Over the last 25 years, the realm of education has undergone enormous transformations around the globe, and especially in China. Indeed, while many have acknowledged the country’s role in world...Show moreOver the last 25 years, the realm of education has undergone enormous transformations around the globe, and especially in China. Indeed, while many have acknowledged the country’s role in world economy, few have stressed its parallel achievements in the field of internationalization of Higher Education. Nonetheless, researchers debating the issue have often adopted top-down approaches or focused on similar sets of examples, overlooking the complexities of each case. Moreover, international students' own viewpoint and their importance as the main actors shaping and undergoing the process as has often been neglected. The main aim of this thesis then, which is based on a mixture of interviews with international students, ethnographic observations conducted by the author at Shandong University, PRC in 2019, together with the study of secondary sources, is to shed light and highlight the importance of under-analysed themes and actors in the field of Internationalization of Higher Education in China. The findings of my research show that: international students form different background seemed to hold a positive evaluation of their experience in China; cultural-specific notions like Mianzi play an important role in the trajectory of internationalization of Shandong University; in turn, this last consideration seem to pose a challenge to the mainstream, linear view of the field which considers Internationalization as a global, active force passively employed by Chinese universities to reach specific - and mainly national - goals.Show less
The thesis engages in the debate on framing China in the US media, by analyzing the coverage of Chinese investments in the New York Times and the Washington Post. The aim of this research is to...Show moreThe thesis engages in the debate on framing China in the US media, by analyzing the coverage of Chinese investments in the New York Times and the Washington Post. The aim of this research is to explore dominating frames in the US elite newspaper with regard to China, Latin American countries and the Amazon rainforest. Moreover, the paper examines whether framing in the US newspapers reflected the state of the US-China relations, as well as the US government official rhetoric towards China during 2009-2019. The findings of the thesis suggest prevalence of the following frames: The US-China geopolitical rivalry, Unscrupulous China and Vulnerable Latin America. The results indicate that in the spotlight was the damaging activity of Chinese ventures lacking in adequate contextualization of their activities in the history of foreign companies operations in the same industries in the Amazon. The tendencies indentified in the media coverage correspond with the arguments previously presented in the literature on the US media framing over a predominant negative focus on domestic struggles of the Global South. Furthermore, the perceptions of ‘rise of China’ and Latin America as the ‘US’s backyard’ were discerned as subsequent news tropes.Show less
The purpose of my research is to study the dominant discourse on China’s Belt and Road Iniative in Africa within news articles published by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, and how China perceives...Show moreThe purpose of my research is to study the dominant discourse on China’s Belt and Road Iniative in Africa within news articles published by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, and how China perceives its own role in Africa.Show less
In this thesis, I argue that there is no connection between the amount of export of the natural resources oil and gas and the female participation on the labour market worldwide. This argument...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue that there is no connection between the amount of export of the natural resources oil and gas and the female participation on the labour market worldwide. This argument resolves an important debate in the literature. In Ross’ (2008) research, he claims that there is a correlation between the oil export and the female participation on the labour market in the Middle East. I counter his argument by analysing all countries with a major oil or gas export worldwide and the major exporters of oil in the Middle East separately. Another opponent of Ross’ (2008) theory is Rørbæk (2016), who argues that culture and religion in the Middle East is to blame for the lack of female participation on the labour market in the region. By analysing the difference in oil and gas export and compare this to the change in female participation between the years 2011 and 2015, I was able to draw a conclusion. The regression analysis of the data of all major gas or oil exporting countries shows us that there is no significant correlation between the two variables, meaning that no connection between the oil or gas export and the female participation on the labour market can be proven. Also in the analysis of the Middle East, no connection between the export of oil and the female participation can be found. Only in the analysis of Islamic countries, a significant correlation between oil and female participation could be found, but this was very minimal. This research therefore implies that Ross’ (2008) conclusions are not applicable to the whole world or the Middle East in the years between 2011 and 2015.Show less
The situation in the Philippines has been widely discussed and defined by scholars for its inequality of wealth and faltering development (Hutchcroft & Rocamora, 2011). This thesis provides a...Show moreThe situation in the Philippines has been widely discussed and defined by scholars for its inequality of wealth and faltering development (Hutchcroft & Rocamora, 2011). This thesis provides a critical review of the development of the Filipino elite democracy and how it resulted in the existing combination of economic growth and forms of violence present in its society. The elite democracy in the Philippines has remained relatively stable and economically growing by relying on society’s instability through violence from ethnic and economic inequality. The competition that comes from modernization should eventually bring stability as wealth and progress is created, but it also establishes social conflict by creating clashes between classes. While they should counter each other, in the Philippines they complement each other. Different actors have influenced these processes, in the sense that these are not just diffuse complex processes of difficult explanation, but processes where specific actors have fomented forms of violence or contempt against others for a variety of reasons. Some of these processes have a colonial origin; others are directly related to the elite democracy and its corruption. Intentional and unintentional use of power to generate or stimulate modernization and so creating a wider division among different groups. The interests of foreign actors, elites, and minorities are highly intertwined within Filipino society. Over the decades, politics and economic policies have created a social situation that hinders the state’s development and keeps old patronage systems in place.Show less
