This thesis is concerned with a function of local political leaders as the actors of regional development in model areas. The primary aim is to select the appropriate model areas in Carlsbad region. The main aim of this thesis is on example of three appropriate selected model areas to analyze role and attitude of local politician in development of model areas. The theoretical part deals with analyze of attitudes in local development and analyze of selected ideas key for needs of thesis. The results of the thesis correspond to the stated aims and assumptions. Local political leaders are important actors of local development, but their role is evident only to a limited extent. The biggest differences in the approach to local development can be found between opposition and coalition politics. Keywords: Borders, local politicians, actors of local development, social capital

Previous research has shown that there is a negative relationship between female elected officials and corruption in democracies. Especially in high accountability settings where corruption is stigmatized, it makes female elected officials more risk averse as a result of higher probability of being held accountable. Through a quantitative approach, this thesis examines the relationship of gender and corruption on the individual level in Swedish municipalities. To investigate if there are any differences in attitudes towards corruption among female and male local politicians, and what might cause that difference, a survey answered by local politicians from all the 290 municipalities in Sweden was used. The results showed that there is a difference in attitudes towards corruption, female local politicians seem to be more negative than their male counterparts. Female local politicians also seem to become even more negative in their attitudes towards corruption if the accountability is higher. The explanation could be that female local politicians are more risk averse than male local politicians in Swedish local councils, as the same attitude could not be found for them. However, these findings cannot exclude that other explanations can be important for the relationship between gender and attitudes towards corruption. Nevertheless, this thesis gives a starting point for further research of the connection between the individual level of attitudes towards corruption, gender and accountability in Swedish municipalities.

The thesis analyses the influence of ideological distance to the formation of executive coalitions at the municipal level. The thesis attempts to determine which factors are reflected in the formation of executive coalitions, how the decision-making processes are functioning at the municipal level and what kind of actors we can determine in this processes. There is also a question if there is a difference between ideological distance of political actors at national and municipal level. Another part of the thesis deals with the possible cleavages between the long- term political subjects in the municipal council and the subjects, which are new in the municipal council. In the empirical part of the thesis there is a comparative case study on the sample of five municipalities from the municipal district of Pilsen-South - five largest municipalities in the district with the population over 3500 were examined: Přeštice, Dobřany, Blovice, Nepomuk and Stod. The field of research was conducted in these municipalities through the semi-structured interviews with the mayors and some other local politicians. An analysis of the election results in these municipalities is also included. This thesis should determine if the research about ideological distance at the municipal level has the meaningful purpose and...

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka svenska folkbiblioteks relation till lokalpolitiken. Genom att närstudera fyra bibliotekschefer från lika många kommuner så kan vi analysera hur cheferna upplever relationen till lokalpolitiken. Vårt empiriska material har analyserats med hjälp av Margaret Archers teori om den inre konversationen och Petra Svenssons användning av begreppet situerat agentskap. Våra forskningsfrågor är hur bibliotekscheferna upplever politikernas inblandning i bibliotekets arbete och hur detta kan analyseras utifrån Margaret Archers teori om den inre konversationen och teorin om det situerade agentskapet. I vår analys framkommer att bibliotekscheferna behöver reflektera över sitt uppdrag för att hantera svåra frågor och relationen till de lokala politikerna. Dessutom framkommer att de flesta bibliotekschefer anser sig ha en god relation till politikerna, men att det förekommer att politiker vill blanda sig i på ett sätt som upplevs som att gå över gränsen för armlängds avstånd. Studien visar på en relation som innefattar en del spänningar och där det ibland kan finnas olika syn på biblioteksverksamhet och olika värderingar. Studien visar också att bibliotekscheferna känner en oro inför Sverigedemokraternas framgångar och deras syn på bibliotek.

