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Den här pro gradu-avhandlingen granskar hur mammor som använt rusmedel under graviditeten konstruerar identitet i sina livsberättelser, och vilka betydelser beroende och moderskap får i berättelserna. Undersökningsmaterialet består av fyra livsberättelser. Avhandlingen har sina teoretiska rötter i kvalitativ rusmedelsforskning och kritisk föräldraforskning. Ur en metodologisk-teoretisk synvinkel placerar sig avhandlingen inom den sociala konstruktionismen, närmare bestämt den narrativa konstruktionismen. Avhandlingen granskar identitet ur en narrativ synvinkel. Analysen granskar berättarens individuella identitetskonstruktion och hur större kulturella modellberättelser sammanvävs och används för att skapa mening kring berättarens upplevelser. I avhandlingen kategoriseras de fyra livsberättelserna som progressiva berättelser där huvudpersonen går igenom svårigheter och prövningar för att till slut växa som människa. I sina berättelser konstruerade kvinnorna flera identiteter, varav identiteten som en moralisk aktör är den mest framträdande. Kvinnorna konstruerar sina identiteter utgående från olika dikotomier, som till exempel en tudelning mellan ett 'drogjag' och ett 'verkligt jag', och mellan 'drogvärlden' och 'vanliga' världen. Funktionen av denna tudelning är att bereda väg för en ny identitet som mamma. Livsberättelserna följer kulturella narrativ om att tillfriskna från ett beroende. Beroende konstrueras som en berättigad reaktion på en svår barndom och som en splittrande händelse som styrt kvinnornas liv in på nya banor. Moderskapet har en central ställning i berättelserna, och barnet och moderskapet konstrueras som den främsta motiveringen till att bli nykter. I förhållande till moderskapet och det nya livet framsteg livet i drogvärlden som problematiskt och mindre värt. Identiteten som mamma kretsar kring att vara vanlig, vilket tolkas som ett sätt att särskilja det egna jaget från en stigmatiserad grupp. Tillsammans kan de fyra narrativen betraktas som en motberättelse mot de kulturella narrativ som definierar kvinnornas moderskap som dömt att misslyckas.

In 1987, the United Nations concerned with global challenges to human development called for a new model of growth to be erected upon the notion of sustainable development. Today, twenty five years later, the world continues to be beset by these global challenges and a governance gap around this issue has become manifest. Overtime, the international community came to the realization that, first, tackling these challenges requires the collective action of a multiplicity of relevant actors. And second, that the private sector, with its resources, know-how, experience and jurisdiction, could have a pivotal role to play to this end. The problem with these assumptions was the scepticism generated by mainstream interpretations of corporate nature and rationality. Despite the potential for contribution, corporations as self-interested agents in the struggle for the maximization of individual advantage could not be expected to contribute to the promotion of sustainable development; let alone through collective action. And yet contemporary evidence shows, that this scepticism is unwarranted. For that reason, the main purpose of this descriptive study was to account for the existing cases of collective action, and identify by listening to corporate actors, what was the rationale that underpinned their decisions to engage in these forms of collective action. In doing so, the aim was to assess the current suitability of mainstream approaches to reflect reality. Because of that, special attention was devoted to the notion of corporate self-interest (the key concept used by mainstream approaches to nurture the egoistic interpretation of the corporate actor). In listening to corporate actors two related qualitative analyses were conducted. On the one hand, a set of archival material - corporate responsibility reports and codes of conduct - was approached through a story-line narrative technique the purpose of which was to set the contextual and notional framework for the content analysis of interview transcripts that was to follow. On the other hand, semi-structured elite interviews were conducted on corporate executives of four transnational corporations, all of which are leaders in their respective industries and have a record of collective action that contributes to sustainable development. These corporations were Novartis, UPM, Tetra-Pak and Nokia and the overall purpose of the analytical chapter has been learn from corporate actors themselves what drove them to engage in these forms of collective action. At first glance the results of the analyses revealed that the rationale behind corporate engagement, continued to be explained by reference to corporate self-interest; just as mainstream approaches suggested. However, the point of divergence between these two interpretations was to be found in the way corporate self-interest was defined. According to mainstream approaches, corporate self-interest was defined in terms of profit maximization. Conversely, the findings unveiled in this study highlight the necessity to separate interests (instrumental reasons) from corporate self-interest (teleological reasons). In line with that differentiation, self-interest is defined as long-term survival, and all other interests are interpreted as instrumental to it. These findings have encouraging implications on the relevance of mainstream approaches to represent. Insofar a reassessment of the notion of corporate self-interest is undertaken to account for teleological reasons as distinct from instrumental reasons, mainstream approaches would be able to provide a fairer account of contemporary circumstances than they do today. In the absence of such an update, not only do they run the risk of not being able to reflect reality and becoming irrelevant, but they would also run the risk of rendering themselves unsuitable to account for changes in behaviours and interests, ultimately, downplaying rather than strengthening the rationality of actors. All in all, if what unrevised mainstream standards provide us with is an account for corporate rational behaviour, then what this study contributes is the possibility of moving past scepticism and understanding the potential for corporate behaviour to be better than rational.

