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Algorithmic Governance and Democratic Challenges : A Critical Analysis of AI Implementation in Swedish Social Services
No full textThis study examines the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within Swedish social services, focusing on five municipalities: Helsingborg, Malmö, Sundsvall, Nacka, and Lund. The research analyzes how AI influences power dynamics, decision-making processes, and democratic values within this sector. Employing a qualitative approach with a constructionist perspective, the study relies on document and text analysis of policy documents, project descriptions, and public statements. The theoretical framework integrates perspectives on algorithmic governance, deliberative, and participatory democracy, alongside Foucault's concepts of power, to scrutinize both technical and socio-political dimensions. Findings indicate that municipalities primarily motivate AI implementation with efficiency gains and reduced administrative burdens. However, approaches vary significantly, ranging from Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Helsingborg, and predictive models in Malmö, to generative AI in Sundsvall, and decision- support systems in Nacka, and Lund. The analysis identifies significant democratic challenges, including issues of transparency, accountability, and potential power shifts involving professionals, management, and clients. While AI offers potential benefits, such as freeing up time for relational social work, risks include prioritizing standardization over professional judgment, algorithmic bias, and unresolved ethical and legal questions. The study concludes that successful and ethical AI implementation requires a careful balance between technical efficiency, democratic values, and professional ethics. It highlights the transformative nature of AI, posing critical questions about governance, professionalism, and power within the welfare state. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, AI, social services, algorithmic governance, democratic values, power relations, professional autonomy, ethical implementation, Swedish municipalities, public sector, welfare state, transparency, accountability, sustainable self- sufficiency
The impact of EU textile policies on post-consumer textile flows : A qualitative study of how EU textile policies create opportunities or challenges in reducing the environmental impact of textiles through increased circularity.
No full textDet här är en studie vars syfte är att undersöka vilka möjligheter och utmaningar som uppstår vid implementering av Europeiska unionens (EU:s) policyer riktade mot textilsektorn. Textilproduktion har en stor negativ miljöpåverkan. Bland annat på grund av hög förbrukning av resurser såsom vatten och att den genererar höga utsläpp av kemikalier. EU har skapat policyer för att uppnå en mer cirkulär hantering av textilen, och därmed begränsa textilens resursutnyttjande och miljöpåverkan. Lagen om insamling av textil är nyligen införd i svensk lagstiftning och Ekodesignförordningen, Ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR), är i ett implementeringsstadie. Ekodesignförordningen innefattar mål gällande miljö, klimat, energieffektivitet och resurseffektivitet, och därmed också en giftfri cirkulär miljö. Lagen om insamling av textil syftar till att samla in textil för prioriterad hantering utifrån avfallshierarkin, för att minimera textil som går till förbränning. Studien utfördes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med aktörer som verkar i post-konsumentflödet av textilsektorn. Resultatet analyserades utifrån vårt teoretiska ramverk som innefattar cirkulär ekonomi, avfallshierarkin och Policy Cycle Theory (PCT). Vi har genom vår studie sett att de insamlade volymerna textil ökat med omkring 50 procent sedan implementering av lagen om insamling av textil. Samtidigt finns det en utmaning i hur de stora mängder textil som samlats in ska kunna hanteras. Det är ingen självklarhet att lagen leder mot en ökad cirkularitet, om textilen som samlas in inte hanteras utifrån de högre stegen i avfallshierarkin. För aktörerna som berörs av insamlingslagstiftningen finns det inget ekonomiskt stöd, utan ersättningen kommer bland annat från textil som säljs på export. Därför ser många fram emot ESPR:s kommande producentansvar som förflyttar det ekonomiska ansvaret för hantering till producenterna. Hur producentansvaret ska utformas nationellt är dock ännu oklart. Intervjuade tror även att andra delar i ESPR såsom digitala produktpass och ekodesignkrav, kommer att skapa möjligheter för sortering, materialåtervinning och för secondhand-marknaden. Samtidigt tillkommer det utmaningar när äldre material ska hanteras tillsammans med det nya, konkurrens om den högkvalitativa textilen och brist på tekniska lösningar för att kunna materialåtervinna textilen. Utifrån PCT ser vi att den kommande implementeringen av ESPR är efterlängtad och att dess olika krav kan ses som möjligheter till lösningar för de utmaningar som lagen om insamling av textil skapat för vissa aktörer. Hade fler av kraven i ESPR, exempelvis producentansvaret, bestlutsfattats och implementerats före implementeringen av Lagen om insamling av textil hade många av de utmaningarna i att uppnå cirkulära mål som lagen resulterat i troligtvis kunnat undvikas. This is a study whose purpose is to investigate the