This dissertation deals with three different studies of rural women in northern Sweden and Wisconsin, USA. All three of them aim at identify and elucidate pertinent aspects of women's lives in rural areas. In the first study, The Åsele study, women's work and free time activities are in the focus of investigation. The second, The Leading Light study, deals more explicitly with obstacles and problems that women meet with when trying to improve their living conditions and, finally, the Wisconsin study deals with the ways rural women organize their everyday lives. More specifically, while all three studies assume a gender and mode-of-living perspective, cultural issues, the relations between structure- agent and questions concerning the organization of everyday life receive separate treatment. Mostly qualitative methods are used in collecting data, including interviews and essays. Also questionnaires are used in order to gain a comprehensive picture of certain areas, such as activities and aspirations within the field of leisure. In the last study a reanalysis of an archived interview material, built on oral life histories, is used. The results give a complex and nuanced picture of women's lives in these areas. The farm women in the Wisconsin study have a heavy work load and contribute in different ways to the maintenance of the family. Their productive work is, however, made invisible in official statistics. The Åsele study gives a picture of a woman, who is not demanding anything special for herself, but is adapting to the traditional gender structures. Her life is organized around her home, her husband and her children. The young women intend to leave this area, which is one of the problems that the local politicians have to deal with. In the Leading light study, finally, it is above all the male representatives at the local governmental level that impede the women's ideas and ignore their propositions for change. Despite official signals of decentralisation of decision making, the bureaucratic structures seem to strengthen at the local level. Most of the women in this study praise life in the country side. The rural ideology also comprises a positive view of this mode of living. While the rural ideology is a entire male construction, the female conditions have to be problematized. This has been done in this thesis. / digitalisering@umu

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Citizendialogue in the District of Rasbo</p><p>A Case Study in the Municipality of Uppsala</p><p>Author: Camilla Östlund</p><p>Supervisor: Stig Montin</p><p>The essay is written inside the scope of Örebro Universitys evaluation of the new organisation in the municipality of Uppsala.</p><p>The purpose of this essay is to study the citizendialogue in the district of Rasbo. This will be done partly by an examination of how the participants themselves</p><p>perceive citizendialogue. Their descriptions are put in relation to deliberative democracy and its critics amongst other. Partly by study how those involved have choosen to put it into practice. The opponents of the reorganization chose to start a non-profit association, Rasbo in co-operation, to carry on local mobilization and it will be compared with other similar groups. The municipality of Uppsala arranged a citizens forum in the district of Rasbo and the essay will examine how the participants experienced it.</p><p>The study is based upon a total of 19 semistructured interviews with politicians and officials in the municipality of Uppsala and also working members of Rasbo in co-operation.</p><p>The overall result of the analysis is that the politicians and the officials as well as the members of the association support the form of actions that endorse the representative system and look att citizendialogue as a tool to regenerate it and make it better. Rasbo in co-operation has almost everything in common with similar groups including a contradictory view on politics. The association has the important requirements for local mobilization, dedicated people, a positive collective identity and a constructive relation to the municipality. The participants of the citizens forum liked the way the forum was arranged and enjoyed the evening. But there was some problem between the unicipality and the association in connection with the preliminaries before the event. There is also some deficiency in the follow-up.</p><p>Keyword: local democracy, citizendialogue, deliberative democracy, local mobilization, citizens forum, Uppsala, Rasbo, Rasbokil, Stavby, Tuna.</p>

For many years, election results from the countryside have been a big impact for the whole nation in Thailand. In the country or sub-urban side, Chao Pho (Godfather) manipulates the elections, leaving political parties meaningless. In order to take advantages from the election, political parties have to depend on Chao Pho because they are very close to ordinary citizens. Even though Chao Pho can operate local politics and can make country area for further development, they in the meantime have made degeneration and corruption in Thailand¡¦s politics. In addition, this thesis carefully studies Chao Pho¡¦s impact from both economic and political perspectives. In theory, economic development and political reform should generate impact on Chao Pho. But in Thailand¡¦s economic development, Chao Pho has gained enormous benefits, which in return help Chao Pho to gain political power, this means that Thailand¡¦s economic development is good for the Chao Pho. From point view of political reforms, the 1997 Constitution is designated to eliminate Chao Pho¡¦s influence. In fact, from the two elections after the 1997 Constitution, money politics is still popular in Thailand and Chao Pho is still influential. The Thai Rak Thai Party had successfully echoed the needs of the lower level people, but it still needs supports from Chao Pho during the elections, due to their abundant resources. Finally, this thesis argue that Chao Pho¡¦s political influence has not been weakened by the economic development and political reform, rather, Chao Pho continually becomes the most important political force in Thailand.

ABSTRACT Citizendialogue in the District of Rasbo A Case Study in the Municipality of Uppsala Author: Camilla Östlund Supervisor: Stig Montin The essay is written inside the scope of Örebro Universitys evaluation of the new organisation in the municipality of Uppsala. The purpose of this essay is to study the citizendialogue in the district of Rasbo. This will be done partly by an examination of how the participants themselves perceive citizendialogue. Their descriptions are put in relation to deliberative democracy and its critics amongst other. Partly by study how those involved have choosen to put it into practice. The opponents of the reorganization chose to start a non-profit association, Rasbo in co-operation, to carry on local mobilization and it will be compared with other similar groups. The municipality of Uppsala arranged a citizens forum in the district of Rasbo and the essay will examine how the participants experienced it. The study is based upon a total of 19 semistructured interviews with politicians and officials in the municipality of Uppsala and also working members of Rasbo in co-operation. The overall result of the analysis is that the politicians and the officials as well as the members of the association support the form of actions that endorse the representative system and look att citizendialogue as a tool to regenerate it and make it better. Rasbo in co-operation has almost everything in common with similar groups including a contradictory view on politics. The association has the important requirements for local mobilization, dedicated people, a positive collective identity and a constructive relation to the municipality. The participants of the citizens forum liked the way the forum was arranged and enjoyed the evening. But there was some problem between the unicipality and the association in connection with the preliminaries before the event. There is also some deficiency in the follow-up. Keyword: local democracy, citizendialogue, deliberative democracy, local mobilization, citizens forum, Uppsala, Rasbo, Rasbokil, Stavby, Tuna.