Deze scriptie onderzoekt de invloed van stedelijke klimaatnetwerken en intergemeentelijke samenwerking op het lokaal klimaatbeleid van twee Nederlandse gemeenten die klimaatactie willen nemen.
The politics-administration interface has been subjected to much academic controversy. This observation is particularly true at the national and sub-national level of government, where the...Show moreThe politics-administration interface has been subjected to much academic controversy. This observation is particularly true at the national and sub-national level of government, where the relations between politicians and civil servants received sustained attention from the scholarly community. Yet, the international realm remains largely excluded from this central debate. This Master thesis seeks to correct this research gap. By drawing on the vast literature on the politics-administration interface, the present thesis tests the degree of separation between international civil servants in the high and low tiers of the United Nations (UN) Secretariat. It seeks to enrich the ongoing debate on political-administrative relations by studying this topic from a novel vantage point. Moreover, it contributes to the contemporary literature on international public administrations (IPAs) by offering a qualitative single-case study of the UN Secretariat. While the results of this research are limited in their external validity, they confirm the urgent need to study international administrations as compound and dynamic organizations on their own. The author finds a strong degree of separation between politics and administration in the Secretariat, which transpires through this administration’s hierarchical structure, the emphasis on internal career development, as well as its highly competitive, merit-based selection system. The author encourages the scholarship to test the ideal of separation in other international bureaucracies, and hopes that this project will serve as a catalyst to study the politics-administration interface beyond the boundaries of the nation-state alone.Show less
This paper investigates the causes behind the continual suspension of the European Union’s (EU) Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) under its general escape clause (GEC) throughout the period of 2020...Show moreThis paper investigates the causes behind the continual suspension of the European Union’s (EU) Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) under its general escape clause (GEC) throughout the period of 2020-2023. The GEC was triggered in March of 2020 on the recommendation of the European Commission to give member states fiscal room to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, but has remained in place for over three years, despite the subsiding of pandemic emergency measures, restored levels of economic activity, and the repeated recommendations and predictions from numerous European institutions that the rules were to be reinstated at the end of 2022 by the very latest. With the emergence of a legislative proposal from the European Commission to reform the SGP’s rules, questions have emerged from journalistic endeavours and academic literature as to the purpose of the extended suspension. This paper utilises explaining-outcome process-tracing as described by Beach and Pedersen (2013) to compare the expectations and assumptions of varying theories, particularly the “failing forward” theory of Jones et al., (2016) to investigate and explain the European Commission’s decision-making in the case of the SGP’s continual suspension. It concludes that the continual suspension can be minimally explained by ongoing reform efforts by the European Commission, in line with the theoretical expectations of Jones et al. and the findings of Schön-Quinlan and Sciponi (2017). It cannot rule out that the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the economic knock-on effects, played a part in the decision for continual suspension. The findings of this paper have implications for understanding the European Commission as a fiscal actor in an economic crisis, and understanding the relevance of particular theories of European integration to the historical context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Show less
Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s 2022 Growth Plan sent the markets into meltdown, the ramifications of which are still felt almost a year on. Using process tracing, this paper seeks to explain the...Show moreLiz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s 2022 Growth Plan sent the markets into meltdown, the ramifications of which are still felt almost a year on. Using process tracing, this paper seeks to explain the policy choices of the Growth Plan by adopting a discursive institutionalist approach. First, this paper investigates the influence of ideas held by the two key decision-makers, Truss and Kwarteng, and finds that ideas they held for over a decade significantly influenced many of the Growth Plan’s policies. Secondly, this paper explores the influence of ideas furthered by right- leaning think tanks on the policies of the Growth Plan. The results indicate that, while there are limitations to think tank influence, it is likely that the ideas of right-leaning think tanks played a significant role in shaping the policies of the Growth Plan. Causal mechanisms lie at the heart of this paper, responding to calls for a greater emphasis on the causal mechanisms linking ideas to policy outcomes (Campbell, 2002; Jacobs, 2009). Therefore, the results contribute to the body of literature investigating the explanations for economic policymaking and seeks to provide new findings for the literature which is engaged in a fractious debate about the role of think tanks in policymaking.Show less
