Higher Education and Female Labour Market Participation

While female labour market participation is increasing worldwide, the development in Chile is slow and concentrated to the capital city of Santiago de Chile. Education has been found to increase female labour market participation in several studies, where my thesis contributes to the research with more careful analysis of the effects of higher education. Rather than analysing the joint effect of higher education, I disentangle the effects of different types of institutions of higher education, which allows me to analyse each corresponding effect on female labour market participation. By using data from the national census, and comparing results from the probit model and the linear probability model, I show that university education has the highest effect on female labour market participation, that education at technical centres has a slightly smaller effect, and that education at professional institutes has the smallest effect. Furthermore, by complimenting the thesis with my minor field study (MFS) about women’s policy preferences, I am able to discuss policy implementation with better foundation and support than studies that only rely on economic theory. My results suggest that policies that aim to simplify a combination of family life and career may be an efficient way to increase female labour market participation among women with higher education, where the MFS emphasise work concerning the quality of day care centres. Lastly, the highest valued policy in the MFS is work aiming to reduce the gender wage gap, which when implemented may decrease the impact of cultural values on labour market decisions, and thus further increase labour market participation among women with higher education. Key words: Higher education, female labour market participation, policy preferences, probit model, linear probability model

Does corruption matter?

Globalization and more open economies has over the last two decades led to an increase of FDI which has been argued to lead to economic growth. So far economists are not unanimous on to what extent or fully agreed upon if certain other conditions have to be fulfilled for this to be true. In newer research on economic development scientists emphasize the importance of institutions for economic growth. The interaction between institutions and other variables affecting economic growth has become more important to understand, especially in developing countries. This thesis is examining if FDI affect economic growth in developing countries and if there is an interaction between FDI and corruption affecting economic growth. Knowing how institutions affect development will make it easier to know which measures that needs to be taken to achieve better conditions for economic growth. The focus and research questions are following: • Does FDI affect economic growth in developing countries? • Is there an interaction effect between FDI and informal institutions affecting economic growth? One key finding is that FDI have a positive effect on economic growth. Additionally, when a possible interaction effect between FDI inflow and corruption is taken into consideration, no significant results are found. As this thesis however only covers developing countries a higher significance level can be argued to be tolerated, and two trends have been found: higher levels of corruption make FDI have a less positive effect on economic growth, and the more FDI a country receive, the worse corruption is for economic growth. The area can and should be explored further and more research is needed before any stronger conclusions can be made

Rates and patterns of bryophyte molecular evolution

Plants have been growing on land for at least 450 million years. The bryophytes comprising the three phyla liverworts, mosses and hornworts, are considered to be the closest extant relatives to the plants that colonized land. Bryophytes has been described as evolutionary “unchanging sphinxes of the past” regarding both morphological and genetic potential. This suggestion has some support in limited studies of molecular evolution within bryophytes, but has also been questioned based on e.g., studies of species diversification rates. To shed more light on this controversy, the overall aim of this thesis is to investigate rates and patterns of bryophyte molecular evolution. Our data suggest that the per nucleotide mutation rates in bryophytes are lower than those in angiosperms. Likewise, angiosperms are also more dynamic in terms of genome size, structural rearrangements, genome duplications and transposon activity. However, our data show that mutation rates of bryophytes are higher or at least on par with those of gymnosperms. Genome evolution in bryophytes is actually, in many aspects, similar to that of gymnosperms. Gymnosperms and bryophytes are both characterized by a low speciation rate, a low nucleotide mutation rate, low variation in chromosome numbers and relatively stable genome sizes. Studies have also suggested that macrosynteny is better conserved between conifer species compared with angiosperms, just as this study shows for bryophytes. Hybridization and introgression has been suggested to affect speciation and evolution. Recent genomic data shows that hybridization and introgression in angiosperms is more common then previously thought, but the question is less well studied in bryophytes. The present study gave some support to the occurrence of introgression between Marchantia polymorpha subspecies, but refute a previous hypothesis that M. polymorpha subsp. ruderalis is a new stabilized hybrid between M. polymorpha montivagans and polymorpha. An additional aspect of genome evolution and complexity is changes in gene regulatory networks. Gene regulatory networks generally appear more complex in angiosperms compared with bryophytes; also reflected in the circadian clock; with more gene components and more duplicated paralogous members, with possibly overlapping function, allowing a more robust and flexible system. Our studies of the plant circadian clock revealed that orthologs of most genes of the A. thaliana clock were present already in charophycean algae. Although gene numbers and complexity have generally increased during plant circadian clock evolution, our results suggest that gene loss has also been important in shaping the circadian clocks in the three bryophyte groups