Depuis le début des années 1980, les élus locaux ont progressivement construit leur capacité à répondre au « problème » de l’intégration des étrangers. Cette mise à l’agenda politique a émergé en raison de sollicitations de la part du pôle associatif de l’espace local de la cause des étrangers et d’une dynamique de territorialisation des politiques d’ « intégration des étrangers » encouragée par l’État. Toutefois, c’est avec l’arrivée de nouvelles équipes municipales en 1989 que les exécutifs municipaux ont accru leurs revendications pour de nouvelles compétences sur cette thématique. Cette dynamique d’affirmation de nouvelles compétences pour les villes s’est poursuivie au cours des décennies 1990 et 2000 aussi bien dans l’espace européen que face aux autorités étatiques. Néanmoins, l’institutionnalisation d’une politique municipale d’ « intégration des étrangers » peine à avoir lieu en raison d’un engagement politique qui reste limité et de la montée en puissance d’un paradigme concurrent, celui de la « discrimination ethno-raciale ». Finalement, les exécutifs municipaux ont délaissé une action visant à résoudre les phénomènes de discriminations et d’exclusion socio-économiques des populations étrangères et de leurs enfants. L’enquête menée met en lumière plusieurs ressorts de cette dynamique générale. En premier lieu, elle permet de démontrer la force de la variable politics dans la conduite de l’action publique. Ensuite, l’enquête permet de saisir le rôle joué par la scène européenne dans le processus de contestation de la suprématie des autorités étatiques par les villes. Enfin, l’analyse des dispositifs mis en place par les trois villes étudiées révèle l’usage du critère ethnique dans le façonnement de la figure de l’ « étranger » visé par les actions municipales d’ « intégration ». / Since the early eighties, local politicians have started to claim their competencies to solve the « problem » of « integration ». Activists in favour of migrants and some national organisations have acted to make that “problem” a top priority on the political agenda. With new mayors elected in Lyon, Nantes and Strasbourg in 1989, cities have been clearly determined to increase their competencies on this topic in front of the State. This process was also noticeable at the European level in network of cities even if French cities stressed out the specific French philosophy of integration. In the 2000s, the setting up of units dedicated to “integration” reveals how local policies on “integration” have started to be institutionalised. However, the rising issue of the fight against discrimination has provoked the disappearance of an active local policy to solve the socio-economic issues migrants and ethnic minorities are facing. Our analysis reveals how politics do matter in policies and how the European level is seen as an opportunity to criticize the supremacy of the State. Last but not least, whereas France is described to be blind to ethnic communities, we stress out how city actions are laying down ethnicity to determine who is a « foreigner ».