In light of the evolving human capital crisis faced by the public sector in recent decades, there has been a heightened research focus on identifying the determining factors for public sector...Show moreIn light of the evolving human capital crisis faced by the public sector in recent decades, there has been a heightened research focus on identifying the determining factors for public sector attraction. However, the timeless attraction of the characteristic features commonly found in public organizations has diverted attention away from several other factors that may contribute to individuals' willingness to pursue employment in the public sector. This thesis contributes to the ongoing research by exploring the influence of work flexibility and a diverse work environment on an individual's attention to apply for work in the public sector. To this end, a vignette-based survey experiment with (N=153) participants was conducted. The respondents were asked to rate two randomly assigned job advertisements, each differing in terms of the flexibility and diversity condition. The results obtained from the survey experiment showed that both factors play a significant role in shaping the intention to seek employment in the public sector. This indicates that public organizations can enhance applicant attraction by including flexible work arrangements and actively promoting diversity in their job advertisements.Show less
Happiness under extreme economic adversity is rare. This thesis investigates if EU redistributive policies, like the European Regional Investment Fund (ERDF), have improved self-reported happiness...Show moreHappiness under extreme economic adversity is rare. This thesis investigates if EU redistributive policies, like the European Regional Investment Fund (ERDF), have improved self-reported happiness outcomes. I focus on “less developed” regions receiving funding, defined by the European Commission as those regions which fall under a GDP per capita of <75% of the EU-wide average. Using happiness research and the capability approach as a lens, I hypothesize that the increased development caused by the ERDF would also result in better happiness outcomes for individuals living in less developed regions versus when this funding would be absent. I make use of a fuzzy RD approach to evaluate this hypothesis and found inconsistent results. The statistically significant results I found point towards a statistically significant positive treatment effect, with the caveat that these findings are hugely depended on model specification and show large standard errors. Given these findings, I concluded that while the capability approach provides useful pointers, further research must be done to be able to definitively conclude that ERDF funds positively influence happiness.Show less
This thesis explores the relationship between bureaucratic accountability and their disposition toward utilizing algorithms in their decision-making processes. Drawing upon the literature on...Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between bureaucratic accountability and their disposition toward utilizing algorithms in their decision-making processes. Drawing upon the literature on government accountability and aversion to algorithmic decision-making, it hypothesizes that the more public officials are aware of the chains of accountability they are tied to, the less favorable they will be to utilizing algorithms. The hypothesis is tested through a case study of the Chilean Institute of Social Services, which employs multiple algorithms to automate eligibility decisions for pension and other social benefit applications. To trace the organization’s bureaucratic accountability chain, data collection is based on semi-structured interviews of public officials from different hierarchical levels. The results confirm several theoretical expectations on reduced discretion, muddled authority over the algorithm and algorithmic opacity, leading to blame avoidance within the organization. However, the results also disprove the hypothesized negative relationship, revealing that officials with high awareness and perceptions of individual accountability instead favor using algorithms to automate decisions. Further analysis of the dependent variable reveals that a favorable disposition toward algorithm use is overwhelmingly tied to the perception of trust. The individual descriptions of bureaucrats convey clues for an alternative explanation of the outcome, suggesting that stringent evaluation and audit practices can help circumvent algorithm aversion resulting from opaque algorithms or reduced discretion. Such a potential explanation implies that bureaucratic accountability chains could serve as a substitute source of trust, allowing public servants to hold the algorithm to account by proxy. The qualitative accounts in this thesis offer insights into how bureaucrats feel personally accountable for the algorithms they use, expanding the literature of public officials’ reliance on algorithmic decision-making.Show less
