The purpose of this thesis is to modify the image of pre-industrial towns as towns of minor importance, i.e. passive and with low population and agrarian economical structure. The questions linked to the theoretical problem of this study are derived from these arguments. The towns studied here are Skänninge and Vadstena, situated in the inner region of southern Sweden in the province of Östergötland, two towns that have been considered marginal, at least from the 17th century onward. The first main question of the study concerns the urban demography and addresses the quantity and the structure of the urban population. By using different sorts of sources, such as tax registers, council records and municipality registers and letters from individuals to the authorities, it has been possible to produce some results that stand in sharp contrast to prior research. The modified population figures in Vadstena and in Skänninge alter the traditional image of these towns, both in respect to their size and social composition. The greatest contrast to prior research concerns the craftsmen, which raises the interesting question of how important small towns were for the development of pre-industrial technology. In the mid-17th century there were numerous national institutions based in Vadstena and its role as an administrative and military centre is thus clearly illustrated. A great number of people were linked to these institutions and accordingly they accounted for an important part of the population. Skänninge lacked such national institutions, and this accounted for a very important difference between these towns. Also the second main issue of the study of the 'social interface' has lead to a number of important conclusions. The 'social interfaces' which are registered in this study had a wide geographical range but it is also proven that the contacts were related to nearly all socio-economical categories in Sweden at that time. Tradition requires the historians to study the problem from the central power's viewpoint. If one chooses a local perspective instead and takes an introspective look at the towns, one will find that they were less static than argued by prior research. Rather, they were distinguished by a dynamic character which appears to be an exiting field of research. / <p>Bilagorna är endast tillgängliga i den elektroniska versionen.</p>

<p>Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilken roll livsmedelsbutikerna har när det gäller att öka efterfrågan och konsumtionen av lokalproducerade livsmedel. Faktorer så som utbud, prissättning, variation samt marknadsföring och exponering har undersökts. Studien omfattar totalt 15 butiker i Gävle, Sandviken, Hofors, Ockelbo och Järvsö, och har varit en del av projektet,”Ditt val spelar roll –Konsumentens roll i den moderna livsmedelsproduktionen”, som är ett samarbete mellan Länsstyrelsen i Gävleborg och Högskolan i Gävle. Undersökningen har genomförts genom att enkäter har skickats ut till de 15 butikscheferna. Totalt returnerades 9 enkäter. Resultatet av studien visar att livsmedelsbutikerna spelar en betydande roll när det gäller att öka efterfrågan och konsumtionen av lokalproducerade livsmedel. Butikscheferna upplever dock att ett antal faktorer försvårar utökandet av det lokalproducerade sortimentet, till exempel centralstyrning, litet utbud av lokalproducerade livsmedel, höga inköpspriser samt relativt liten efterfrågan. Faktorer som skulle kunna leda till ett ökat lokalt sortiment är minskad centralstyrning och framtagande av en märkning, liknande den som används på ekologiska produkter.</p> / <p>The aim of the study is to examine which role the food shops have when it comes to increasing demand and consumption of local produced food. Factors as ranges, pricing, variation, marketing and exposure have been examined. The study covers totally 15 shops in Gävle, Sandviken, Hofors, Ockelbo och Järvsö and has been carried out as a part of the project.,”Ditt val spelar roll –Konsumentens roll i den moderna livsmedelsproduktionen”, that is a cooperation between the county administration in Gävleborg and the University of Gävle. The study was implemented through that each of the fifteen shop manager got a questionnaire. Nine questionnaires where returned. The result of the study shows that the food shops play a significant role when it comes to increasing demand and the consumption of local produced food. The shop managers experience however that a number of factors hamper the increase of the local produced assortment, for example central control, too small ranges of local produced food, high purchase pinches and relatively small demand. Factors that could evil to an increased local assortment are slimmed-down central control and developing of a labeling, similar the one used on ecological products.</p>

Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilken roll livsmedelsbutikerna har när det gäller att öka efterfrågan och konsumtionen av lokalproducerade livsmedel. Faktorer så som utbud, prissättning, variation samt marknadsföring och exponering har undersökts. Studien omfattar totalt 15 butiker i Gävle, Sandviken, Hofors, Ockelbo och Järvsö, och har varit en del av projektet,”Ditt val spelar roll –Konsumentens roll i den moderna livsmedelsproduktionen”, som är ett samarbete mellan Länsstyrelsen i Gävleborg och Högskolan i Gävle. Undersökningen har genomförts genom att enkäter har skickats ut till de 15 butikscheferna. Totalt returnerades 9 enkäter. Resultatet av studien visar att livsmedelsbutikerna spelar en betydande roll när det gäller att öka efterfrågan och konsumtionen av lokalproducerade livsmedel. Butikscheferna upplever dock att ett antal faktorer försvårar utökandet av det lokalproducerade sortimentet, till exempel centralstyrning, litet utbud av lokalproducerade livsmedel, höga inköpspriser samt relativt liten efterfrågan. Faktorer som skulle kunna leda till ett ökat lokalt sortiment är minskad centralstyrning och framtagande av en märkning, liknande den som används på ekologiska produkter. / The aim of the study is to examine which role the food shops have when it comes to increasing demand and consumption of local produced food. Factors as ranges, pricing, variation, marketing and exposure have been examined. The study covers totally 15 shops in Gävle, Sandviken, Hofors, Ockelbo och Järvsö and has been carried out as a part of the project.,”Ditt val spelar roll –Konsumentens roll i den moderna livsmedelsproduktionen”, that is a cooperation between the county administration in Gävleborg and the University of Gävle. The study was implemented through that each of the fifteen shop manager got a questionnaire. Nine questionnaires where returned. The result of the study shows that the food shops play a significant role when it comes to increasing demand and the consumption of local produced food. The shop managers experience however that a number of factors hamper the increase of the local produced assortment, for example central control, too small ranges of local produced food, high purchase pinches and relatively small demand. Factors that could evil to an increased local assortment are slimmed-down central control and developing of a labeling, similar the one used on ecological products.