The present work proposes methods to calculate street-level exposures to solar radiation. The methods comprise a combination of different software algorithms, online databases and real-time standard measurements of solar radiation. Firstly, the use of the free access image database “Google Street View” to reconstruct urban geometries is illustrated. Google Street View represents an enormous source of information readily available for its general use in the field of urban atmospheric studies. With the aid of existing software packages, it was possible to reconstruct urban geometries as projected fisheye images of the canyon upper-hemispheric view, and to model total-shortwave solar irradiance within an urban canyon. The models allowed the calculation of relative street-canyon irradiance as a fraction of that received under a full-sky view, depending on the visibility of the solar disc and the reduced sky view factor. The combined use of the ideal models with real-time data allows for the calculation of street-canyon irradiance under any cloud conditions. Validation of these techniques was obtained by comparing the calculations against in situ measurements of irradiance from a local street canyon. The existing software, however, does not allow the calculation of spectral irradiance, required for inferring, for example, the biological effects of solar radiation. The use of spectral radiative transfer software was explored to provide spectral irradiance, but commonly available models do not include the effects of horizon obstructions. The approach presented here followed the same general guidelines used to calculate total-shortwave irradiance. The spectral models required a spectral partitioning of global irradiance into direct and diffuse components, allowing the independent analysis of horizon obstruction effects on these components at each wavelength. To partition global irradiance, two equations were developed for the calculation of the diffuse-to-global irradiance ratio (DGR) under cloudless conditions: one based on simplified radiative transfer theory, and an empirical fit for local conditions. Afterwards, the effects of horizon obstructions were evaluated in combination with real-time measurements of unobstructed global spectral irradiance. A set of simulated obstructions were used to validate the models. Finally, it was observed that neglecting the anisotropic distribution of the diffuse component of solar radiation in these simple models could produce large uncertainties in some situations. A practical solution for including the anisotropy of diffuse radiation was proposed, requiring images from an unobstructed digital sky camera. The combination of tools described here will allow calculation of total and spectral global irradiance upon a flat horizontal surface whatever the local field of view. This is possible at any geographical location were the urban geometries can be described, either by manually obtaining digital photographs, or through the Google Street View database, and where there is a reasonably local standard measurement of radiation.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka biståndshandläggares handlingsutrymme i handläggningen av insatsen försöks- och träningslägenhet. Studien utgår från följande frågeställningar: Hur upplever biståndshandläggaren graden av frihet i sitt handlingsutrymme i bedömning av försöks- och träningslägenhet? Hur tillgodogör biståndshandläggaren klientens medverkan och önskemål i handläggningen av försöks- och träningslägenhet? Studien baseras på enskilda intervjuer som utgick ifrån en halvstrukturerad intervjuguide med sex stycken biståndshandläggare som arbetar inom socialpsykiatrins myndighetsutövandeverksamhet i Stockholms stad. Studiens resultat visade på att det inte finns någon motsättning mellan riktlinjerna och den individuella bedömning som alla klienter har rätt till, utan att handlingsutrymmet fyller ut riktlinjernas funktion. I alla fall när det gäller insatsen försöks- och träningslägenhet inom socialpsykiatrin i Stockholms stad. Studien kom också fram till att klientens kognitiva förmåga avgör hur mycket klienten medverkar i utredningen. Det outnyttjade handlingsutrymme hamnar hos biståndshandläggaren, som då får ett utökat handlingsutrymme. / The aim of this study was to investigate the freedom of action of the care managers in the handling of trial and training apartments. The study is based on the following questions: What level of freedom does the care managers experience in the assessment of trial and training apartments? How does the care manager create a good environment, taking into consideration the client's involvement and wishes, in the management of trial and training apartments? The study is based on individual interviews based on a semi-structured interview guide with six care managers working in the government-run social psychiatry organisation in the city of Stockholm. The results of the study showed that there is no contradiction between the guidelines and the individual assessment that all clients are entitled. In either case, when it comes to the trial and training apartments at the social psychiatry organisation in the city of Stockholm. The study also shows that the client's cognitive ability determines how much the client participates in the investigation. The unused space of action is given to the care manager, which then increases the scope of action.

The primary objective of this study is to clarify a child's perspective within family matters surrounding financial aid from social services likewise how social workers interpret and implement the perspective in their tasks. Answers to the study's questions are supported by theories about the capacity for action and Shier's theory, Pathways to Participation. The foundation of this study is based on, among other things, scientific articles, literature, and reports that build the analysis which diverges into several themes as a result. The results showed that the children's perspective was inconclusive and a complex concept to define both in research and legislative texts, while simultaneously showing that the social secretary's broad and respectively narrow possibility of interpreting the law could be received as both negative and positive in the assessment of the child's best interests. There were also flaws in the documentation regarding the child's situation. In conclusion, some of the results of this study were based on the fact that the given legislative texts and guidelines did not provide a clear definition of how the social secretary should proceed in their work with the children's perspective and in the child's best interests.

