My dissertation examines political participation in non-democratic countries. Specifically, it looks into China's urban political participation in the past decade and examines how Chinese urban citizens are mobilized to participate in politics when an authoritarian regime has been experiencing dramatic economic change. The theoretic question of this dissertation is the evolvement of state-society relations during the economic development and how the change of the state-society relationship is reflected in individual behavior. I found that while the social context such as the workplace served as fundamental grassroots institution to mobilize citizens' political participation in the early 1990s, China's urban political participation has shifted to lean more and more on individual resources. Political participation in non-democratic regimes is a unique and rapidly developing field in the studies of political behavior. Scholars studying citizens' political participation in USSR and China have long noted that political participation in an authoritarian regime is mobilized and controlled by the state and citizens are organized by the state to participate in politics to provide for regime legitimacy. In the dissertation I tested this paradigm within the context of China's economic development. The data I employ are the 1993 China's Social Mobility and Social Change Survey and the 2002 Asian Barometer Survey. Both data sets contain highly congruent batteries of questions on citizens' political behavior and political attitudes that provide the basis of comparison across time. The data sets were collected across China in 1993 and 2002 respectively representing the population of adult residents (excluding Tibet). The comparison of urban political participation in the past decade exhibited a general and measurable decline of citizens' participation in the economic reform. I found Chinese citizens' political participation has shifted largely from the pattern of "grassroots-state-mobilization" to "individual-voluntary-mobilization" during the economic reform. I argue that this is largely resulted from the change of state-society relations as individual citizens are granted with more autonomy in political liberalization and become less dependent on the state for economic sources.

<p>Abstract</p><p>In this essay, I have chosen to examine how four teachers in a work unit think and work with linguistic development and strategies, particularly in grade 4-6. The teaching profession has gradually become more like a cooperative profession. Therefore it is in a general pedagogic interest, to know, how each one of the teachers in the work unit, are thinking about linguistic development, teaching profiles and the significances of a work unit to achieve their aims to provide for all the individuals in their classrooms. My intention was to find out if a homogeneous work unit or a heterogeneous work unit is to prefer in work with linguistic development, which initially made me focus and realise the importance of each one of my informants’ answers. My chosen framing of questions are:</p><p> What do the teachers think about linguistic development and strategies, ways of working and classroom environment?</p><p> How do the teachers think about their own teaching profiles to stimulate linguistic development?</p><p> How do the teachers define their aims with their teaching?</p><p> How do the teachers think about the significance of the work unit, to achieve their aims with linguistic development?</p><p>Through qualitative, semi-structured to un-structured interviews, which were taped, I got a rich material to work with and bring together. The result of my examination has shown that all my informants realized that linguistic development takes place in different kinds of subjects and in many different correlations, but they work differently in terms of interaction, they have different kinds of perspective and views of how pupils learn and gain knowledge. Joyfulness, conversation, reflection and a good classroom environment are all needed to motivate the pupils to continue their linguistic development, but there are also a need of grammar- and spelling practice. My informants are aware of their various views of teaching, but they all think that a possible way to continue their own personal development is to make use of their varying competences. The conclusion of my examination is that there has to be a well-functioning, reflecting, open minding and a heterogeneous work unit, to accomplish linguistic development for all different individuals in a classroom.</p>

Abstract In this essay, I have chosen to examine how four teachers in a work unit think and work with linguistic development and strategies, particularly in grade 4-6. The teaching profession has gradually become more like a cooperative profession. Therefore it is in a general pedagogic interest, to know, how each one of the teachers in the work unit, are thinking about linguistic development, teaching profiles and the significances of a work unit to achieve their aims to provide for all the individuals in their classrooms. My intention was to find out if a homogeneous work unit or a heterogeneous work unit is to prefer in work with linguistic development, which initially made me focus and realise the importance of each one of my informants’ answers. My chosen framing of questions are:  What do the teachers think about linguistic development and strategies, ways of working and classroom environment?  How do the teachers think about their own teaching profiles to stimulate linguistic development?  How do the teachers define their aims with their teaching?  How do the teachers think about the significance of the work unit, to achieve their aims with linguistic development? Through qualitative, semi-structured to un-structured interviews, which were taped, I got a rich material to work with and bring together. The result of my examination has shown that all my informants realized that linguistic development takes place in different kinds of subjects and in many different correlations, but they work differently in terms of interaction, they have different kinds of perspective and views of how pupils learn and gain knowledge. Joyfulness, conversation, reflection and a good classroom environment are all needed to motivate the pupils to continue their linguistic development, but there are also a need of grammar- and spelling practice. My informants are aware of their various views of teaching, but they all think that a possible way to continue their own personal development is to make use of their varying competences. The conclusion of my examination is that there has to be a well-functioning, reflecting, open minding and a heterogeneous work unit, to accomplish linguistic development for all different individuals in a classroom.

This study titled School Model of Norrberga- a New Model of School. Some opinions that six pupils in the sixth grade have of their school is an explorative study. The purpose of this study is to some extent explain the ideas behind this quite spectacular model of school and the intentions of the City Council of Norrberga as they decided that all the schools that were to be renovated or built in the town of Norrberga had to follow a specific script.    As I first visited The Moonlight School I was puzzled. How do the teachers work it out? But, above all: Do the pupils work it out? What do they think about their school? When I was to write my final essay I wanted to try to sort this school out in more scientific terms.  There is a nice, warm atmosphere at the school and the pupils make good results. The school has an open architecture and there are seven classes with 60 pupils each and three teachers per class. Pupils and teachers work together in various work units in different areas of the school. In this newly built school with hardly any inside walls, or walls made of glass, the pupils in the sixth grade experience new ways of teaching. In order to find out how these pupils, having experienced both the old Moonlight School and the new model, looked upon their new school I wanted to perform individual interviews with some of them. I also visited the school a couple of days to observe the atmosphere and how they organised the day.  While analysing the collected material trying to describe the school I found support in the theories of Michel Foucault and John Dewey as well as scientific reports about school buildings and history of schooling. I selected those I found most significant for this study.  I found that the pupils mainly are satisfied with their school. Those having experienced all their schooling there do not have problem with the lack of not transparent walls nor with people and transports passing through the spacious educational area.  The community wanted to build smaller schools with more efficient use of the facilities. There is also an intention of developing new ways of teaching better adapted to current teaching methods and curriculum.