Rates and patterns of bryophyte molecular evolution

Plants have been growing on land for at least 450 million years. The bryophytes comprising the three phyla liverworts, mosses and hornworts, are considered to be the closest extant relatives to the plants that colonized land. Bryophytes has been described as evolutionary “unchanging sphinxes of the past” regarding both morphological and genetic potential. This suggestion has some support in limited studies of molecular evolution within bryophytes, but has also been questioned based on e.g., studies of species diversification rates. To shed more light on this controversy, the overall aim of this thesis is to investigate rates and patterns of bryophyte molecular evolution. Our data suggest that the per nucleotide mutation rates in bryophytes are lower than those in angiosperms. Likewise, angiosperms are also more dynamic in terms of genome size, structural rearrangements, genome duplications and transposon activity. However, our data show that mutation rates of bryophytes are higher or at least on par with those of gymnosperms. Genome evolution in bryophytes is actually, in many aspects, similar to that of gymnosperms. Gymnosperms and bryophytes are both characterized by a low speciation rate, a low nucleotide mutation rate, low variation in chromosome numbers and relatively stable genome sizes. Studies have also suggested that macrosynteny is better conserved between conifer species compared with angiosperms, just as this study shows for bryophytes. Hybridization and introgression has been suggested to affect speciation and evolution. Recent genomic data shows that hybridization and introgression in angiosperms is more common then previously thought, but the question is less well studied in bryophytes. The present study gave some support to the occurrence of introgression between Marchantia polymorpha subspecies, but refute a previous hypothesis that M. polymorpha subsp. ruderalis is a new stabilized hybrid between M. polymorpha montivagans and polymorpha. An additional aspect of genome evolution and complexity is changes in gene regulatory networks. Gene regulatory networks generally appear more complex in angiosperms compared with bryophytes; also reflected in the circadian clock; with more gene components and more duplicated paralogous members, with possibly overlapping function, allowing a more robust and flexible system. Our studies of the plant circadian clock revealed that orthologs of most genes of the A. thaliana clock were present already in charophycean algae. Although gene numbers and complexity have generally increased during plant circadian clock evolution, our results suggest that gene loss has also been important in shaping the circadian clocks in the three bryophyte groups

Medias strategier för att medikalisera sorg och nedstämdhet till depression : Den tidsbegränsade sorgen och nedstämdheten

Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka strategier media använder sig av för att medikalisera sorg och nedstämdhet till depression i de fyra största svenska dags- och kvällstidningarna: Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet och Expressen, 2015–2019 (n=50). I det västerländska samhället har det skett en ökad medikalisering och därför ville vi undersöka hur detta har gått till i svensk media med hjälp den diskurspsykologiska metodansatsen och socialkonstruktionismen. Studiens resultat visade att medikaliseringsdiskursen var den dominanta diskursen där media beskriver depression som något som har biologiska orsaker som bör behandlas inom vården med medicin. De tolkningsrepertoarer i form av metaforer som vi kunde identifiera i vårt datamaterial och som understödjer medikaliseringsdiskursen var: depression som ett mörker, depression som en tyngd och depression som något man går in i. Dessa metaforer kunde förstås som sjukdomsmetaforer. Studien visade också att media använde sig av subjektspositionerna:  experten, den diagnostiserade och den nedstämda kändisen, dessa var de som gavs mest utrymme att uttala sig i media om nedstämdhet, sorg och depression. Resultatet visade också att media använder sig av retoriska strategier så som: den medikaliserade inramningen, före- och efter berättelser, extremfallsformuleringar, vaccinering mot egenintresse och modalitetsmarkörer. Dessa retoriska strategier används i media för att försvara sig, parera invändningar samt att få sina beskrivningar att framstå som trovärdiga och fakta. Vi kunde också identifiera en motdiskurs där media använder psykosociala faktorer för att beskriva nedstämdhet och sorg som en frisk reaktion på naturliga påfrestningar och individens livssituation

