In this work, I aim at answering the question "What are the effects of India's rising emissions on the country's commitment to climate action?". Exposing India's rise as a global emitter and its...Show moreIn this work, I aim at answering the question "What are the effects of India's rising emissions on the country's commitment to climate action?". Exposing India's rise as a global emitter and its new capacity to act on climate change, I evaluate the validity of this country's exemption from binding commitments granted at the first UNFCCC Conference of Parties (in Rio de Janeiro, 1992) and reflected in the Kyoto Protocol. Annexes to the Protocol allocated binding targets for emissions reductions to developed countries (“Annex 1”) and an exemption from compulsory environmental action for less developed and emerging ones (“Non-Annex”). The division was based on each Party's cumulative emissions and capacity to act; in India's case, both have changed sensibly since the '90s. The empirical chapter confirms a growing external pressure from other countries for India to adopt new commitments. UNFCCC Parties recognised the necessity to include India into a new post-Kyoto Protocol regime for global climate policy to be successful in the coming decades. On the other hand, India's geographical vulnerability to the harmful consequences of global warming put the government under internal pressure to step up environmental action.Show less
This thesis aims to answer the question of why the Indonesian state has increasingly securitized LGBT people in Indonesia from 2000 to 2016, by focusing on two factors: public homophobia and state...Show moreThis thesis aims to answer the question of why the Indonesian state has increasingly securitized LGBT people in Indonesia from 2000 to 2016, by focusing on two factors: public homophobia and state homophobia. Data on public attitudes toward the LGBT community in Indonesia will be drawn from various surveys conducted after 2000s. These surveys measure attitudes on existing heteronormative ideals in Indonesian society and capture the conservative turn starting from 1998 during the post-democratic transition period. The increasing threat of homosexuality as propagated by the Indonesian state will be historically and systematically analyzed through a number of statements made by political elites. Strong evidence is found on public and state homophobia increasing in Indonesia and this materializing politically and legally.Show less
In this study, I examine the relationship between the business operations of multinational corporations (MNCs) and their uptake of human rights. In contrast to other studies, I investigate why...Show moreIn this study, I examine the relationship between the business operations of multinational corporations (MNCs) and their uptake of human rights. In contrast to other studies, I investigate why some MNCs are doing better with respect to the uptake of human rights within their business operations in by exploring the role of (the threat of) corporate human rights litigation. I find the following: first, there is an association between the ranking of MNC according to the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) and the human rights lawsuits the MNCs faced. Second, based on a case study of three MNCs there appears that most MNCs adopted human rights measures during or after they were confronted with human rights litigation, pushing the uptake of human rights by MNCs. Lastly, there is a rising trend of foreign direct liability cases against MNCs for human rights violations. Based on a comparative case study, it appears that these cases oftentimes do not bring any judicial outcome due to procedural requirements that are in most cases difficult to fulfil by the plaintiff. However, it seems that in most instances a judicial verdict is not compulsory to push a company towards the uptake of human rights within their business operations.Show less
This research analyses the relationship between real effective exchange rates and trade balance changes in the presence of differing levels of global value chain complexity and fragmentation in a...Show moreThis research analyses the relationship between real effective exchange rates and trade balance changes in the presence of differing levels of global value chain complexity and fragmentation in a large sample of economies using a variety of quantitative analysis techniques (ordinary least square regression, two-stage least squares regression, fixed effects regression, and panel vector autoregression). The research expects economies which are more integrated into global value chains, with larger greater global value chain complexity, to have a weaker relationship between real effective exchange rates and trade balances changes. The results of the quantitative analysis find a weaker relationship between the two variables and suggests some potential effects that this will have on debates within global political economy.Show less
This thesis examines the evolution of the relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and in particular the development cooperation between these two countries. It is demonstrated that the...Show moreThis thesis examines the evolution of the relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and in particular the development cooperation between these two countries. It is demonstrated that the Netherlands utilizes development cooperation in order to fulfil its moral obligation to help those in need and in order to create opportunities to realize its economic interests. The Dutch approach of development cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia has evolved from a predominantly multilateral one, as it wanted to be a neutral donor due to colonial sensitivity, to a bilateral approach through ODA support directly to the Indonesian government and distributed by the Dutch embassy in Jakarta. Dutch development cooperation has focused on several themes, such as education, water management, and good governance, mainly to create effectivity and efficiency as well as to utilize Dutch knowledge in and of these areas, and later also due to budgetary reasons. This thesis is set out to answer the following research question: How has Dutch development cooperation with Indonesia evolved and to what extent has Dutch official development assistance contributed to development in Indonesia in the period of 1998 to 2016? In order to answer this question, this thesis will first examine the evolution of Dutch development policies in general before turning to the practical impacts of Dutch development policies in Indonesia from 1998 to 2016.Show less
The Earth’s natural systems have evolved over billions of years to support the life we live today. Yet, the Earth’s innate ability to sustain the ecosystem is taken for granted. This research...Show moreThe Earth’s natural systems have evolved over billions of years to support the life we live today. Yet, the Earth’s innate ability to sustain the ecosystem is taken for granted. This research addresses on arguably the most ubiquitous issue to penetrate all aspects of the human experience – climate change. The omnipresent nature of climate change presents the challenge of approaching the issue: where does one begin? The discursive history of climate change can reveal where the current position stands, and how it may proceed in the future. The transformations in the conceptualization of climate change, including its evolutionary discourse, reveals humankind’s normative relationship with the Earth. This research aims to explore the evolution of climate discourse on an international level through a qualitative discourse analysis. It compares two important landmarks in the climate regime: the Kyoto Protocol of 1998 and the Paris Agreements in 2015. Through a coding scheme based on three discourse strands—national climate security frame, international climate security frame, and human security frame—this research uncovers that there has been a significant increase in the prominence of human security frame and international climate security framing in the Paris Agreement since the Kyoto Protocol of 1998. This is due to the increased inclusivity of international cooperation and informed awareness of the pervasive impacts on human welfare. The findings of this study contribute towards the evermore relevant and urgent field of green diplomacy and its discursive practice in policies. It surfaces normative assumptions and ideas held by the international community towards the climate threat and their strategies to combat it.Show less