Previous studies found that inclusion is a necessary condition for managing a diverse work group and tapping into its positive performance potential and that organizational leaders can play an...Show morePrevious studies found that inclusion is a necessary condition for managing a diverse work group and tapping into its positive performance potential and that organizational leaders can play an important role in cultivating inclusion in the workplace, but the context in which organizational leaders exercise inclusive leadership remains understudied. This study aims to create a better understanding of how the situational opportunities and constraints arising from the environment of public organizations affect the extent to which public managers can develop inclusive leadership. To this end, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of politicization on inclusive leadership through centralization and formalization. This study uses data collected from a survey of employees of public managers working within the core ministries of the Dutch central government (N = 1,029). The results of the quantitative data study showed that centralization and formalization partially mediate the positive relationship between politicization and inclusive leadership in public organizations. However, additional data from two focus groups with public managers (total N = 7) also support the theoretical expectation that politicization is negatively related to inclusive leadership. These findings suggest that the organizational context factors of politicization, centralization, and formalization can affect inclusive leadership in competing ways, reflecting the complex context in which public managers operate. As such, this study contributes to theory building in the field of inclusive leadership by examining inclusive leadership as a dependent variable.Show less
Abstract Social support teams are intended to meet societal demands by acting innovatively in the social care sector. However, the introduction of social support teams has not led to expected...Show moreAbstract Social support teams are intended to meet societal demands by acting innovatively in the social care sector. However, the introduction of social support teams has not led to expected results. Drawing on perceptions of professionals and leaders, this study examines how psychological safety can moderate innovation outcomes of exploration and exploitation. Using multilevel data from 764 professionals and 60 leaders from 84 teams from five different municipalities, it shows that psychological safety positively and significantly moderates the relationship of innovative leadership behavior and exploration. The findings and discussion show how leaders can increase innovation outcomes in the organizational forms adopted in social support teams.Show less
Naar aanleiding van de problemen in de uitvoering en de roep om de menselijke maat weer terug te brengen is recent het 'werken volgens de bedoeling' als beleidsinstrument geïntroduceerd binnen het...Show moreNaar aanleiding van de problemen in de uitvoering en de roep om de menselijke maat weer terug te brengen is recent het 'werken volgens de bedoeling' als beleidsinstrument geïntroduceerd binnen het openbaar bestuur. Doel is het verbeteren van de kwaliteit van de beleidsprestatie. In dit kwalitatieve onderzoek is onderzocht in hoeverre de doelstellingen van het IUC-veranderprogramma ‘Vooruit naar de Bedoeling’ zijn gerealiseerd voor wat betreft de uitvoering van de aanbestedingswet en hoe de mate van succes zich laat verklaren? Om deze onderzoeksvraag te beantwoorden zijn de succes- en faalfactoren van Hoogerwerf et al. (2021) gebruikt waaraan dialoog en reflectie als wezenlijk onderdeel van ‘werken volgens de bedoeling’ zijn toegevoegd als verklarende variabele. De verwachting was dat het ‘werken volgens de bedoeling’ tot een beter begrip zou leiden van de te realiseren kwaliteit van de dienstverlening. Op basis van de resultaten in dit onderzoek is dat echter niet aangetoond want hoewel het belang van conforme uitvoering van de Aanbestedingswet niet in twijfel wordt getrokken, wordt de doel-middelen relatie nog niet breed aanvaard en geaccepteerd en ervaren stakeholders van het IUC (vooralsnog) niet dat interactie leidt tot het gezamenlijk reflecteren op de te leveren bedoeling en/of dat hun bedoeling meeweegt in de oordeelsvorming en het handelen van een IUC-medewerker; regels en oneigenlijke doelen lijken nog steeds te prevaleren. Desalniettemin zijn er tekenen die erop duiden dat deze werkwijze potentie heeft om waarde toe te voegen aan de kwaliteit van de uitvoering. De data uit dit onderzoek laten namelijk zien dat dit beleidsinstrument 'werken volgens de bedoeling' potentie kan hebben wanneer het voeren van een dialoog met stakeholders en gezamenlijke reflectie op de bedoeling meer tot wasdom komt en dat het de moeite waard is om verder te onderzoeken hoe de elementen dialoog en reflectie bijdragen aan het discours over de kwaliteit van de dienstverlening, over de doeltreffendheid van de beleidsuitvoering en hoe kan worden voorkomen dat de bedoeling ‘gets lost in translation’.Show less
This thesis looks at the relation between the number of embassies a country has abroad and the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment within the respective country. The analysis is based on a Fixed...Show moreThis thesis looks at the relation between the number of embassies a country has abroad and the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment within the respective country. The analysis is based on a Fixed Effects model with panel data from 169 countries collected from 2000 until 2020. There was no public dataset available for the number of embassies. As such, the data for this variable was manually calculated for every single country for every single year. In the analysis it becomes clear that the number of embassies is relevant and significant to determine the FDI inflow. However, the population and the proportion of internet users in a country prove to be more significant and contribute more to the model than the number of embassies. This thesis confirms results from previous research, namely that a broader diplomatic network has a positive effect on trade relations. Its rationale can be found in the new statistical aspects, since it uses a Fixed Effects model, rather than a gravitational model. Moreover, this incorporates both longitudinal and cross-sectional data, whereas previous research solely deployed longitudinal data of one country or cross-sectional data of one year.Show less
