Small island territories are one of the first that face the disruptive consequences of climate change, although they have historically contributed least. Therefore they increasingly demand...Show moreSmall island territories are one of the first that face the disruptive consequences of climate change, although they have historically contributed least. Therefore they increasingly demand reparative climate justice through climate litigation. The academic debate focuses on sovereign Small Island Developing States, thereby ignoring the relevant differences between SIDS and non-sovereign island territories such as sub-national island jurisdictions (SNIJs). Therefore this research investigates what is owed to sub-national island jurisdiction Bonaire in terms of reparative justice. In May 2023 GreenPeace together with Bonaire sent a pre-litigation letter to the Dutch government. Through a normative method and a case study I investigate their two central reparative demands. I argue that climate reparations for Bonaire, and thus SNIJs should prioritize equity and inclusion. In addition, the two mechanisms climate litigaiton and truth and reconciliation are compared in their ability to facilitate repair for SNIJs. Lastly, theoretical implications about the meaning of post-colonial relationships in reparative justice are formulated.Show less
Competency-based intervention is an approach in youth services focusing on enhancing skills aligned with age-appropriate developmental tasks. It is employed across various contexts and for diverse...Show moreCompetency-based intervention is an approach in youth services focusing on enhancing skills aligned with age-appropriate developmental tasks. It is employed across various contexts and for diverse target populations. However, the extent of evidence supporting this method in literature is unclear. This thesis synthesizes multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of to which extend this topic has been researched: What is known about this methodology, its strengths and weaknesses, and the specific target groups under investigation? Through a narrative review, ten evidence-based and seven non-evidence-based sources have been integrated to present a holistic perspective on the field of competency-based intervention. Several sources have indicated that the application of this model is effective in improving behavior and psychosocial conditions, including youth residing in residential facilities, high-risk families, adolescents with severe psychiatric/behavioral issues, and elementary school children with antisocial behavior. Although indications have been found that this method brings many advantages in practice, it was concluded that there is not enough evidence for competence-based work in the literature due to limitations in the studies. There is a need for further research to assess the effectiveness of this widely used approach.Show less
With the constant threat of climate change looming over the world, there is a need for a proposal that can adequately deal with climate change. Current measures seem inadequate to deal with climate...Show moreWith the constant threat of climate change looming over the world, there is a need for a proposal that can adequately deal with climate change. Current measures seem inadequate to deal with climate change. Therefore, a radical change is needed and this can be achieved through degrowth and sufficientarianism. This thesis finds that implementing degrowth in combination with sufficientarianism is better equipped to deal with climate change and the distributional issues it raises, than other proposals such as green growth. Degrowth makes sure that we abide by the earth’s ecological ceiling, while sufficientarianism ensures that everyone has enough and that current resources will be justly distributed.Show less
In a world increasingly shaped by globalization, understanding and fostering good cross-group relations became crucial to mitigating intergroup differences and potential conflicts. Drawing on...Show moreIn a world increasingly shaped by globalization, understanding and fostering good cross-group relations became crucial to mitigating intergroup differences and potential conflicts. Drawing on intergroup contact theory, the goal of this paper is to investigate whether the well-established effects of intergroup contact on prejudice reduction hold true in non-Western countries as it does in a Western context. The paper further criticises prior literature on its lack of generalizability beyond Western perspectives, and argues that cultural specificities and diversity of human behaviour globally should be considered when examining the dynamics of prejudice. The central hypothesis posits that intergroup contact with outgroup members generally leads to lower prejudice levels among the dominant group. This is further operationalized by using interfaith meeting attendance among Muslims as an indicator of intergroup contact with Christians, as well as using social distancing levels as indicators of prejudice. Final results indicate a significant negative relationship between intergroup contact and prejudice levels, supporting the central hypothesis. In return, this contributes to a broader understanding of prejudice dynamics and the effectiveness of intergroup contact as a tool for prejudice reduction in non-Western contexts. By focusing on Muslim-Christian interactions in the "Global East," the research sheds light on the nuances of cross-group relations in diverse cultural settings, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive approach in intergroup contact research.Show less
This thesis analyses the effects shared norms with a country under attack have on NATO support in member states. One of the biggest challenges NATO faces, is how to avoid free riding. This makes...Show moreThis thesis analyses the effects shared norms with a country under attack have on NATO support in member states. One of the biggest challenges NATO faces, is how to avoid free riding. This makes studying the potential incentives states have for increasing NATO support essential. Past research has studied several potential material and non material incentives but has not investigated the effects shared norms with a conflict may have on NATO support. To conduct this research, a discourse analysis of the frames used parliamentary debates in the Netherlands on the Russia Ukraine war was done. The analysis revealed that although shared norms were used to frame NATO and the conflict quite often, threat perception was the most used frame.Show less
In this thesis the relative spectral energy density of stochastic primordial gravitational waves is investigated. Decoupling of Standard Model particles and neutrino free-streaming affect the...Show moreIn this thesis the relative spectral energy density of stochastic primordial gravitational waves is investigated. Decoupling of Standard Model particles and neutrino free-streaming affect the expansion history of the universe and thus leave characteristic signatures on the amplitude of the gravitational wave spectrum. Adding extra light or heavy particles damps the spectrum at frequencies before the particle decouples. Including an extra neutrino species amplifies the spectrum at larger wave numbers, but damps it at shorter wave numbers. Measuring these primordial gravitational waves reveals the thermal history of the universe. One possible non-standard thermal history is early matter domination due to the inflaton. It is shown that, in this cosmology, the end of early matter domination and beginning of the radiation era depend linearly on the reheating temperature.Show less
