This thesis is concerned with determining the effectiveness of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the contexts where the host state is either unwilling or unable to fulfill...Show moreThis thesis is concerned with determining the effectiveness of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the contexts where the host state is either unwilling or unable to fulfill its duty to protect. Through conducting an analysis of the conduct of garment sector companies in Myanmar and the commitments of their home states, this thesis finds that home states remain reluctant to regulate the conduct of their businesses abroad and that businesses themselves are insufficiently incentivised to apply all the recommendations set out in the UNGP's. In contexts that lack effective regulation by the host state this is problematic as it creates governance gaps in which human rights violations conducted by foreign corporations are insufficiently prevented, addressed and/or remediated.Show less
This thesis situates the concept of humanitarian accountability within “a historical and concrete reality” (Brauman and Neuman 2014, 1). A preliminary investigation of the academic literature...Show moreThis thesis situates the concept of humanitarian accountability within “a historical and concrete reality” (Brauman and Neuman 2014, 1). A preliminary investigation of the academic literature establishes humanitarian accountability as a matter of moral as well as practical concern for humanitarian organisations. Despite this it is also found that the concept of humanitarian accountability has been poorly defined, and research as to its practice is severely lacking. Through the investigation of two distinct humanitarian organisations this research therefore explores the degree to which theoretical standards for humanitarian accountability translate into practice under the multiple constraints faced within the humanitarian sector. The evidence drawn from a qualitative examination of the practice of humanitarian accountability at the World Food Programme and at Médecins Sans Frontières is discussed in a comparative analysis, which reveals that lacunae in the understanding of basic concepts engenders deficiencies in the practice of humanitarian accountability at both organisations. This demonstrates the need for continued academic research in the field of humanitarian aid in order for organisations to pursue an informed course of action and maintain the ability to place the vulnerable individuals in need of assistance at the heart of their endeavours.Show less
This thesis investigates why the EU has changed its response to the rise of the populist radical right within its member states through a case study of Austria. Within the timeframe of the 2000 and...Show moreThis thesis investigates why the EU has changed its response to the rise of the populist radical right within its member states through a case study of Austria. Within the timeframe of the 2000 and 2017 Austrian elections, this thesis reveals that due to a number of international events and trends, the populist radical right has been increasingly empowered and legitimized as mainstream. It demonstrates that through this legitimization, the political ideology of the populist radical right has influenced European politics on a national and cross-regional level. This consequentially has led to a change in approach to the rise of such politics in member states by the EU, specifically Austria, and illustrates a difficult debacle for the EU with regards to its integrity.Show less