The aim of this thesis is to research Japan-U.S. Security Treaty protests in 1960 in global context. The Anpo-protests were selected as research topic because not much research was found of the protests. Anpo-protests begun in 1959 and ended in late 1960. The main motive was to oppose revision of U.S.-Japan Security Treaty but eventually protests led to resignation of the prime minister Kishi Nobusuke. The protests were the largest in Japanese history and left their legacy to Japanese political history and civil society. Scholars have researched Anpo-protests to some extent. However, the Anpo-protests have not been analysed in Worldwide context of Cold war which is why transnational history got selected as primary theoretical framework for this thesis. This thesis uses the Japan Times as the primary source. The Japan Times is Japan’s oldest English language newspaper firstly published in 1897. As for main method theory-guided content analysis was used. Analysis was carried out with coding in which Atlas.ti software was used. Theory of historical study of images got selected as second theoretical framework after transnational history because this thesis aims to construct comprehensive image of the Anpo-protests from the lens of the Japan Times. The research question asks how the Anpo-protests are portrayed in the Japan Times. The goal of the research question is to find out whether the Anpo-protests were portrayed as transnational in the Japan Times. This thesis is interested if the Anpo-protests had transnational influences. The results of the analysis indicate that the Japan Times is mainly interested certain issues, such as who are protesting, why they are protesting and how the protests are carried out. The codes that appear most frequently are communism, students and protests techniques. During the analysis over 1200 codes were reduced into 16 categories which were evolved further into themes. The themes are social unity of Japanese people, legitimacy and transnationalism. Social unity represents how people who were breaking the cohesion of society are judged on the newspaper. Legitimacy deals with the issue of what is legal and what is not. Transnationalism pays interests on transnational influences of the Anpo-protests such as peace activism, communism and democratic ideals. All themes express change in Japanese society. Results explain how the conception of peace, democracy, authority, violence and social unity changed due the Anpo-protests. The results indicate that Anpo-protests were portrayed transnationally to some extent on the Japan Times. Thus, Anpo-protests may have had some transnational connections. Broader analysis would offer more reliable results and thus this thesis serves only as a brief outlook to the Anpo-protests. However, this thesis offers valuable information of the Japan Times itself and of the major change in Japanese society that has often left without notice. Anpo-protests itself served as transnational influence on other protests which evolved later in the 1960s.

