During the last decades, the legalisation of cannabis has become a hot topic of debate. In countries like the Netherlands, Mexico and Canada, lots of research has been conducted to understand the...Show moreDuring the last decades, the legalisation of cannabis has become a hot topic of debate. In countries like the Netherlands, Mexico and Canada, lots of research has been conducted to understand the effects of, and reasoning behind legalisation. Limited research however exists on the legalisation of cannabis in Asia. Recently, Thailand became the first Asian country to delist cannabis from its Narcotics Act and legalise the drug nationwide. The motives behind this decision however had not been clearly examined or understood. Therefore, the objective of this thesis has been to gain a comprehensive understanding as to why the Thai government decided to legalise cannabis in June 2022 by delisting it from the Narcotics Act, despite its historical ‘war on drugs’ and strict penalties for drug users. By making use of a qualitative research approach, secondary sources have been examined to determine which factors were particularly influential in this decision. Based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that the cultural-historical, political and economic environments of Thailand had just been right for the legalisation of cannabis. To clarify, the political gains that candidate Anutin Charnvirakul could achieve by legalising cannabis in Thailand was of high importance. By campaigning for the legalisation, Charnvirakul aimed to gain support from two important societal groups, as it helps to promote his political party for the upcoming elections in May 2023. Additionally, the decision has been driven by economic motives, because the legalisation of cannabis offers Thailand huge economic opportunities, such as attracting lots of tourists, and becoming a strong competitor in the international cannabis market.Show less
The shrimp farming industry in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, is one of the most polluting industries in the country leading to much ecological degradation in the area. The Vietnamese government and...Show moreThe shrimp farming industry in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, is one of the most polluting industries in the country leading to much ecological degradation in the area. The Vietnamese government and national and international organizations use the sustainable development discourse to encourage shrimp systems that are less harmful to the ecosystem. Nevertheless, individual socio-economic circumstances are often neglected while implementing these discourses in the region. This thesis discusses what the relevance of the socio-economic indicators education, household income, and support network are for shrimp farmers to the acceptance of sustainable development discourse concerning ecological degradation in the Mekong Delta. Case study research into two types of sustainable shrimp farming systems was used to find the necessary information and data. Primary and secondary sources were utilised, as well as answers from interviews with experts in the field and shrimp farmers. The thesis concludes that these indicators are very relevant and must not be set aside as being unimportant within the sustainable development projects of the delta because this would lead to impracticality, bad implementation of the shrimp systems, and less sustainable improvement.Show less
This thesis aims to show the impact of the increased demand and use of smartphone technology, since 2008, in India from a socio-economic perspective. The Indian economy is digitizing rapidly, and...Show moreThis thesis aims to show the impact of the increased demand and use of smartphone technology, since 2008, in India from a socio-economic perspective. The Indian economy is digitizing rapidly, and the smartphone market is one of the main components. However, there is a lack of research on the socio-economic impacts of the growing smartphone market in developing countries like India. This research argues that the increasing smartphone technology and its market has positively impacted India's socio-economy. This research has mainly been conducted through qualitative research with some quantitative research. Many literary sources have been studied to examine the impact. The most important results of this study are the economic growth the smartphone market has caused and the rise of direct and indirect job opportunities through this market. Further, how the growing smartphone market has resulted in women's increased safety and emancipation and accessibility of education for many Indians. Lastly, the research showed that even in a crisis, such as the Corona crisis, the smartphone market is still profitable as the smartphone will keep playing an important role or become even more critical. Therefore the conclusion is that the introduction of smartphones in 2008 has positively impacted India's socio-economy.Show less
Indonesia has been regarded as a prospective candidate to great power status. However, because these propositions typically build on assessments from realist theory, they overemphasize a country’s...Show moreIndonesia has been regarded as a prospective candidate to great power status. However, because these propositions typically build on assessments from realist theory, they overemphasize a country’s material capabilities (e.g. territory, GDP, and size of population) while overlooking other relevant components of status formation. In analysing power status through the lens of identity and behavioural approaches, this thesis considers the role of a country’s international relations in status change, and assesses how Indonesia’s conduct in foreign affairs affects the country’s prospects of emergence. Considering that great powers are increasingly enacting geopolitical strategies it could be expected that, as a prospective ascendant, Indonesia would follow similar procedures. Yet, the country has not only refrained itself from adopting a realist stance, it has prioritised a hedging strategy based on multilateral cooperation with regional and major powers, one that uses ASEAN as the primary vehicle for maintaining Southeast Asian security and stability. As this thesis identifies, Indonesia’s behaviour in international relations therefore does not depict any of the major motives that are expected to drive great powers to adopt realist procedures, namely: seeking greater status acquisition, and conforming to the pressure of global trends. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily imply that Indonesia is disinterested in upgrading its international ranking, nor that the country is unlikely to emerge. Rather, it poses the possibility that Indonesia may rise in ways considered atypical to Western interpretations, and achieve a hybrid power status position that incorporates elements of middle and great power states.Show less