opportunities and challenges created by the implementation of The European Unions (EU) textile policies. Textile production has a major negative environmental impact. This is due to high consumption of resources such as water and generating high emissions of chemicals. The EU has created policies to achieve more circular management of textiles. The EU regulation on separate textile collection has recently been introduced into Swedish legislation, and the Ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR) is in an implementation stage. ESPR includes goals related to the environment, climate, energy efficiency and resource efficiency. The EU regulation on separate textile collection aims to collect textiles for prioritized management based on the waste hierarchy, to minimize textiles that go to incineration. The study was conducted through interviews with actors operating in the post-consumer flow of the textile sector. The results were analyzed based on the theory of circular economy, the waste hierarchy and Policy Cycle Theory (PCT). We have seen that collected volumes of textiles have increased since the implementation of the regulation. Simultaneously, there is a challenge in how the large amounts of textiles that have been collected can be handled. It is not given that the law will lead to increased circularity if the textiles are not handled based on the higher steps in the waste hierarchy. Actors affected by the collection legislation receive no financial support. The compensation comes from, among other things, textiles that are sold for export. Therefore, many are looking forward to ESPR's upcoming producer responsibility, which shifts the financial responsibility to the producers. It is unclear how producer responsibility will be designed nationally. Interviewees also believe that other parts of the ESPR will create opportunities for sorting, material recycling and for the second-hand market. At the same time, there are challenges in sorting, competition for the high-quality textile and a lack of technical solutions to be able to recycle the textile. We can tell that the implementation of ESPR is long-awaited, and its requirements can be seen as opportunities for solutions to the challenges that the law on the collection of textiles has created for certain actors. If more of the ESPR requirements had been decided upon and implemented before The EU regulation on separate textile collection, many of the challenges in achieving circular goals that the law resulted in could probably have been avoided
Cryptographic Techniques for GDPR Compliance in Cross-Border Blockchain
No full textThe intersection of blockchain technology and data protection law presents a complex challenge for cross-border payment systems, particularly under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This thesis explores how decentralized and hybrid blockchain-based payment platforms can achieve GDPR compliance without significantly compromising transaction speed or system performance. Using a triangulated qualitative approach that combines literature review, comparative case studies of Chromia, e-krona, and Centiglobe, and semi-structured expert interviews, the study examines how various architectural models and cryptographic techniques address the core tensions between decentralization, privacy, and regulatory requirements. The results indicate that no single approach fully resolves these conflicts. Instead, effective implementations rely on a combination of permissioned architectures, off-chain data storage, and selectively applied privacy-enhancing technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and pseudonymization. The thesis contributes to ongoing research by providing an integrated perspective on the technical, legal, and organizational strategies required to design scalable and GDPR-aligned blockchain-based financial infrastructures in a fragmented regulatory environment.Skärningspunkten mellan blockkedjeteknik och dataskyddslagstiftning utgör en komplex utmaning för gränsöverskridande betalningssystem, särskilt inom ramen för Europeiska unionens allmänna dataskyddsförordning (GDPR). Denna uppsats undersöker hur decentraliserade och hybrida blockkedje baserade betal plattformar kan uppnå GDPR-efterlevnad utan att väsentligt kompromissa med transaktionshastighet eller systemprestanda. Genom en triangulerad kvalitativ metodansats som kombinerar litteraturstudie, jämförande fallstudier av Chromia, e-krona och Centiglobe samt semistrukturerade expertintervjuer, analyserar studien hur olika arkitektoniska modeller och kryptografiska tekniker hanterar de centrala spänningarna mellan decentralisering, integritet och regulatoriska krav. Resultaten visar att ingen enskild lösning helt löser dessa konflikter. Istället bygger effektiva implementationer på en kombination av tillståndsbaserade (permissioned) arkitekturer, off-chain-datalagring och selektiv användning av integritetsförstärkande teknologier som zero-knowledge proofs och pseudonymisering. Uppsatsen bidrar till den pågående forskningen genom att erbjuda ett integrerat perspektiv på de tekniska, juridiska och organisatoriska strategier som krävs för att utforma skalbara och GDPR-anpassade blockkedje baserade finansiella infrastruktur i en fragmenterad regulatorisk milj
Post-Growth and the Beyond GDP Initiative at the United Nations : A Step Towards Post-Growth in Global Governance?
