Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain and provide a more in-depth understanding of how the work around the audit of sustainability reports is carried out and what new regulations may mean for the work procedure. Method: The study has been conducted with a qualitative research approach where semistructured interviews were carried out. Furthermore, a deductive approach has been used in order to develop the previous research and to be able to analyze the relationship between theory and practice. Empiricism: The empirical evidence and the collected data consist of a presentation of the companies and the respondents of the interviews. The results of the interviews are presented in a table whose structure follows the interview guide. Conclusion: From this study, we can conclude that the work procedures for both sustainability specialists and auditors when reviewing sustainability reports look relatively similar, however certain limitations are experienced. Both parties express that the effect ofthe new regulation will not change the work procedure during the review but will require additional knowledge and expertise.

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This thesis investigates the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in Sweden and Latvia, to examine if the implementation has enhanced EU´s legitimacy. Applying a case study methodology, the study conducts a process-tracing approach and collects data from primary sources of national and EU documents. This methodology explores the practical implementation of the instrument towards a green transition, which thenceforth is analysed through the theory of legitimacy.   The thesis is based upon the questions: How has the Recovery and Resilience Facility been implemented by Sweden respective Latvia to support the development towards a green transition?   Has the RRF and its implementation enhanced EU´s legitimacy?   The findings conclude that the instrument has enhanced EU´s legitimacy. Despite ambiguous outcomes in the implementations, the member states interests are adopted. As a result, an advancement of constitutional settlements has led to a further interconnected relationship between the EU and member states. In times of crisis, a coordination of solidary responsibilities is significant, which the EU manages well according to the results.

The purpose of this study was to explore police officer perception of body cameras. There had been little previous research done on the police officer perception of body cameras in rural areas. Several research questions were pursued, including the impact of body cameras on citizens, the impact of body cameras on police officers, use of force and body cameras, body cameras effects on calls, and the officers’ support of body cameras. The study gathered data through qualitative interviews with 16 police officers in East Tennessee to address these questions. Results obtained provided interesting and useful information regarding the police perception of body cameras, which are discussed in detail. Implication of the research as well as ways to further the research are discussed as well.

The notion of democratic deficit has been at the centre of many debates on theEuropean Union for the last 30 years. The reason is, to a certain degree, linked to the lack oflegitimacy of the European Commission, which is not elected and remote from the Europeancitizens. However, the Commission seems to have found a positive way to increase itslegitimacy by the inclusion of civil-society in the decision-making process. The interactionbetween the Commission and two Environmental NGOs will therefore be analysed in order tomake a constructive contribution to the debate. The present paper does not limit itself tonormative statements on reality and considers that there is more to socio-political relationsthan “true” verifiable facts. Therefore, it is not limited to the formal decision-making process,and goes deeper into the socialisation process at play between the different actors. Theoutcome is that the Environmental NGOs studied appears as valuable models for theimplementation of new democratic channels for the representation and participation ofEuropean citizens.

In the light of rising criticism and debate over the legitimacy and accountability of the central international economic institutions, the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, some developments can be seen in how these organizations are reacting to such criticism to improve their legitimacy. The study is comparative in character and aims to explain how these organizations are changing and why this change is occurring now as well as why there are differences in how the three organizations are developing. In taking a constructivist approach to the study of international organizations as actors, it is argued that an understanding of international organizations as bureaucracies with varying degrees of autonomy will contribute to a deeper understanding of their behaviour. The role, mission, and organization of the three organizations is discussed, followed by critique relating to representation and influence for share- and stakeholders, as well as problems of transparency and accountability. Relevant changes in the organizations include increased transparency and use of evaluations, and an increased contact with NGOs. It is argued that NGOs have been an important influencing factor on this development, but also important is the fact that central states have begun to argue for similar changes. These issues have now become important questions in the organizations. The differing roles and character of the organizations has meant that they have responded differently to criticism and have been more or less open to NGOs. Their bureaucratic culture is seen to influence how these issues are interpreted in the organizations. The World Bank has developed the most while the IMF and the WTO have been slower to respond to criticism and engage with NGOs. Significantly these changes arguably amount to a change in what legitimacy means for these organizations.

Yes / This paper develops the notion of ‘Talibanization’ – a concept which stems from the resilience and the determination of the Taliban to remain a dominant player in Afghanistan even after the downfall of their state in 2001. The factors that helped the Taliban to maintain their influence after the disintegration of their state constitute a pattern which could be applied to other conflict-driven areas such as Syria. By critically examining the socio-political conditions in the Syrian district of Jarablus, this paper demonstrates the ways in which the inept post-IS administration is inadvertently helping IS to gain what we call ‘retrospective legitimacy’ a drive which could sustain its influence for many years following its downfall.

Thesis advisor: Mary Ann Glynn / Thesis advisor: Jean Bartunek / Organizational scholars use the concept of institutional logics to define and distinguish between multiple co-existing institutions that constitute the diverse cultural landscapes of contemporary societies. Research on institutional logics has devoted considerable attention to understanding how actors use rhetoric associated with distinct institutional logics as tools of institutional transformation. However, prior research has not typically examined rhetoric aimed at transforming institutions with broad societal impact, such as public or governmental institutions, which limits the generalizability of empirical findings. This dissertation renews the logics literature’s original emphasis on societal institutions and offers necessary clarification on how the central logics of two major societal institutions, the state and the market, may change in relation to each another through the rhetorical agency of state actors. In two studies, the dissertation examines the dynamics between the state logic and the market logic embedded in the rhetoric of the Clinton administration on its high-profile federal management reform, known as “Reinventing Government,” and related discussions in the United States Congress over a seven-year period (1993-2000). Study 1 focuses on how the administration constructed and revised rhetoric to justify replacing the prevailing state logic with the market logic to key stakeholders. Study 2 focuses on how the rhetoric of congressional lawmakers expressed heterogeneous legitimacy criteria that differed in priority given to the state logic versus the market logic. The studies provide convergent findings that suggest logic replacement is an unlikely form of institutional change at the societal level of analysis; however, the state logic may change by combining with elements of the market logic to form new layers of content over time. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Management and Organization.