No description available.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att utifrån perspektiv på gräsrotsbyråkrati skapa en djupare förståelse för socialsekreterares upplevelser av att arbeta till skydd för det ofödda barnet när mamma missbrukar under graviditeten. För att uppnå studiens syfte har kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialsekreterare genomförts. Det empiriska materialet har med tematisk analys analyserats utifrån Lipskys (1980) teori om gräsrotsbyråkrati samt handlingsutrymme och studien har på så vis genererat en djupare förståelse för socialsekreterarnas upplevelser. Studien har behandlat avsaknaden av riktlinjer och lagstöd, slitningen mellan organisationens ramar och de moraliska värderingarna, samt socialsekreterarnas upplevelse av sitt handlingsutrymme. Resultatet visar att det råder en brist på riktlinjer och rutiner för att hantera dessa ärenden, och att socialsekreterarna upplever en avsaknad av lagstöd för att ingripa till skydd för det ofödda barnet när insatser på frivillig väg inte är möjliga, vilket även resulterar i att deras handlingsutrymme blir begränsat eller obefintligt. Detta medför att socialsekreterarna många gånger tvingas välja mellan att gå emot sina moraliska värderingar eller hitta sätt att kringgå lagen. Vidare påvisar studien att socialsekreterarna upplever ansvar för det ofödda barnet trots att de enligt organisationens ramverk egentligen inte har ett ansvar för denne. Att inte kunna agera till skydd för det ofödda barnet, i kombination med omvärldens förväntningar på socialsekreteraren, skapar en stark känsla av frustration. Våra resultat visar därför på ett behov av riktlinjer och rutiner för hur socialsekreterare ska arbeta med det ofödda barnet när mamma missbrukar under graviditeten. Emellertid täcker vår studie bara en liten del av socialsekreterares upplevelser av att arbeta till skydd för det ofödda barnet, varför det finns behov av vidare forskning inom området. Möjligen skulle förståelsen för deras upplevelser berikas av att belysas ur andra perspektiv, såsom makt och etik.

Michael Lipsky states through his theory of street-level bureaucracy that teachers, among other street-level occupations, often work under a heavy workload due to parameters built into their occupations characteristics and limited resources. Lipsky says that street-level bureaucrats therefor under the influence of their works natural discretion tend to use client-processing strategies to lighten the pressure to make their work situation bearable. Teachers in Sweden is an occupational group that has an important societal function in educating children, teenagers and young adults for their future social lives. At the same time as they work under a heavy workload. This essay aims to see if teachers in Sweden uses the three client-processing strategies tension between capability and objectives, private goal definition and defense against discretion to modify their work and students, to make their work situation more bearable. This is tested quantitively through Pearsons chi2 test of independence and regression analysis. The conclusion is that even though a tendency towards the use of client-processing strategies can be seen in the results, one cannot conclude that this is actually the case and that further studies has to be done to be able to give a more accurate response to the question.