No full textThis paper investigates the Beyond GDP Initiative (BGDPI) launched by the United Nations (UN). It asks two questions: Does the Beyond GDP Initiative of the United Nations signify a step towards post-growth in global governance (RQ1)? What impact might the Beyond GDP Initiative of the United Nations have on global governance (RQ2)? To answer these questions, six core documents related to the BGDPI were analysed through a qualitative content analysis. The analysis was informed by a coding scheme built from a typology of post-growth theories, and an overview of transformative pathways from the International Relations literature. The BGDPI’s affinity to post-growth was assessed, in part based on the coding, to answer RQ1, and to inform the discussion related to answering RQ2. The findings show that the BGDPI has affinities with post-growth approaches, particularly in terms of post-GDP indicators, thus signifying a step towards post-growth. However, its impact on global governance is minimal. To achieve transformative potential, which all post-growth agendas seek, transnational actors have to push the agenda further, from the top-down and bottom-up. States in particular have to be convinced to pursue the initiative to truly transform the global economy in line with a post-growth ethos.
The Power of Context : A Socio-Semiotic Analysis of How Zara's 'The Jacket' Campaign Was Interpreted as Political Commentary on the Gaza Conflict
No full textThis study examines how Zara’s 2023 advertising campaign "The Jacket" was perceived as controversial due to its visual similarities with news images from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The campaign sparked outrage on social media, with critics accusing Zara of referencing the Israel-Gaza war. Through a semiotic analysis and comparative visual methodology, this study explores how contextual factors, such as Zara’s prior controversies regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the media coverage of Gaza, shaped audience interpretations. The analysis reveals that visual signs in the campaign were interpreted through conceptual maps influenced by real-time news images. The study argues that audience reception was not solely based on the ad’s intended artistic message but was instead filtered through political and cultural contexts. The findings suggest that Zara’s history of controversies and the timing of the campaign’s release amid intense media focus on Gaza, led to a connotation where the ad was read as a political statement rather than a fashion narrative. I min medieproduktion har jag tillsammans med min kurskamrat Hannah Zejnic haft ett skarpt samarbete med akvarieavdelningen på Malmö Museer. Vi har tagit fram läroplanscher i syfte att dessa ska användas under visningar för skolklasser 1-9 för att främja lärandet för barnen som lyssnar samt underlätta undervisningen för de pedagoger som håller i dem.
