Bridge over troubled water" : en studie av samspillet mellom folkeaksjoner og politiskeprosesser i en norsk kommune

Masteroppgave i offentlig politikk og ledelse- Universitetet i Agder 2009Participation in the political arena has changed over time in both form and scope. While we previously considered elections and party policy as the most important channels for political influence, in the last decades we have registered a trend towards more direct forms of participation. The last Norwegian power and democracy study (2003) concludes that this trend contributes to a decline of democracy. The purpose of this paper has been twofold. First and foremost, I have with help of a case study, researched the interaction between one specific civic action and the consequent official political processes within a limited period of time. Secondly, I have with regard to the papers theoretical foundation, discussed the findings of the study in relation to the conflicting points between direct and representative democracy. The theoretical background for the paper is divided in two. Using among other things, the results and the empirical data presented in the power and democracy study from 2003, I have made a number of assumptions about how activism as a form of political participation relates to the formal processes, as well as the characteristics of actions, the actors and what effects they are believed to have on the outcome of political processes. In order to use task findings to discuss the relationship between direct and representative democracy, I have included Ian Budge’s arguments for and against direct participation To answer the main question of this paper, I have conducted a time-limited case study of the conflict-driven construction of a pedestrian- and bicycle-bridge in the municipality of Mandal. The basis for empirical data is gathered through document analyses of both articles from the media and municipal documents. As a form of analysis I have used process analysis, to be able to describe how something occurs, changes and evolves over time. The analysis of the data reveals a process with a number of actors involved in the interaction, where activity levels and intensity largely are governed by fixed political events. I have described the lifecycle of the process phases, and conclude that public actions and political processes develop simultaneously but independent of one another, only to meet on common arenas when decision-time is approaching. Finally, I have made a comparison and discussion of the results and arguments for and against direct democracy. After studying my individual case I question whether the reaction channel at all has influence on the outcome of a case, or if it only affects what is put on the agenda and what kind of form and content the political debate has. Last, but not least, I discuss the question; is this really a democratic problem

Her blir du møtt som en helhet: En kvalitativ studie av studenters erfaringer med recovery college

Denne masteroppgaven er en del av et større forskningsprosjekt som skal evaluere norske recovery colleger/skoler. I norsk sammenheng er recovery college et relativt nytt konsept og det er ikke gjort mye forskning nasjonalt på dette feltet. Studien har tatt utgangspunkt i deltakere med egenerfaring med rus- og/eller psykiske helseutfordringer for å undersøke deres erfaringer med deltakelse på recovery college, og hvorvidt deltakelse har hatt innvirkning på deres recoveryprosess. Studien er en kvalitativ undersøkelse, hvor innsamlingen av datamaterialet består av åtte semistrukturerte dybdeintervju. Deltakerne ble hentet inn fra et norsk recovery college. Det innsamlede datamaterialet ble analysert ved å ta i bruk en stegvis-deduktiv induktiv analysemetode. Samlet sett viste studien at deltakerne hadde gode erfaringer med deltakelse på recovery college. Hovedfunnene var at dette var linket til at de kunne være seg selv, at det hadde formet dem som mennesker og at de hadde fått mer eierskap til prosessen. Dette viste at deltakelse på recovery college kan ha en betydningsfull innvirkning for studentenes recoveryprosess og opplevde selvstigma

“A place without walls, only opportunities”: personal accounts of attending Recovery Colleges in Norway

Introduction: Recovery colleges (RCs) are learning environments, first established in the UK, based on principles that support positive life changes and reduce stigma related to challenges with mental health and substance use problems. RCs offer courses based on co-production processes and are designed and delivered jointly by individuals with lived experience and professional experts. The courses are open to anyone, attracting people with a variety of life experiences. RCs are non-clinical environments that provide individuals with the identities of students and/or trainers as autonomous and independent agents. In this paper, we investigate experiences of being a part of a RC in Norway, either as a student and/or as a course trainer with lived experiences of mental health or substance use challenges. We ask the following research question: What kinds of personal and social processes are enabled by being part of a recovery college from the perspective of persons with experience-based competence? Materials and methods: The study is qualitative and explorative based on 11 individual (N = 11) and two focus group interviews (N = 8). Participants were recruited from two of the first RCs in Norway between August 2021 and January 2022. Results: Study participants describe how their involvement in a RC provided them with opportunities to assume new positions in their recovery process, both related to former institutional identities given in the course of treatment and related to the way they see themselves as people struggling with mental health and substances use challenges. Attending a RC represented significant transitions (1) from an institutional position as “sick” or as “what’s on the paper” into a position as “a whole person”; (2) from being in in a position as a recipient of care to the position as actively responsible for life changes; (3) from seeing themselves as worthless to seeing themselves as persons with resources; (4) from being alone to being part of a fellowship. Participants describe being part of a RC as an invaluable addition to other kind of support or help. Discussion: It is important to provide alternative arenas like RC for facilitating work with life changes, as an invaluable addition to regular services.publishedVersio

