Feminist foreign policy does not only benefit women

The Swedish Embassy in Northern Macedonia is showing an exhibition on Swedish feminist foreign policy. Photo: UN Women (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Of: Omran Nedal Khasawneh

Historically, Sweden has been the first in the world in many policy areas. Among other things, by adopting a coherent policy for fair and global development (PGU) in 2003. And not least by being ahead of all other countries with its feminist foreign policy. A policy that turned five in October. Sweden's feminist foreign policy rests on […]

November 26, 2019, Chronicle

Guyana needs new suicide prevention strategies

Guyana is the country in the world with the most suicide cases in relation to its population. Photo: John and Elaine Chesterton, Flickr.

Of: Nagaad Kadir Abdimaxmud

Every year, 800 people worldwide choose to commit suicide. Guyana is the country that tops the lists when it comes to the proportion of suicide cases in relation to population. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 000 out of 30 people commit suicide in Guyana. Globally, the proportion who commit suicide is significantly lower. On average, 100 […] commit

November 19, 2019, Chronicle

Feelings of guilt do not create decent working conditions

It is easy to feel guilty when the workers who produced our food receive extremely low wages. But guilt does not solve any problems, writes Vsevolod Lukashenok. Photo: Bernadette Wurzinger, Pixabay

Of: Vsevolod Lukashenok

In mid-October, the global aid organization Oxfam launched a campaign for decent working conditions in the food industry. The campaign had a simple and clear structure - to serve a three-course meal for only 2 kroner. The price corresponds to the sum that the workers who have grown and picked the raw materials receive for the food served. "The world's most unfair restaurant" was Oxfam's slogan […]

November 11, 2019, Chronicle

The abortion issue is a constant struggle

Women demonstrate for equality and the right to free abortion in Los Angeles, USA. Photo: Larissa Puro

Of: Molly Jerlstrom

All political issues follow the times. One issue that has definitely done so is the right to free abortion - sometimes controversial, sometimes forgotten and taken for granted. The scope of the issue in the debate varies greatly, especially in the high-income countries where free abortion is part of the legislation. Once the issue of abortion is put on the agenda, […]

October 23, 2019, Chronicle

The back of the minerals - conflicts, child labor and rape

Miners in eastern Congo. Photo: Enough Project. Flickr.com

Of: Louise Christianson

What do your mobile phone, your refrigerator and your computer have in common? In addition to making your everyday life easier, they also support conflicts in different parts of the world. Namely, they are made up of metals and minerals whose extraction contributes to conflicts, which has therefore been called "conflict minerals". Therese Sjöström, who is a researcher at Swedwatch, has visited mines […]

September 24, 2019, Chronicle

Loneliness is an obstacle to achieving sustainable development

Involuntary loneliness is as big a risk factor for dying prematurely as smoking - and a greater risk factor than overweight and physical inactivity, research shows.

Of: Pauline of Ekenstam

Involuntary loneliness is something that affects many older people. At the same time, researchers are sounding the alarm about the global prevalence of loneliness and the link to increased health risks. Loneliness must be taken seriously if we are to achieve the global goals for sustainable development - where "Good health and well-being" is one of the goals.

August 23, 2019, Chronicle

Time to start thinking irrationally

Nudging means that small means are used to change the behavior of the large mass. Maybe nudging will become a natural part of the sustainable cities of the future? Photo: Raneok (CC BY 2.0)

Of: Clara Strömberg

What is the first thing you get to learn as a new economics student? "Man is rational." Every choice she makes aims to maximize her own benefit. Classic microeconomic theory, something that has come to sit in the backbone and forever affect my way of thinking. Not only are economists characterized by this approach, it also has […]

May 28, 2019, Chronicle

The rhetoric that creates conflicts

According to Amnesty, 2017/2018 has been a year of political anger, and many political leaders have contributed to increasing the distance between people. Source: Flickr

Of: Molly Jerlstrom

Is the number of conflicts in the world increasing? Or will the world just become a better and better place, in line with Hans Rosling's fantastic message? What really triggers a conflict? In an environment that seems to be as full of "fake news" as of facts, it is difficult to know what to believe. To form […]

March 21, 2019, Chronicle

Can civil society reclaim space?

But when is disobedience legitimate? How can the conflict between the civil and the state be analyzed? writes Vsevolod Lukashenok. Photo: Takner, Flickr

Of: Vsevolod Lukashenok

Civil society operates in an increasingly shrinking space, state reports from CIVICUS, Forum Syd and Concord. In Russia, Turkey, Israel, Uganda and China, among others, freedom of expression, assembly and organization has been restricted. In order to conduct business in cases where the state monopoly of violence also becomes a monopoly of opinion, activists are forced to use civil disobedience - […]

March 21, 2019, Chronicle

Climate and prosperity in conflict

The "yellow vests" are demonstrating in France.

The yellow vests in France come from a conflict between climate and prosperity. Photo: Patrice Calatayu (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Of: Clara Malmén

My first encounter with Des Gilets Jaunes ("The Yellow Vests") was when I was studying in Paris in November, at the same time as the demonstrations began. Molly Jerlström writes about the reason for the demonstrations in her column "Backlash for environmental reforms in France". Jerlström writes that the demonstrations were caused by a conflict "between an environmentally friendly policy and people's economic and […]

March 21, 2019, Chronicle