This thesis contributes to industrial policy by studying conditionality – the conditions attached to state aid – and linking this to the concepts of state capacity and political salience. First,...Show moreThis thesis contributes to industrial policy by studying conditionality – the conditions attached to state aid – and linking this to the concepts of state capacity and political salience. First, this thesis addresses conditionality issues in the context of climate change, as the literature to date has focused on other development challenges such as industrial upgrading. Second, this thesis contributes to the literature by focusing on the study of conditionality in relation to advanced industrialised economies, as the existing literature is mainly focused on developing countries. In particular, this thesis aims to highlight the types of conditions that are relevant in this case compared to those identified in the literature. Third, the thesis emphasises the importance of the politics of conditionality, or the political will to activate existing state capacity. The thesis shows that an advanced economy such as the Netherlands has the state capacity to impose a policy of strong conditionality on business. In the studied case, however, this capacity has been activated by political salience, which has created a social coalition in support of this policy to impose strong conditionality.Show less
In just over 10 years, the UK, a Western, democratic, industrialised nation has experienced two economic crises that have been unrivalled in the last 100 years of economic history; the 2008...Show moreIn just over 10 years, the UK, a Western, democratic, industrialised nation has experienced two economic crises that have been unrivalled in the last 100 years of economic history; the 2008 Financial Crisis and the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. The 2008 financial crisis is often discussed in terms of the extremity of its impact on the British economy, specifically in its status of inflicting the largest accumulative financial loss since the Post-War period. This is an accolade it has held until the crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Both crises were unexpected and far-reaching in their consequences, resulting in the British Government introducing unparalleled policies to protect the health of its population and economy. This thesis seeks to explore welfare policy responses to economic crises in the United Kingdom. An extensive literature review is presented, covering the present academic discussion around welfare and crisis management. This thesis uses a most-similar research design to compare two crisis situations in the same country, to assess the success of the policies based on the two measurements of generosity and coverage. The focus will be on the design, implementation and outcome of the reactive employment policies in two distinct cases.Show less
Deploying a novel conception framework offering new understandings of familialism and the policy logic of PRR party family, this study will argue that the Republican Party’s family welfare policy...Show moreDeploying a novel conception framework offering new understandings of familialism and the policy logic of PRR party family, this study will argue that the Republican Party’s family welfare policy overlaps with that of European PRRPs to a currently limited and inconsistent, but significantly growing extent. Evidence from South Carolina and Wyoming—two of the four states selected for investigation to provide a cross-section of the party—indicates concerted familialisation, while data from Florida and Indiana implies GOP support fortification of the care role of the traditional family is conditional on exclusion of the Other, socially, ethnically, and nationally defined. Both policy offerings are understood as features of PRRP welfare logics concerning the family, but the substantial cross-state variation and continuance of long-standing neoliberal policy choices are too significant to decisively assert a Republican Party re-alignment with a radical right logic on the family. Nonetheless, intensified support for the ‘natural’ family since the early-mid 2010s can be discerned across all cases, leaving open the prospect of a truer policy overlap in the future. From this, the contributions of this study are two-fold: a clearer picture of an oft-posited but ill-understood transatlantic transmission of radical right logics, and an original, conceptually rigorous means to investigate it.Show less
As a consequence of the energy crisis that followed the rapid post-pandemic recovery and the conflict in the Ukraine, many households faced increased energy bill. This led to an increased number of...Show moreAs a consequence of the energy crisis that followed the rapid post-pandemic recovery and the conflict in the Ukraine, many households faced increased energy bill. This led to an increased number of households to face energy poverty. With renewable energy sources being known for their relatively low cost, the promotion of a renewable energy industry could push down energy prices and reduce the financial pressure on households. This thesis seeks to explore what role the promotion of renewable energy has in de current energy crisis, or more specifically, this thesis seeks to answer the following research question: ““What role does the promotion of renewable energy, by means of green industrial policy, has in the energy crisis, and thus in the alleviation of energy poverty on household level?”. To answer this question, this thesis follows a grounded theory approach and analyses two cases; the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To understand relation between policies on energy poverty and the promotion of renewable energy, a body of data was collected and analyzed consisting of expert interviews and documents. The results contribute to an understanding of how (green-) industrial policy could be used to actualize more locally oriented policy goals, such as poverty alleviation. This thesis found that the promotion of renewable energy does have the potential to contribute to energy poverty alleviation. However, due to the way in which the price of energy is set on the wholesale and the retail market for energy, this does not lead to any price reductions on the short term. Only major market reforms would allow consumers to benefit from the relatively low prices of renewables when fossil fuels are more expensive. This is why policymakers will be bound to more traditional ways of alleviating energy poverty. For example through financial compensation or through improving energy efficiency of residencies.Show less
Industrial policy has become one of the most pressing issues in contemporary policymaking. State intervention in the market has long been considered irrelevant, irreprehensible, or unsuccessful,...Show moreIndustrial policy has become one of the most pressing issues in contemporary policymaking. State intervention in the market has long been considered irrelevant, irreprehensible, or unsuccessful, but the recent crises, including the pandemic, have boosted its name amongst policymakers across the world. However, the academic literature on industrial policies within comparative political policy literature is still lacking, and would benefit from more research. Taking an exploratory comparative approach, this thesis research variations of industrial policies related to the management of lithium-ion battery value chains in the United States and the European Union. Several researchers have observed different types policies that have been put forward by policymakers to strengthen global value chains, but these analyses have been lacking a strong link with theoretical frameworks on industrial policy and policy instrument literature. This research fills the gap by linking academic literature on industrial policy, value chain resilience, and policy instruments analysis to provide constructive insights into existing policy proposals and documents. This thesis finds a strong link between the historical preferences of governments in industrial policy mixes and the specific policies put forward to strengthen lithium-ion value chains. It indicates that, although resilience policies of the United States and the European Union are in line with industrial policy in other areas, there are shifts in the instrument mix that warrant future research to improve our understanding of industrial policy in the twenty-first century.Show less
This research investigates China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) engagement in Serbia and Montenegro and has identified two potential conditions which explain the differences in the outcome of the...Show moreThis research investigates China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) engagement in Serbia and Montenegro and has identified two potential conditions which explain the differences in the outcome of the two countries. Between 2013 and 2022, China has engaged through the BRI with Serbia and Montenegro. This led to two different outcomes for the similar-looking countries, where Montenegro seemed less pleased with engagement than Serbia. This research aimed to identify underlying conditions that could explain the differences through a qualitative case study that applies historical institutionalism. The two countries were investigated individually to identify the levels of engagement and whether there were critical junctions in the two cases. The Serbian critical juncture is more of a pattern of (un)taken actions in decision-making by the Serbian government benefitting Chinese engagement. In the case of Montenegro, the Bel-Boljare highway can be identified as a clear critical juncture. However, due to certain assumptions in the media and political landscape, it has been portrayed as a Chinese debt trap. Consequently, the two cases were compared to see the similarities and differences and identify a possible explanation for why the outcomes differed. This study has identified two conditions that can explain the differences: the geographical position of Serbia and the geopolitical position of both countries.Show less