Redovisning och ansvar - det ålagda och det självpåtagna

Att kunna redovisa resultat ser vi i dagens samhälle som en självklar del av en organisations verksamhet. Privata profitdrivna företag liksom även alltmer offentliga organisationer styrs idag genom en marknadslogik som bland annat bygger på kontraktsbaserade uppdrag vilka förutsätter en granskning av hur de offentliga medlen används. Liknande krav på att utvärdera resultat och framgång blir i allt högre grad en angelägenhet även för ideella organisationer. Det som är särskilt utmanande för ideella organisationer är att raden av intressenter som uttrycker förväntningar på hur och vad som skall utvärderas är lång. Intressentgrupper inkluderar till exempel klienter, andra ideella organisationer, volontärer, samverkanspartners, offentliga finansiärer, sponsorer och privata gåvogivare. Dessa intressenter har olika idéer om hur verksamheten skall mätas och vad som skall rapporteras, med skilda förväntningar och krav. Men det är värt att notera att det inte bara är externa intressen som är för handen utan även de ideella organisationernas egna ideologiska stadganden och värden. Intressentrelationerna kan beskrivas som ansvars- eller redovisningsrelationer. En uppåtriktad ansvarsrelation avser återkoppling till myndigheter, stiftelser eller andra finansiärer; en nedåtriktad ansvarsrelation gäller ”klienter”, vilka kan vara brukare eller målgrupper för service eller tjänster, i vissa fall det lokala sammanhanget eller lokalsamhället; och en horisontell redovisningsrelation gäller organisationen själv och dess grundläggande uppdrag, liksom lokala samverkansaktörer och volontärer. Relationerna kan placeras både geografiskt och hierarkiskt, där de uppåtriktade relationerna inte sällan får företräde.Redovisningsrelationer kan även beskrivas ha två ansvarsdimensioner. Å ena sidan en extern, ålagd skyldighet (accountability) som bygger på krav på återkoppling genom redogörelser för åtaganden. Å andra sidan en intern, självpåtagen skyldighet (felt responsibility) som bygger på att känna ansvar, både relaterat till individers agerande och organisationens uppdrag. Den uppåtriktade redovisningsrelationen förstås vanligtvis som ett åläggande från andra organisationer, så som olika former av rapporteringskrav. Den horisontella och nedåtriktade redovisningsrelationen är oftare resultatet av ett eget upplevt självpåtaget ansvar där metoderna är mindre formaliserade. Begreppen ålagt ansvar och självpåtaget ansvar använder vi för att strukturera utvärderingspraktiker i ideella organisationer. Den ideella organisationens utvärderingspraktik är med andra ord präglad av komplexitet av olika slag där utvärdering fyller flera olika funktioner. Denna utvärderings- och redovisningspraktik kräver också resurser

The influence of light level on room and light perception : When using virtual sky lights as a complement in windowless rooms

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur virtuella takfönster upplevs av människor i en väntrumsmiljö och diskuterar huruvida det är en lämplig lösning som komplement till saknaden av fönster. Tidigare forskning har bekräftat att det finns behov av att undersöka en alternativ belysningslösning i syfte att komplettera saknaden av fönster. Det uppsatta målet för den aktuella studien har därför varit att visa hur en belysningslösning i form av virtuella takfönster med hög eller låg ljusnivå, tillsammans med antingen hög eller låg ljusnivå på allmänljus upplevs.    Med detta som grund har en experimentell studie genomförts med deltagare som har fått uppleva sex olika ljusscener i en väntrumsmiljö. Det som skiljde ljusscenerna åt var att de varierade mellan hög och låg ljusnivå på allmänljuset och på LED-panelerna som även var släckta i två ljusscener.    Resultatet har visat att det finns ett samband mellan ljusnivån på de virtuella takfönsterna och rums- och ljusupplevelsen. Tända LED-paneler var något som deltagarna föredrog över släckta i ett väntrum, i kombination med allmänljus på en hög eller låg ljusnivå. Det var särskilt den tredje ljusscenen, när både allmänljuset och LED-panelerna hade en hög ljusnivå som utmärkte sig mest och gav ett positivt resultat. Det indikerar på att deltagarna föredrog denna ljusscen mest. Anledningen till varför kan bero på att kontrasten av ljuset upplevdes mest behaglig, jämfört med de fem övriga ljusscenerna.     Vidare forskning inom området rekommenderas av författarna för att bidra till en djupare kunskap om hur virtuella takfönster ska appliceras för att skapa brukaranpassade ljusmiljöer i rum som saknar fönster. Upplevelsen av fler ljusnivåer gällande virtuella takfönster bör därför undersökas, samt att studier i fler typer av inomhusmiljöer borde undersökas, förslagsvis i studiemiljöer. Det kan bidra till en bredare kännedom kring applikationsmöjligheterna av virtuella takfönster, som komplement i fönsterlösa rum.   This study aims to examine how virtual sky lights are perceived by people and discuss whether it is a suitable solution as a complement to the lack of windows. Previous studies have confirmed that there is a need to examine an alternative lighting solution in order to supplement the lack of windows. The stated goal for the current study was therefore to evince how a lighting solution of virtual sky lights with a high or low light level, together with ambient lighting of either high or low light level is perceived.        With this as a foundation, an experimental study has been conducted with participants who have experienced six different light scenes in a waiting room environment. The light scenes were distinguished between high and low light levels of the ambient lighting and of the LED-panels, which were also turned off in two light scenes.      The result has shown that there is a connection between the light level of the virtual sky lights and the perception of the room and the lighting. The participants preferred the LED-panels when they were turned on rather than turned off in the waiting room, in combination with an ambient lighting at a high or low light level. It was especially the third light scene, when both the ambient lighting and the LED-panels had a high light level that excelled the most and showed positive results. It indicates that the participants preferred this light scene the most.  It might be because the contrast of light was perceived most pleasantly, compared to the other five light scenes.    Further studies within the field is recommended by the authors to contribute to a deeper knowledge about how virtual sky lights can be applied, to create user adapted lighting environments in rooms that lack windows. The perception of more light levels should therefore be investigated, also more types of environments should be investigated, study environments is one suggestion. It could contribute to a wider knowledge about possible application areas of virtual sky lights as a complement in windowless rooms.