Fracture Strength of Monolithic Endocrowns and Advanced Lithium Disilicate - A Pilot Study
No full textIntroduction Root-filled teeth with large losses of tooth substance is a challenge for dental clinicians. The restoration of choice has traditionally been post and core buildup with a crown. Monolithic endocrowns in lithium disilicate, have been suggested as an alternative to this traditional restoration. Monolithic restorations offer possibilities which could provide treatment alternatives with a more reliable prognosis. Aim The aim is to examine the fracture strength of endocrowns made of advanced lithium disilicate. Material and method Twelve root-filled molars were restored with advanced lithium disilicate (Tessera) or lithium disilicate (e.max CAD) but with two different designs: endocrown and post and core + crown. The control groups consisted of post and core and e.max CAD. The samples were thermocycled and loaded in a chewing simulator (100.000 cycles, 5-55 Celsius (oC)) simultaneously, and finally loaded until fracture. The data was analysed with One-Way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test. Fracture patterns were visually divided in two groups and analysed using Chi2-test (significance level α = 0.05). Results E. max CAD in both groups of restorations showed higher fracture strength compared to Tessera. A statistical difference was noted when comparing the ECE group to the ECT (p value = 0.016) as well as the PCT group (p value = 0.009). The number of endocrown samples, regardless of material, that totalfractured was equal to the number of endocrown samples that crownfractured. Among the post and core crown samples regardless of material, there were three that crownfractured and two that totalfractured. However, there was one dropout in the post and core crown groups (PCE). No statistical difference was shown between the groups regarding the fracture modes.Conclusion The results from this study are highly unreliable due to the small sample size and no definitive conclusion can be drawn. However, the results may represent a trend indicating a higher fracture strength for the endocrowns made of lithium disilicate. Introduktion Rotfyllda tänder med omfattande tandsubstansförlust utgör en utmaning för tandvården. Det finns flera olika behandlingsalternativ avseende den koronala restaurationen och materialval men det saknas tillförlitlig prognosbedömning. En monolitisk konstruktion, endokrona av glaskeram, har föreslagits som alternativ till de traditionella konstruktionerna som innefattar stiftpelare och krona. Monolitiska endokronor erbjuder nya möjligheter som skulle kunna ge kliniker och patienter behandlingsalternativ med tillförlitlig prognos. Syfte Syftet är att undersöka hållfastheten hos endokronor framställda med avancerad litiumdisilikat. Material och metod Tolv rotfyllda molarer restaurerades med litiumdisilikat (e.max CAD) eller avancerad litium disilikat (Tessera) med två olika konstruktionstyper: stiftpelare + krona samt endokrona. Kontrollgrupperna utgjordes av stiftpelare + krona samt e.max CAD. Tänderna utsattes för mekanisk cyklisk belastning och termisk cykling samtidigt (100.000 cykler, 5-55 grader Celsius (oC)), och belastades därefter till fraktur. Datan analyserades med One-way ANOVA och post hoc Tukey´s test. Frakturmönstren delades visuellt in i två grupper. Utifrån den visuella grupperingen utfördes en statistisk analys med Chi2-test (signifikansnivå α = 0.05). Resultat E.max CAD uppvisade högre hållfasthet i båda restaurationsgrupperna, jämfört med Tessera. En statistisk skillnad noterades när ECE-gruppen jämfördes med ECT- (p värde = 0.016) samt PCT-grupperna (p värde = 0.009). Antalet endokronor, oavsett material, som totalfrakturerade var lika med antalet som kronfrakturerade. I grupperna med stiftpelare + krona, oavsett material, var det tre stycken som kronfrakturerade och två som totalfrakturerade. Det fanns dock ett bortfall i en av grupperna med stiftpelare + krona (PCE). Ingen statistisk skillnad påvisades mellan grupperna baserat på frakturtyp.Slutsats Ingen definitiv slutsats kan dras från denna studie då resultaten är högst opålitliga på grund av få provkroppar. Däremot kan resultaten eventuellt representera en trend som indikerar att endokronor gjorda i litiumdisilikat har högre hållfasthet.
