Climate change has become the main challenge of the 21st century in particular due to pollutant emissions. Among other factors, the increase of pollutants emissions is related to the soaring number...Show moreClimate change has become the main challenge of the 21st century in particular due to pollutant emissions. Among other factors, the increase of pollutants emissions is related to the soaring number of vehicles powered through fossil fuel combustion. Mainly concentrated in cities, impoverished air quality has been associated with major health issues. In this context, electric mobility has been identified among other measures as an appropriate initiative to adopt in order to reduce pollutant emissions. However, cities are the ones representing both the production sites of air pollution and the places where it is crucial to take action in order to fight poor air quality. Since cities vary in size and characteristics, it remains difficult to find the most adequate solution to comply with European supranational directives set out by the European Commission. Joining transnational municipal networks is supposed to help cities exchange information and practices with other cities experiencing similar challenges to identify the most suitable measures to implement locally. Most of the literature agrees on the promising benefits of joining such networks, however little is known about effective policy implementation. In addition, most of the research focused on large networks and big cities of Northern and Central Europe; whereas Southern European small and medium-sized cities have been neglected so far. This research aims at investigating electric mobility policy implementation in four cities located in Southern Europe that represent both small and medium sized cities, namely Alicante (Spain), Bilbao (Spain), Perugia (Italy) and Reggio Emilia (Italy). The study focuses on the difference of policy implementation regarding the participation of the city in the POLIS network or not. The POLIS network is a European specialized city-network in the field of innovative mobility. Bilbao and Perugia are POLIS’ members, whereas Alicante and Reggio Emilia are not. At first, the study suggests that the participation in the city network POLIS does not make the difference in electric mobility implementation. Indeed all four cities have at least one measure in place regardless of their participation or non-participation in the network. However, major differences have been observed, in particular among the cities that do not participate in the network. While Alicante did not extensively implement electric mobility, Reggio Emilia was very dynamic on the matter. On the other hand, member cities have common electric mobility policies in place. However, alternative factors may explain the homogeneity in electric mobility implementation in European small and medium sized city. Further studies should investigate the role of smaller city networks that might be more suitable to guide sustainable policy implementation in small and medium-sized cities.Show less
The goal of this study is to discover whether the concepts perceived diversity climate, the perception of inclusion and diversity recruitment have a positive effect on the retention rates of...Show moreThe goal of this study is to discover whether the concepts perceived diversity climate, the perception of inclusion and diversity recruitment have a positive effect on the retention rates of minority trainees at ProRail. This research is a single-case analysis with a qualitative approach. Thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, eight with minority trainees and five with recruiters. The results demonstrate that all of the before-mentioned concepts have a positive effect on the retention rates of minority trainees. However, the ideology of meritocracy and the opposition towards bureaucracy threaten the positive influence that diversity recruitment has on retention rates of minorities. These outcomes are both of scientific and societal relevance. Furthermore, the study includes recommendations for future research and policy recommendations for ProRail.Show less
EU agencies and comparable institutional advisory bodies have proliferated and gained increasing prominence within the politics of the European Union in recent decades, leading scholars to assert...Show moreEU agencies and comparable institutional advisory bodies have proliferated and gained increasing prominence within the politics of the European Union in recent decades, leading scholars to assert that these bodies influence the decision-making procedures in the EU through their information provision. This thesis aims to uncover whether and how the EU agencies, Europol, Frontex, eu-LISA and the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), as well as the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) exerted influence on the policymaking process on establishing a framework for interoperability between the EU’s large-scale information systems. Its theoretical foundation is derived from interest group influence research and empirically it synthesises evidence from qualitative document analysis and elite interviews conducted with officials from Europol, eu-LISA, and the EDPS.Show less