Den här uppsatsen handlar om socialsekreterare som arbetar med barn och unga som riskerar att bli omhändertagna. Kvalitativa intervjuer har gjorts med åtta socialsekreterare på olika platser i Sverige. Syftet är att få en bättre förståelse för svårigheterna som socialsekreterare ställs inför i arbetet med familjer och barn som har hamnat utanför samhället. Teoretiska utgångspunkter är Michael Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater, Michel Foucaults teori om makt och Arlie Russell Hochschilds teori om känsloregler. Resultatet visar att svårigheterna som socialsekreterare upplever är att lagar och regler kan försvåra arbetet, vilket kan leda till att socialsekreterarna förlora makten och kontrollen över klienterna. Socialsekreterarna är medvetna om att makt är något de utövar, men att den oftast sker via motivationsarbete där språket är en maktform. Resultatet visar att det finns förväntningar på dem och att allmänheten inte förstår att de måste arbeta utifrån lagar och regler. När allmänheten inte förstår svårigheterna i socialsekreterarnas arbete kan det leda till orättvis kritik från samhället. Socialsekreterarna upplever att det går att styra känslorna efter ett tag, men väldigt jobbiga situationer medförde att känslorna kan sitta kvar en längre period. Man bör helst undvika att visa negativa känslor mot klienterna, då det kan upplevas oprofessionellt. Relationen till klienterna är viktig och det kan bli problematiskt när klienterna inte vill samarbeta. / This essay examines social secretaries working with children, and young people, who are atrisk of being taken into care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with eight social secretaries working in different places in Sweden. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the difficulties that social workers face working with families, and children, who live outside society. Theoretical starting points are Michael Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucrats, Michael Foucault's theory of power and Arlie Russell Hocschild's theory of emotional rules. The results shows that the difficulties social secretaries experience are that laws and regulations can complicate their work; it can also lead to the social secretaries losing power and control over their clients. The social secretaries are aware of the fact that they exercise power, but that it usually takes place through motivational work where language is a form of power. The results shows that the public has expectations of them, but does not understand that the social secretaries perform their work based on laws and regulations. When the public does not understand the difficulties in the work of social workers, it can lead to unfair criticism from society. The social secretaries feel that it was possible to control their emotions after a while, but very difficult situations can remain in their memory for a long time. A social secretary should preferably avoid showing negative feelings towards clients, because then they can be perceived as unprofessional. The relationship with the clients is important and it can be problematic when a client does not want to cooperate.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / There are often noted gaps and tensions arise between official government policies and what is implemented on the ground. The two theories that consistently argue antagonistically about the policy processes are the rational bureaucratic model also called the "top-down approach" as opposed to the incremental or bottom-up approach. This research was inspired by a bottom-up perspective and involves a detailed investigation of Lipsky's street level bureaucracy (SLB) theory. Over the years since Lipsky's research much international work has be done on the subject of discretion among policy implementers but in the South the focus has been more on top-down ideas such as increasing state capacity and monitoring workers and not on the Lipsky problematic. Hence, this study specifically focuses on studying the extent, intentions and uses of discretion. Intentions are look e at in a threefold manner: good, bad and conflicting, among nurses as SLBs in a public hospital in Cape Town, in view of the t wo conflicting approaches to policy implementation. I found that the discretion practices among nurses do 'more good than harm' as opposed to the view held by the top down approach. The study further revealed that discretion is also often conflicted or ambivalent. Moreover, it is often based on tacit collective understandings and practices among groups of nurses. This is one element that needs to be explored further in future studies in order to contribute to the body of knowledge. Notably, there appears to be a gap in South African literature on this vital subject area. 111

Since January 1, 2015, the police authority's largest organizational reform took place, and 21 county police authorities were merged into one unified police authority. The purpose of this was to increase the prerequisites for a stronger operating result with higher quality in the efforts. In connection with the reorganization, they sought to have a more distinct management where the operations would be employee driven. In this study, the official's space for action is studied, and to what extent the public works are considered regarding the expertise and knowledge of the employees at local police level. Through an interview study the officials of the local police level shared the experiences and how the reorganization's impact on the space of action has affected their ability on making decisions. The analysis of the study takes the biggest inspiration from Lisky's street-level bureaucracy theory but also shows elements of the authority's structure, i.e. top-down and bottom-up perspective. The study also takes into account the public officials’ tools of power and analyzes the exercise of power.

Latino immigrants are the fastest growing foreign group and appear to be suffering from disproportionate risks of involvement in the child welfare system. Yet, there is limited knowledge in regards to this population when involved in the child welfare system and the day-to-day complexity of issues, stressors, and barriers they face. This qualitative study aims to understand the day-to-day reality of being a Latino immigrant in this system as well as the organizations that work with this population. Street-level bureaucracy theory is used to explore how private non-profit child welfare agencies work to assist their Latino immigrant clients on a day-to-day basis. It also examines the perceptions and experiences of non-profit child welfare staff members in regards to accountability and discretion toward both the organization and their Latino immigrant clients. Qualitative methodology was used to gain in-depth knowledge of how these agencies are working with this population. Three private non-profit child welfare agencies located in Los Angeles County were selected. Each agency has a foster care and adoptions component as well as various other programs such as Project Fatherhood, Family Preservation, and Unaccompanied Child program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 19 staff members. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings from this study found that the complex issues that exist with this population in the child welfare system are not discussed at a detailed or formal level. Also, there are gaps between policies and practices, in that the universal policies in place are not meeting all the needs of these families and creating barriers in servicing these families. At the organizational level, it was found that these agencies have more time and availability for their immigrant clients due to a lower caseload and agency flexibility. They were able to be more accountable to their clients and used their discretion to spend more time with these clients, advocate more for them, provide more quality work, and have more creativity in filling the gaps these families are experiencing in regards to access to services and service use.