Le développement du vélo en ville constitue aujourd’hui un impératif pour les élus, notamment au regard des injonctions en faveur du développement durable. Dans les années 2000, les dispositifs de vélos en libre service se sont imposés dans la majorité des villes européennes. Si leur développement a été guidé par des considérations écologiques, ces dispositifs valorisent plus généralement l’innovation politico-institutionnelle et le dynamisme économique des villes. Ces dispositifs se sont imposés grâce à des réseaux transnationaux structurés autour de la thématique du vélo. Ces réseaux invitent à considérer les échanges transnationaux comme vecteurs de transformations dans l’action publique urbaine. Les préoccupations pour le développement du vélo ont une histoire qui s’inscrit dans une série d’interactions entre les villes depuis les années 1970. L’analyse de la formation et des effets des réseaux transnationaux du vélo permet de définir des périodes et des régularités dans ces recompositions qui affectent à la fois les politiques du vélo en ville et l’organisation des pouvoirs politiques urbains. Une première période structurée par l’activité transnationale des associations de défense du vélo invite à comprendre le rôle des échanges dans la définition d’un problème public puis sa mise à l’agenda dans l’ensemble des villes européennes au cours des années 1970. Le traitement des problèmes pousse les élus et les agents administratifs à s’investir dans les échanges transnationaux pour construire une nouvelle compétence municipale fondée sur les expertises associatives. Cet investissement des municipalités caractérise la deuxième période, dans laquelle les municipalités s’affirment dans la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques du vélo en institutionnalisant des réseaux de collectivités au cours des années 1980-1990. Enfin, une troisième période s’engage à partir des années 2000 avec l’arrivée des entreprises du mobilier urbain et de l’affichage publicitaire dans les échanges transnationaux. Cet investissement des entreprises engendre une intense circulation des systèmes de vélos en libre service et confronte les élus urbains à l’exercice d’une régulation des relations avec ces grandes firmes, autant dans les interactions transnationales que dans celles qui se déroulent sur les territoires pour la gestion des services urbains. Ces réseaux transnationaux du vélo sont un moyen d’organiser les pouvoirs locaux et de légitimer les élus municipaux dans la conduite de l’action publique urbaine. / Today, development of urban cycling is a must for politicians, particularly considering injunctions in favor of sustainable development. In the 2000s, bike sharing systems emerged in most European cities. If development was guided by ecological considerations, more generally, these services add value to political and institutional innovation and to the economic vitality of cities. Bike sharing systems were imposed thanks to transnational networks around the theme of the bike. These networks invite us to consider transnational exchanges as vectors of change in urban policies. The development of cycling has a history which is the result of many interactions between cities since the 1970s. The analysis of the creation and the effects of bicycle transnational networks allows us to define time periods and patterns in the evolutions that affect both urban cycling policies and organization of urban political power. A first period, structured by transnational activity of urban cyclist associations, helps us to understand the role of these interactions in the definition of a public issue, and of the inclusion of these questions in the agenda of many European cities during the 1970s. Problem solving encourages decision makers to engage in transnational exchanges to build a new municipal jurisdiction based on associative expertise. This municipal investment characterizes the second period, in which municipalities intensify the implementation of cyclist public policies by institutionalizing city networks in the years 1980-1990. Finally, a third period begins in the 2000s, with the appearance of companies in the area of urban furniture and outdoor advertising in transnational exchanges. These firms generate a heavy circulation of bike sharing systems, and pose the question for decision makers how to manage their relationships with these large companies, both on a transnational level and as far as the management of urban services is concerned. These bicycle transnational networks are a way to organize local authorities and to legitimate decision makers in the management of urban public policies.

The Diploma thesis focuses on the issues of social exclusion and people threatened by social exclusion phenomenon. In the thesis I address the process of social inclusion, which is related to socially excluded localities based on particular characteristics and local problems. A separate chapter is devoted to the method of community work that is focused on the effective response to the needs of socially excluded people. Furthermore I emphasize the work of the Agency for Social Inclusion, a major instrument of the Government of the Czech Republic, providing support to municipalities in the process of social integration. The relationship of the majority towards the socially excluded is also discussed within the thesis. Many studies consider the municipality and its government to represent the key role in the process of social inclusion of people endangered by social exclusion. However in the reality there are big differences among the municipalities with regard to the operation and support of socially excluded people. Social departments of some municipalities are acting proactively, others are not. The main difference lies in the self-government approach. Therefore I decided to focus my Diploma thesis research on this particular issue. The aim of the thesis is to describe the attitudes of the members...

The Diploma thesis focuses on the topic of Socially excluded locality and its perception by municipal politicians. The topic is researched in three specific municipalities within a region and on the approach of local municipal politicians towards the issue of social exclusion, while the close proximity of the municipalities also allows to monitor the diversity of particular municipality's approaches on the issue of social exclusion. In the thesis the concept of social exclusion is defined and also described historically both in global and European context. The concept of social exclusion is closely related to the topic of socially excluded locality and the adoption of socially vulnerable people by the majority, therefore the second chapter of the thesis is devoted to this topic. Another theme prepared on the basis of the professional literature focuses on description of the specific situation in the Czech Republic, possibilities and scope of national and municipal politicians' activity. In the last chapter the possibilities of support and work with socially excluded citizens are introduced. Many studies consider the municipality and its government to represent the key role in the process of social inclusion of people endangered by social exclusion. However there are big differences among the...