Cette thèse examine la transformation du système d’organisation des entreprises et entités administratives à Songjiang, une ville situées à la périphérie de Shanghai, après la prise du pouvoir par le parti communiste chinois en 1949. La période étudiée concerne la première décennie de transformation socialiste jusqu’à la veille du Grand Bond en avant. La thèse établit tout d’abord la place de Songjiang dans l’espace régional et les systèmes d’administration locale pré-existants au régime communiste. La mise en place d’une nouvelle administration se fait rapidement et sans heurts et s’accompagne d’un travail important d’enquête sur le tissue social et économique. C’est sur la base de ces enquêtes que le système des unités de travail est mis en place. Il se traduit par des restrictions grandissantes des activités économiques privées et la prise de contrôle de la production par des entités contrôlées par les autorités locales. L’artisanat et le commerce, les deux activités principales de Songjjiang, font l’objet d’une étude détaillée qui souligne le grand souci des autorités d’obtenir une connaissance très fine de ces secteurs en vue de modifier radicalement le système économique local. / The dissertation examines the transformation of the system of organization of companies and administrative entities in Songjiang, a town located in the vicinity of Shanghai, after the takeover by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. The period under study deals with the first decade of socialist transformation until the eve of the Great Leap Forward in 1957. The dissertation first established the place of Songjiang in the regional context and the pre-existing systems of local administration. The establishment of the new communist administration proceeded quickly and smoothly. It was accompanied by an important work of survey of the social and economic system. It is on the basis of these surveys that the system of work units was implemented. It turned into increasing restrictions on the private economic sector and the takeover of production by entities under the control of the local authorities. Handicraft and trade, the two main activities in Songjiang, became the focus of detailed studies that show the concern of the new administration to acquire a deep knowledge of these sectors before the planned radical transformation of the local economic system.

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Key terms in English and Afrikaans / Die doel van die studie was om organisasietraagheid as stremmende fenomeen te konseptualiseer en die manifestasie daarvan te ondersoek binne 'n tipiese werkorganisasie. Aandag is gegee aan organisasietransformasie binne die raamwerk van 'n diagnostiese model vir organisasie- en individuele ontwikkeling. Die empiriese studie bevestig die manifestasie van organisasietraagheid ten opsigte van die teikenorganisasie. Resultate bevestig dat respondente ten gunste is van veranderingsinisiatiewe, maar ondergeskiktes toon 'n emstige behoefte aan leierskap. Dit blyk ook dat die organisasie nie die vermoe het om vinnig op omgewingsveranderings te reageer nie. Gesonde bestuurspraktyke word nie gevolg nie en kreatiwiteit word nie aangemoedig nie. By ondergeskiktes bestaan ook twyfel oor veranderingsagente se vermoe om verandering te fasiliteer. / The purpose of the study was to conceptualise organisation inertia as a retarding phenomenon and to investigate its manifestation within a typical work organisation. Attention was given to organisational and individual development within the framework of a diagnostic model. The empirical study focussed on the manifestation of organisational inertia within the target organisation. Results confirmed that respondents are in favour of change initiatives but that the stimulation thereof do not exist. Subordinates are not encouraged to show creativity. The organisation demonstrates an incapability to respond to environmental changes and reflects a non-existence of healthy management practices. Little trust exists in the capability of change agents to facilitate change. / Economics and Management Sciences / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Key terms in English and Afrikaans / Die doel van die studie was om organisasietraagheid as stremmende fenomeen te konseptualiseer en die manifestasie daarvan te ondersoek binne 'n tipiese werkorganisasie. Aandag is gegee aan organisasietransformasie binne die raamwerk van 'n diagnostiese model vir organisasie- en individuele ontwikkeling. Die empiriese studie bevestig die manifestasie van organisasietraagheid ten opsigte van die teikenorganisasie. Resultate bevestig dat respondente ten gunste is van veranderingsinisiatiewe, maar ondergeskiktes toon 'n emstige behoefte aan leierskap. Dit blyk ook dat die organisasie nie die vermoe het om vinnig op omgewingsveranderings te reageer nie. Gesonde bestuurspraktyke word nie gevolg nie en kreatiwiteit word nie aangemoedig nie. By ondergeskiktes bestaan ook twyfel oor veranderingsagente se vermoe om verandering te fasiliteer. / The purpose of the study was to conceptualise organisation inertia as a retarding phenomenon and to investigate its manifestation within a typical work organisation. Attention was given to organisational and individual development within the framework of a diagnostic model. The empirical study focussed on the manifestation of organisational inertia within the target organisation. Results confirmed that respondents are in favour of change initiatives but that the stimulation thereof do not exist. Subordinates are not encouraged to show creativity. The organisation demonstrates an incapability to respond to environmental changes and reflects a non-existence of healthy management practices. Little trust exists in the capability of change agents to facilitate change. / Economics and Management Sciences / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)