This thesis focuses on Silicon Valley and China to understand what elements have made Silicon Valley and China’s technology sectors so successful, and to what degree they are different....Show moreThis thesis focuses on Silicon Valley and China to understand what elements have made Silicon Valley and China’s technology sectors so successful, and to what degree they are different. Specifically, it will focus on the role of the government in shaping the respective markets. The American and Chinese view of the government’s role in economic development differs both in theory and practice. The U.S. traditionally advocated for a liberal free-market view of the economy, with the government having a facilitating role. In contrast, true to its socialist ideology, China has advocated a strong role of the government in the economy, where the government principally takes on a controlling and planning role. While in theory these views are at the opposite side of the spectrum between freedom from the state versus control by the state, in practice there are variations and exceptions. The goal of this thesis is to provide further insight on these similarities and differences through a case-study based analysis of both Silicon Valley and China's tech sector.Show less
Costa Rica is considered to be part of the developing world and therefore seeks to diversify its economy. The World Tourism Organisation of the United Nations, or UNWTO, promote sustainable tourism...Show moreCosta Rica is considered to be part of the developing world and therefore seeks to diversify its economy. The World Tourism Organisation of the United Nations, or UNWTO, promote sustainable tourism as a way to preserve the valued ecosystems, for in the tourism sector nature has an economic value, but the UNWTO also perceive sustainable tourism to be a solution for developing nations (UNWTO 2015, 1-2). The state therefore needs to balance the interest of capitalist actors within the boundaries of Costa Rica and maintain a system that aids and creates the space for fauna and flora, and other natural resources to flourish, and convalesce. This research combines transport sector, ecotourism, and environmental statehood. Findings show that the governmental structure concerning legislation of the transport sector is not efficient and myths surrounding future technological developments hamper effective policymakers. Ecotourism is situated in ecologically fragile areas, and therefore the impact of increased tourism, will damage the quality of the environment directly and indirectly. Effective legislation concerning ecotourism and transport. Also, the way in which conservation is tackled might need to change in the future.Show less
According to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, hydropower projects sustain economic growth and provide energy security, thus allowing the nation to become less dependent on fossil...Show moreAccording to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, hydropower projects sustain economic growth and provide energy security, thus allowing the nation to become less dependent on fossil fuels. As Chinese dams are being developed at a high pace on the Mekong river, a closer analysis is needed to find out who is behind this development. This thesis explores the Chinese state’s interestsin the field of hydropower development on the Mekong river, looking specifically at the key actors involved and how their power is exerted. Drawing on literature that moves away from state-based analyses, James N. Rosenau’s framework of spheres of authority will be used as a foundation to identify key actors and their authority in the application of hydropower plants on the Mekong. The argument that China indeed needs to be seen as a set of multiple actors with their own goals is tested by means of two case studies on dam construction, one in China and one in Laos. It is found that, in accordance with the hypothesis, one should not stare blindly at China as a monolithic state, but observe several actors within hydropower development that have different goals.Show less
For a long time, Europe has played a significant part on the global development of ideology owing to its strong economy. This is no longer the case as the Chinese economy has grown rapidly since...Show moreFor a long time, Europe has played a significant part on the global development of ideology owing to its strong economy. This is no longer the case as the Chinese economy has grown rapidly since undergoing major economic reforms, to now becoming an influential actor in global economy. This thesis aims to investigate the extent in which the booming Chinese economy has impacted the ability of the EU to continue and pursue its liberal agenda. By looking at the complexity of the current global economic system, I will expose the vulnerability of EU in the face of an increasingly assertive China, particularly through the German-Sino and French-Sino relations in regards to their rhetoric on human right.Show less
This thesis researches if Wallerstein's world-systems theory is still able to explain today's global order, or if it is outdated. In other words, does the world-systems theory still apply to today...Show moreThis thesis researches if Wallerstein's world-systems theory is still able to explain today's global order, or if it is outdated. In other words, does the world-systems theory still apply to today's world, or does it need restructuring? Do we even need an entirely new framework to explain global order? In order to answer this question and in order to test the theory, the thesis is based on the specific case study of U.S. - Brazil trade relations between 2001 and 2014.Show less
