation, but for these to trickle down, a bottom-up approach is required. This thesis pushes for recognising that people living in poverty contribute to economic growth and development, and that empowerment of informal women entrepreneurs is essential for a profound, pro-poor development that trickles up.

Vårt syfte med undersökningen är att synliggöra hur undersköterskor upplever det administrativa arbetet som elektronisk dokumentation innebär samt hur skiftet från pappersdokumentation till elektronisk dokumentation upplevs. Vi har genomfört en kvalitativ undersökning med åtta undersköterskor, fem enskilda intervjuer och en gruppintervju på tre personer, studien utfördes på ett äldreboende. Vi undersöker hur personalen upplever att elektronisk dokumentation påverkar deras dagliga arbete. Resultatet visar att personalen anser att förändringen gjort att arbetsbelastningen och oron har ökat, detta eftersom det har skett förändringar i arbetsfördelningen i förvaltningen och att elektronisk dokumentation leder till ytterligare ett arbetsmoment för undersköterskorna på älderboendet. Personalen upplever att dokumentationen är detsamma som innan med pappers dokumentation eftersom dokumentation alltid har gjorts, utan att det är själva utförandet som har förändrats. Det uppkom att vissa upplever arbetsbelastning och oro för att hantera datorn samt att möjligheten att skriva fel i anteckningarna. Detta beror på många anledningar, såsom skriva för långsamt vilket gör att tiden försvinner från kunderna, att personen inte vågar erkänna att denne inte kan hantera datorn, de vet inte vad de ska skriva och behöver mer utbildning inom området. Genom att ta hjälp av varandra och chefernas stöd upplever personalen att de kan hantera de administrativa arbetsuppgifterna, men att det kan behövas mer utbildning för de som upplever oro i arbetsmomentet. De flesta respondenterna ansåg, att elektronisk dokumentation har skapat möjligheter och är tidsbesparande, så har de fått möjligheter att skapa en bättre vardag för sina kunder, då de hade mer tid till dem. Administrationsuppgifterna i sig har inte ökat, menar respondenterna, utan det är arbetsfördelningen som har förändrats vilket innebär att undersköterskorna utför mer administration än tidigare. De som är märkvärt är hur de anställda kan hantera den förändrade arbetsfördelningen och de nya rutinerna bakom denna

This essay examines the historical development of group rights for cultural minorities in Sweden between the years 1970 and 2010. The purpose of the study is to analyze the development of political measures taken at government level for different minority groups, foremost explaining the division that have arisen between measures aimed at the five national minorities, the Sámi, the Swedish Finns, the Roma, the Jews and the Tornedalians, and measures directed at other ethnic groups. My conclusions are that the division in Swedish public policy between one the one hand national minorities, and on the other hand immigrant groups, is in no way self-evident. The division has arisen from an international standard on how democratic states, such as Sweden, should treat their cultural minorities. Further, this division has had an immense impact in shaping public policy as well as determining the type of group rights introduced for minority groups in Sweden. A difference has also been found in how the minorities are perceived by state actors. Immigrant groups are currently perceived as less entitled to group rights due to their short presence in Sweden, whereas national minorities are seen as more entitled to group rights due to their long historic presence in the country. However, as this essay shows, this view has not always been the prevailing view in Swedish politics in the 1970s and the 1980s, a time when national minorities had little or no say in matters concerning minority rights.

Bioplastics (BPs) can be defined as plastics made of biomass such as corn and sugarcane. These substances have been increasingly spotlighted as means to saving fossil fuels, reducing CO2 emission and plastic wastes. Biodegradability of BPs has been widely publicized in society and the demand for packaging is rapidly increasing among retailers and the food industry at large. However, there is little consensus on actual impacts of BPs production. This thesis therefore aims to identify current strengths and weaknesses and future threats and opportunities and leverage points for the bioplastics industry in a move towards sustainability?” The Strategic Life Cycle Management (SLCM) and Templates for Sustainable Product Development (TSPD) approaches were used to reveal current ecological and social impacts in relation to Sustainability Principles from the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Various sustainability challenges and opportunities were identified. Most threats were in agricultural production and in the disposal of products. Compelling measures for the BP industry include: having a consensus in BPs applications based on strategic sustainable development, universal labelling and recycling systems for BPs, government strategic policies to encourage research into new technologies in improving biodegradability and energy efficiency in manufacturing.

As the global sustainability challenge intensifies, food has emerged as a critical issue in sustainable development. Growing food within city limits, or urban agriculture (UA), is one way to help increase access to fresh, local, healthy food for everyone while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts. While UA is increasing on a global scale, it is not always being supported in a strategic manner. This thesis explores the opportunity of how UA can be supported to help move cities towards sustainability. Current UA practices were evaluated based on information from literature and interviews using the five-level framework method. As a way to help provide guidance in strategic planning, the framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) was utilized, introducing the concepts of a full-system perspective, a principle-based definition of sustainability, and backcasting. Combining current UA success principles, stakeholder input, and the FSSD, an enhanced planning guide was created as a tool to help cities better plan for UA.

An excellent transportation system is integral for Shanghai as it aims for sustainable development. Decision-making has a far-reaching impact on transportation, which should be improved and supplied with assistance. This thesis aims to design a tool based on a Decision Support System (DSS) named the Transportation Sustainability Decision Support System (TSDSS). The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) is a key element that was integrated in the TSDSS which will guide the users to backcast from sustainability principles to be strategic in moving transportation in Shanghai towards sustainability. The TSDSS has 3 modules based on the ABCD method and 4 base systems including a Database System, a Model Base System, a Method Base System and a Knowledge Base System, which are designed to help Shanghai’s transportation system move in the right direction towards sustainability.