Creating Reading Engagement: Teachers´ Reasoning on Reading Promotion Factors
No full textIt is important to have good reading skills to understand and participate in the world around us, and to be able to cope with society. At the same time, results from PISA show that reading comprehension among young Swedish people has deteriorated in recent years. This study aims to understand Swedish teachers’ thoughts on reading engagement on a deeper level. Teachers’ perceptions of promoting factors are studied to gain a professional perspective. The theories of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as reading engagement as a four-components model are applied in this study to understand the result. The method section includes a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews to collect data from five secondary school teachers, which are recorded and transcribed. The collected material is analyzed by using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis model to answer this study’s research questions. The result of this study shows that there are different factors that teachers perceive as promoting for students’ reading engagement as well as challenging, which results in the following five themes: Book selection, environment, teaching, students’ attitudes and the teachers’ influence. The conclusion is that the teachers believe that the selection of the book, the positive attitude of students and teachers, a stimulating environment, and the structure of teaching promote students’ reading engagement. The factors that teachers perceive as promoting reading engagement can also be seen as a challenge to apply in the reading instruction. Further, it can be concluded that the challenges that the teachers saw in reading instruction are in some cases beyond the teacher’s control, and their perspective of reading engagement can be understood as mainly based on affective engagement
All Quiet on the Knowledge Front : A curriculum analysis
No full textAfter an intense debate about the quality of the Swedish upper secondary school system, the Swedish government appointed an investigation into the improvement of the grading systemand the knowledge development amongst students. The investigation resulted in a newcurriculum, including new subject syllabuses, for upper secondary school effective from July1, 2025. The following study aims to examine how the requested curriculum in the initialinvestigation, the final curriculum Gy25, and the appurtenant history syllabus may becategorized according to curriculum theory. In a qualitative document analysis using thecurriculum theory-based curriculum ideologies and curriculum models, and prominent conceptswithin history didactics, we analyse the focal point of the curriculum content, the described aimof education, and the function of knowledge. Moreover, a comparison is made between thecurriculum Gy25 and the history syllabus to detect the curriculum theoretical congruencebetween them. Our key findings include a continuity between the initial requested curriculum,the final curriculum Gy25 and the history syllabus. While all include several elements of thedifferent curriculum models and curriculum ideologies applied during the analysis of theempiricism, we argue that the curriculums and the history syllabus should be categorized mainlyas an outcome-based education curriculum model and in the social efficiency curriculumideology
What is the problem to which the Pay Transparency Directive is the solution? : A poststructuralist study of the Swedish government inquiry on the implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive
No full textThe purpose of this study is to identify the problem representations to which the Pay Transparency Directive is the solution. This is explored through a discourse analysis using Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” (WPR) approach. My research questions are the following: What’s the problem represented to be in the Swedish government inquiry on the implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive?; What presuppositions or assumptions underlie the representation of the “problem” in the government inquiry? and What is left unproblematic in this problem representation? What are the silences? Can’t this “problem” be thought about differently?. To contextualize the study, I present previous research on pay transparency, pay audits, the gender pay gap, and statistics on intersectionality. The study is grounded in a poststructuralist philosophy of science, and theoretical concepts related to (in)equality, discrimination, intersectionality, power, and decoupling are introduced. The methodological framework is based on the WPR-approach, including my adapted WPR-questions. The empirical material consists of the Swedish government inquiry on the implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive along with selected consultation responses. The analysis answers the research questions in relation to my chosen empirical material. I found that one of the main problem representations in the government inquiry concerns legal challenges. There are several underlying assumptions and presuppositions, including notions of pay transparency, intersectionality, gender and equivalent work. Lastly, the analysis reveals both silences and aspects left unproblematized in the inquiry’s framing of the problem.
Humanity as a resource or a resource for humanity? : A comparative vignette study about career identity and guidance competence within the space of HR
No full textFöljande uppsats undersöker huruvida det finns vägledande kompetenser inom ramen för HR. Problemet som uppsatsen tar avstamp ifrån grundar sig i att se om det finns överskridande kompetensområden mellan studie- och yrkesvägledare och andra yrkesidentiteter. Syftet med uppsatsen är att komparativt se likheter och skillnader för att stärka vår egen yrkesidentitet på arbetsmarknaden. Uppsatsen använder sig av två teorier som mätverktyg för hur intervjupersonerna arbetar vägledande/motiverande: NICE-modellen och Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Frågeställningarna som ligger till grund för uppsatsen är således: Vilka vägledande roller, utifrån NICE, återfinns inom ramen för HR? samt Hur arbetar HR med motivation utifrån SDT? Metoden som används i uppsatsen är en vinjettmetod med ett kompletterande frågeformulär. Intervjupersonerna har därmed resonerat utifrån tre vinjetter (case). Fördjupande frågor har sedan ställts både under och efter vinjetterna. Uppsatsens resultat visar att HR ingår i ett flertal vägledande roller utifrån NICE. Resultatet visar även att intervjupersonerna arbetar med motivation på ett sätt som överensstämmer med SDT. Resultatet visar däremot att det finns skillnader i förhållande till syfte. HRs syfte är främst att vara ett chefsstöd och därmed även ett stöd för den övergripande organisationen. Ergo: HR ser människan som en resurs medan vägledare är en resurs för människan