<p>The object of this essay was, first, to study what advantages parliamentary members in the participating countries argue that their country gains when university students study abroad via ERASMUS, and, second, to study two factors that might affect what advantages that are emphasised by the parliamentary members in the participating countries. To achieve this object, two research questions were posed regarding what advantages of the ERASMUS Programme are mentioned in the parliamentary debate in three countries, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany, and regarding whether the parliamentary debate is different between the countries as concerns what advantages are emphasised. Subsequently another two research questions were studied, regarding whether the countries’ different positions in Europe and the existence of euroscepticism in these countries affect what advantages of the ERASMUS Programme are emphasised in the parliamentary debate. The study was carried out using argumentation analysis, in which the arguments for participation in the ERASMUS Programme presented in the parliamentary debates were compiled and grouped together according to whether they refer to economic and professional advantages or to cultural and social advantages. The results of the study showed that there are differences between the countries regarding what advantages are emphasised in the parliamentary debate. After a discussion of the countries’ different positions in Europe and the existence of euroscepticism in these countries, the conclusion was that a country’s position in Europe does not affect what advantages of the ERASMUS Programme that are emphasised in the parliamentary debate, while the level of euroscepticism in a country does affect what advantages are emphasised.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:vxu-2487 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Lindberg, Maria |
| Publisher | Växjö University, School of Social Sciences |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
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