This research discusses how macro-level changes like the collapse of the Soviet Union and Estonia’s EU accession have influenced the experiences of Estonians’ living in Finland. The topic is approached with three main research questions. Firstly, have temporal and structural changes influenced Estonians’ lives in Finland. Secondly, what is the influence of the social position and various encounterings on one’s experiences and how one interprets them. Thirdly, how immigrant’s previous life in Estonia and his or her relations with family members and friends influence his or her current situation in the new country of residence. The main theoretical concepts of the study are ethnic identity, otherness, acculturation and transnationalism. The data collected for the study consists of eight interviews of Estonian women living in Finland. The interviews were semi-structured and emphasized informants’ own interpretations and conceptions of the past. The used method, oral history, is interested in the interpretations of the past and the meaning that the happenings have in the present situation and not only the actual happenings. Reminiscence of the past is a way to share experiences and compare them with those of the others’. It is a way to produce interpretations that supplement, comply and criticize public understandings of the past. Oral history and interviews bring forth new standpoints while they concentrate on informants’ own interpretations of the past. The informants have moved to Finland between 1990 and 2007 and their backgrounds and reasons to move vary. During the time frame of the research, there have been some practical changes that have influenced informants’ possibilities to move and to live in Finland. Residence permits, for example, are not needed anymore. In addition, the reasons to move have changed from returning migration to work based migration. At the same time, also attitudes among Finns towards Estonians have developed into a more tolerant direction. Immigration from Estonia to Finland is often temporary and movers do not necessarily have exact plans how long they are going to stay. This has become possible as crossing borders has eased since Estonia’s EU membership. Even though all the informants are women and Estonian, there are, however, differences in their experiences depending on, for instance, the time of the move, social position, occupation, family situation and personality. These variations influence the way in which they explain their experiences and construct their own identity in relation to the others. Besides, also conceptions of one’s own ethnic group and its past have an impact on the self-understanding. According to the interviews, Estonians seem to be a particular immigrant group in Finland that is regarded mainly positively. However, even though they, in general, speak fluent Finnish and there are similarities in the histories of the two countries, the acceptance of immigrants is always relative and depends on the other factors as well. According to this research, various factors influence the ways how informants experience their everyday life situations in Finland, how differently they explain their experiences and construct their own identities through them.

Post-growth economic thinking has received attention in recent years as an ecologically oriented alternative to current economic theory and policy practices. Specifically, post-growth thinking seeks alternatives to the growth paradigm, and the use of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of ‘progress’ in wealthy countries. To tackle the issues with the GDP, a host of ‘Beyond GDP’ indicators have been proposed by academics and international institutions, aiming to measure ‘progress’ along wellbeing and ecological sustainability. This thesis discusses post-growth economic thinking and Beyond GDP indicators from the perspective of feminist political economy. The thesis builds a theoretical argument for a potential research area of feminist post-growth contributions to the Beyond GDP discussion. This argument also provides an answer to the following questions: When it comes to measuring progress, to what extent are post-growth and critical feminist ideas compatible? Further, what can such a perspective offer for the study of Beyond GDP indicators? Economic indicators, in this thesis, are understood as tools for prioritisation of economic policy. As such, indicators are seen to carry considerable power. The analysis highlights that there is a gap in literature on critical and philosophical political economic analyses of Beyond GDP indicators. With a theoretical analysis and a brief exploration of two alternative indicators, this thesis proposes concrete themes that a post-growth perspective integrating feminist considerations can highlight and further study in measurements of ‘progress’. These include understandings of the normative considerations behind indicators, the relationship between ‘the economy’ and other spheres such as ecological limits, as well as methodological considerations of how to complement quantitative data. In conclusion, this thesis argues that various considerations, such as the role attributed to ‘non-economical’ and structural factors, should be considered in measuring wellbeing and sustainability in a post-growth economy.

There are over 100 billion searches on Google every month. This thesis examines whether Google search queries can be used to predict the present and the near future unemployment rate in the US. Predicting the present and near future is of interest, as the official records of the state of the economy are published with a delay. To assess the information contained in Google search queries, the thesis compares a simple predictive model of unemployment to a model that contains a variable, Google Index, constructed from Google data. In addition, descriptive cross-correlation analysis and Granger non-causality tests are performed. To study the robustness of the results, the thesis considers state-level variation in the unemployment rate and Google Index using a fixed effects model. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the results is studied with regard to different search terms. The results suggest that Google searches contain useful information on the present and the near future unemployment rate. The value of Google data for forecasting purposes, however, tends to be time specific, and the predictive power of Google searches appear to be limited to short-term predictions. The results demonstrate that big data can be utilized to forecast economic indicators.

Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract In this Master’s thesis I investigate Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) involvement, experiences and outcomes in Madagascar, including the limiting and enabling factors for impact of conservation interventions driven by NGOs. The focal point of the research is the lived experiences from the field, including identification of processes and forces shaping the preconditions for NGO interventions. As part of the research I explore experiences of NGOs from their interventions and from engaging with local communities, government, policy makers and other NGOs in Madagascar. Many NGOs are active in biodiversity hotspots like Madagascar, but evaluation outcomes and lessons learned tend not to be extensively shared across organizations and thematic focus areas. This in turn affects preconditions to influence outcome determinants not only in isolated interventions but also across organizational borders. This study aims to define the situation and the issues faced by NGOs in Madagascar to suggest how the landscape could be navigated to improve the preconditions for long term intervention impact. The purpose is not to evaluate specific projects, but to assess the mechanisms through which the NGO sector can make a significant contribution to conservation, as well as the challenges in doing so. As the analysis seeks to broaden and contextualize the discussion of NGO involvement in conservation interventions, the theoretical framework for the research is based on theory on Non-Governmental Organizations and grounded theory. The theoretical framework facilitates the analysis of the findings, understanding of the results, as well as structuring and highlighting new insights. The theory is complemented with a background assessment of the environmental context in Madagascar, reviewing other research on conservation and its challenges in the country. This helps to understand the dimensions of the challenges, as well as the avenues open for exploration. Insights are gathered from representatives of long-term in situ NGOs to better understand the wider playing field in which they operate. The empirical research is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 representatives from 12 international and local NGOs working with biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. The data was transcribed and analyzed through thematic network analysis and constructivist grounded theory analysis. The interviews were combined with a literature review, a group interview, a field visit to a project site, and more informal conversations with academic researchers and experts in the field. As part of the study, a two-week field trip to Madagascar was undertaken. To present the findings from this research, thematic categorizations were used to illustrate factors that affect outcomes of conservation interventions driven by NGOs. The categories are related to internal organization specific factors, cooperation with other actors (including other NGOs, government and actors in the local communities), as well as the Malagasy environment and politics (including government, laws and policies). The findings reveal challenges especially with systematic coordination of NGO interventions, NGO evaluation practices, resources, as well as issues with implementing sustainable community involvement in project design and decision making. Local community involvement is considered important, but in practice is not fully scaled up and inclusive in terms of decision making and consistent involvement. Findings indicate that the cooperation between NGOs and their key stakeholders works reasonably well from the NGO perspective, but still has potential to be better utilized in order to improve long-term sustainability. Consideration of external constraints is important to assess the potential of different types of interventions and approaches, allowing NGOs to focus their efforts according to the context and their capacities. While acknowledging and navigating the diversity of viewpoints, it is essential to be aware of the impact of structural challenges, the political complexity and the often-conflicting interests between conservation, the commercial and extractive sector, as well as local livelihoods and practices. Findings indicate issues with policy implementation and harmonization, and with conservation prioritization and law enforcement by the government. Local and national ownership and leadership backing is seen as essential for biodiversity conservation, pushing for stronger leadership from within the society. My research provides insights, recommendations and conclusions from which NGOs and conservation actors can gain better understanding of factors impacting interventions, as well as on the Malagasy playing field and its dynamics. This can be helpful in order to capitalize on opportunities and counter challenges, focusing actions on areas that make a difference. The findings can also be of value to other biodiversity conservation researchers, funding agencies, associations, communities and government stakeholders specifically focused on Madagascar. The research may also benefit NGOs and conservation actors involved in other countries, which confront similar challenges concerning conservation, governance, NGO involvement and interventions.

The goal of this research was to investigate the varying impacts a social movement like the Black Lives Matter has on Finnish society and if these impacts manifest as social of developmental change and what role the media plays regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and how representation in the media can influence the movements success. The focus of my research was the BLM protest in Helsinki on June 2020. My research questions were, “How can social activist movements like Black Lives Matter affect development and societal change in Finland.” and “What role does the media have in the Black Lives Matter movement and does the media impact the movement’s ability to achieve its goals?” My research data consisted of Finnish media articles centered around the BLM protest in June 2020 and the aftermath of the event. The data consisted of articles 33 articles from 10 news agencies, which provided information from varying perspectives. Additionally, my data included a legal document mentioned in several articles from the Parliamentary Ombudsman. I conducted my analysis using content analysis. My theoretical framework of reference to help me conduct my research and support my analysis consisted of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and Social Constructionism. The data clearly showed that the movement had undeniable direct and indirect effects in the form of speech around racism and changing public perception by increasing awareness about social inequalities. There were clear indications of the transformative nature of the movement because of the shared experience black people faced all over the world, which allowed members of the Finnish society to discuss and shine a light on their experiences with racism. There are clear distinctions between the BLM movement in the United States and Finland, which manifested in the data as minimalizing racism in Finland. The media plays a major role in how the movement is represented and how the movements goals are achieved. There are clear indications to protest paradigms, which are how the media negatively represents social movements by focusing on violence, discrediting the message and other negative practices. In conclusion, social movements can act as agents of social change, increase awareness, and improve social conditions that racism creates, but developmental and political change require long term goals and clear objectives. Finland does not have the same systemic issues of racism as the United States, which led me to conclude that developmental goals were not feasible.