Manipulerte bilder

Denne masteroppgaven er en undersøkelse med søkelys på forholdet mellom manipulerte bilder og etikk. Gjennom en kvalitativ og fenomenologisk inspirert tilnærming til forskningsfeltet, brukte jeg en litteraturstudie og søk på internett for å finne data som kan gi mulige svar på problemstillingen. I tillegg brukte jeg akasjonsforskning sammen med en klasse jeg underviser. Med dem har jeg vært gjennom et undervisningsopplegg i bildebehandling, og etter det hatt en spørreundersøkelse vedrørende bildemanipuleringer, etikk og psykisk helse. Gjennom eget skapende arbeid, og ved å se på andres arbeid med bildebehandling, kom det frem at det er flere grunner for å utføre bilderedigeringer. Det aller meste som blir gjort av bilderedigeringer blir foretatt av profesjonelle, som markedsførere og bloggere. Bilderedigeringer blir gjort ofte for å ta en snarvei for å spare tid eller for å forbedre noe som ikke lar seg gjøre med kamera alene. Jeg fant også ut at deling av bilder på sosiale medier kan føre til skader som det i utgangspunktet ikke ble tenkt på, som gruppepress blant ungdom. Det kan derfor være etisk feil å dele alle typer bilder og ikke bare redigerte bilder. I eget skapende arbeid har jeg jobbet med et undervisningsopplegg til bruk som støtte i opplæringen i bildebehandling, samt arbeidet med foto og redigering av bilder

The impact of brand extension fit, extension strategy and product exposure on attitudinal responses to brand extensions

Brand extensions have for decades been one of the most used strategies for growth, but the sad reality is that 8 out of 10 extensions fail, making the likelihood of failure unattractively high. In addition, competition and pressure on margins increases as retailers’ power improves due to proliferation of private labels. As a result, managers are eager for new innovative strategies that can differentiate their extension and improve likelihood of success. The purpose of this paper is therefore to present an innovation in the brand extension field, enabling managers to introduce extensions with greater chances of success. More specifically, the paper will investigate how extensions in alliance with retailers can create benefits that would otherwise be impossible for the manufacturer to obtain alone. These alliances can yield important benefits such as attractive shelf-space, shared introduction costs, shared risk, and increased likelihood of being one of very few extension successes. In addition, these collaborations might result in closer retailer-relationships that may benefit other products in manufacturers’ portfolio. To test these new strategies, two studies with an experimental research design were created. The first study examined how extension strategy affects the relationship between brand extension fit and attitude towards the extension product. Though main effects of fit and store image were confirmed, it was not possible to conclude that the effect of brand extension fit on attitude toward extension product was moderated by extension strategy. This does not mean that managers can disregard how extension strategies affect fit. Grocery stores’ image might not yet inhabit enough product-specific attributes to affect an extension product more positively. However, as it was found that extending to a category with a high-end retailer did not detract consumers’ attitudes such alliances might be beneficial when risk of extending alone is perceived as high. n many cases, the only available retailer that a manufacturer can partner up with is a low-end retailer. In these instances, it is important for managers to know how they can improve attitudes toward extension products, given these circumstances. The second study investigates how increasing exposures of a low fit extension can result in more favorable attitudes, making such extension strategies more successful. The analysis showed that in the no repeated exposure condition, a significant difference between low- and high fit exists. In the repeated exposure condition however, no such difference exists. Consequently, managers should increase frequency of marketing activities when promoting a low fit extension product co-produced with a low-end retailer in order to increase the likelihood of favorable attitudes and success

Designing Towards a Unique Value Proposition : Iterating Using the Directed Product Reaction Method: A Case Study

Lean Startup lacks a method specifically designed to evaluate whether a HCI-design is fulfilling the promises delivered by the unique value proposition (UVP). At the time of writing, concurrent think aloud protocols during usability testing and interviews are used to that end. There are, however, a couple of issues bundled with the use of such methods. Using a case study conducted on two iterations of high-fidelity prototypes of a meal planning website currently in development, a method called Directed Product Reaction (DPR) is proposed. DPR is a result of the adaptation of Product Reaction Cards, and the addressing of issues uncovered during case study iterations. DPR aspires to be that specifically designed method needed for assessment of user experience in relation to UVP in Lean Startup, and while the resulting method proposed has far from achieved that goal, it serves as a foundation moving forward

A New Nation, A Brighter Future? Strategic Norwegian Oil Development Assistance in South Sudan

Post-independence South Sudan faces numerous development obstacles and many consider oil to be a redeeming factor for the new state. This paper discusses the resource curse related to the country’s oil industry and how with proper management, the oil can largely benefit the new state. It explores Norway’s history of oil development and examines ways in which Norway can assist South Sudan in managing their oil, making it the most effective for the people. Key elements of the assistance are the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, technical support focusing on increased oil recovery, and building stronger state capacity. But given that the time span of oil is shorter than first predicted, the heavily oil-reliant South Sudan must utilize incoming revenue as a part of an economic diversification process. Suggested areas of diversification are agriculture, mining, and hydropower, and the latter is an area that could significantly benefit from Norwegian expertise. A shift from oil to hydropower is in the interest of both states since it will provide South Sudan with clean energy while allowing Norway to promote environmental sustainability

Game Time : Speldesign för träning av tidsuppfattning för barn och ungdomar med autismspektrumtillstånd

Många barn och ungdomar med autismspektrumtillstånd upplever idag svårigheter med tidsuppfattning. Detta yttrar sig i svårigheter att komma i tid och svårigheter att hinna med de aktiviteter som behövs i vardagen. Detta projekt syftar till att ta fram en design för ett spel som på ett underhållande och engagerande sätt låter brukare träna på sin tidsuppfattning. Genom intervjuer med barn och ungdomar med AST i åldrarna 11-18, samt utvärdering av pappersprototyper, togs två spelkoncept fram. Projektet resulterade i intervjuteman, en föreslagen arbetsmetod, belysning av frågor, möjligheter och svårigheter med en sådan metod, två spelkoncept med olika utformning samt tillhörande resultat i form av enkätdata (User Engagement Scale och Lin et als underhållningsskala) och observerade händelser under utvärdering med användare från målgruppen. Relaterade projekt kan använda dessa resultat som informativ grund för sitt eget arbete och därmed ges möjlighet att genomföra ett bättre arbete