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This thesis identifies threats to, and strengths in, the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) deployment in East African developing country Rwanda, and discusses what effect these characteristics may have on the long-term sustainability of the project. The main data collection method used is interviews, performed during a two month field study in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. By using a framework based in the field of technology transfer, a comprehensive picture of the project is presented, covering the whole process from early decision making and acquisition to the potential assimilation and development of the technology. The most important strength in the OLPC project has proven to be a strong will and commitment of the local organization as well as the country’s government to see it through. A well-adapted organization of support and technical assistance has also proven to work well so far. However, as the project increase in size over the next few years, several threats are also identified. These threats include a lack of financial means and skilled personnel, strong technical dependency on the OLPC organization and insufficient plans for the future expansion. We argue that the project would become more sustainable if expansions were to cease and a larger focus was put on securing the current deployments.

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This thesis explores a framework for understanding why sustainable consumption could be important to address further in future development of the UN climate change agenda, which has been developed under the Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ultimate objective of the Convention, and objectives concerning equity in relation to developing country needs, have been the target (and the normative warrant) of the study. A multidisciplinary perspective related to policy analysis has been used as a theoretical and methodological research framework. This investigation has focused on four main areas; the policy content of the UNFCCC and some proceeding documents, policy content on sustainable development which have been adopted in UN fora, summaries of research results on greenhouse gas emission trends and global footprints, and lastly, material which convey official standpoints of developing and developed country representatives. A conclusion drawn from this study is that a consumption perspective of sustainable development is found in UN policies on sustainable development, but is largely missing in the current climate change agenda. A second conclusion is that there is a lot of research which back up the thought that a consumption perspective is important in addition to a production perspective. This also seems to be a conclusion which in well established in parts of the UN such as the UNEP, and incorporated in key documents on sustainable development. A third conclusion is that there are reasons to believe that developed country parties will try to downplay a focus on consumption. In total these are the main points which are presented as a framework for understanding why a greater inclusion of sustainable consumption in the agenda could be important.

To feel safe in a city is important for all people as it increases the quality of our lives. Women often feel more unsafe in public spaces compared to men. This study explores how safety aspects are included in the spatial planning of Umeå municipality, both in terms of including safety aspects as lights, but also including people’s opinions about safe places. This has been of interest because men and women have different experiences of feeling safe where women to a greater extent feel unsafe in public areas due to a fear of being attacked and raped. Therefore, it is of interest to study how the municipality works to increase safety for women in public areas. To gain knowledge about safety aspects in spatial planning the study has been based on examining of documents from four different projects in Umeå. One interview was also held with and employee from Umeå municipality for information about safety and equality in spatial planning. The study found that the municipality of Umeå in a large scale includes safety aspects in the spatial planning. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to increase peoples experience of safety in public spaces. The result also showed that it is not only the physical design within a city that can be changed to make a safe city, but also structures and norms that exist in society that must be dealt with and improved in order for women’s experience of safety to be improved.

Capacity challenge in the electricity grid A study of activities opportunities or obstacles to relieve the electricity grid if necessary due to lack of capacity. ABSTRACT The energy transition is an important part of the development towards a sustainable future. Today we face the reality of the climate changes and one of the most significant readjustments in the energy sector to this matter is the evolution from using fossil fuels to fossil-free energy. As a result of this transition, electricity consumption will increase. The Swedish electricity grid is currently not adapted for the fast transitions and a consequence of this can be capacity challenges. That may prevent societal development when electricity needed have difficulties to reach the location. This study aims to investigate which conditions or obstacles operators in Umeå have relieving the electricity network if necessary. Furthermore, understand if the geographical aspects of the energy supply do matter to the operators. The empirical material the study is based on was required through interviews with two public operators and two private operators located in Umeå. The results from the interviews have been analyzed using previous studies of sustainability transitions and furthermore the spatial aspects of the subject. The study shows that the energy supply is very important for all the interviewed operators as well as for the societal development in general. In the future, cooperation between customers and suppliers is necessary to solve this problem. The interviews identified a willingness from the operators to contribute on the capacity issue. In order to find a solution, there must be transparency and information exchange between both parts.