Syftet med denna pro gradu är att undersöka finländska unga vuxnas upplevelser av sin medieanvändning i relation till välmående och stress. Även medieanvändning i relation till återhämtning är väsentligt i avhandlingen. Forskningen baserar sig på fem intervjuer. De intervjuade är fyra kvinnor och en man, i åldern 25 till 32 år. Genom att intervjua fem personer om hur de upplevt stress och återhämtning i förhållande till sin medieanvändning och relatera forskningsmaterialet till tidigare forskning om ungdomar, medieanvändning, stress och välmående i dagens samhälle, är syftet att om möjligt komma fram till nya insikter om hur dagens ungdomars välmående påverkas av deras medieanvändning. Forskningen sätter i synnerhet tyngdpunkt på den roll som användningen av digitala och sociala medier spelar för unga människors välmående i dagens Finland. Forskningens resultat visar att det främst är sociala medier, digitala medier och den ökade användningen av smarttelefon som orsakar mest stress och minskar välmående hos unga vuxna.

This thesis is a contribution to the budding discussion within social sciences about blockchain – an emerging technology that, for the last decade or so, has garnered a lot of attention especially with its cryptocurrency applications. More recently, blockchain has started to spread to fields outside of the financial sector as new imaginaries are being projected onto it in e.g. logistics, energy, entertainment, and the humanitarian sector. The study at hand focuses on blockchain in the realm of anti-money-laundering. Blockchain, when applied to cryptocurrencies, seems to propose challenges to the actors who try to prevent money-laundering, and institutional reactions trying to restrict or manage the use of certain blockchain applications have already started to emerge. However, these reactions have also affected the development of the technology itself. As blockchain is an emerging technology and phenomenon, the research conducted for this study is of the explorative kind. Reflecting on ethnographic observation and eight semi-structured interviews with e.g. cryptocurrency activists, NGOs and representatives from tax administration, central bank, foreign ministery, and financial supervision authority, the thesis examines the different imaginaries projected onto blockchain. By applying a combined framework of the global assemblages approach and the concept of practical activity, the thesis investigates the tactics, politics, morals and the subject of blockchain, and attempts to answer the following questions: How is blockchain being applied or resisted, in order to resolve the perceived problems in the field of anti-money-laundering? What is being tried to achieve by the use or resistance of blockchain in this field? Why is blockchain regarded to be of value or a risk? And fundamentally, if examined as a combined entity – who is blockchain? A myriad of interpretations emerge from the data. For many, blockchain holds promise of a better future where individuals have more power over their freedoms and assets. For others, blockchain is challenger that is controlled by no one and allows illicit activities to go unnoticed. For some, blockchain is a threat that should be restricted and governed. The main finding of the study is that blockchain allows many different agendas and imaginaries to be projected on to it. The “original” emancipatory values of blockchain that would allow its users independence, anonymity, immutability, and freedom from central governance seem to be extremely interchangeable with the values of governance and efficiency. The contradictory goals and morals enacted through blockchain have not been resolved. As the juridico-legal attempts to govern blockchain increase, certain blockchain-based actions could go deeper underground, making it more difficult for law-abiding actors to take part in blockchain-based activities. For the humanitarian sector, blockchain holds a lot of interesting potential. Blockchain could be used for e.g. improving access to energy, providing legal identities, and enabling cost-free remittances. The mutually constitutive nature of governance and technology should be taken into account as interpretations are made, so as to not prevent or hinder the development of applications with societally beneficial goals.