Our demand for cheap food also has a large impact on the producers in the South; they are working under severe pressure to keep the production costs low, resulting in crop-prices below minimum...Show moreOur demand for cheap food also has a large impact on the producers in the South; they are working under severe pressure to keep the production costs low, resulting in crop-prices below minimum level, child labour, and the use of chemicals. The Fairtrade Labelling Organization claims to improve the working conditions of those farmers. The main goal of this thesis is to show the impact of the certification on cacao producers and their families in Ecuador, and which role cooperatives have in the Fairtrade network. The corresponding hypothesis was that the cacao producers in Ecuador have more access to social services and education, due to the improvement of their livelihoods with the certificate, while the Fairtrade benefits are a complex process, and the role of cooperatives is crucial.Show less
Bolivia vigorously opposes the conflation of coca and cocaine in international drug prohibition and has innovated its domestic coca policies while pursuing an international campaign to change the...Show moreBolivia vigorously opposes the conflation of coca and cocaine in international drug prohibition and has innovated its domestic coca policies while pursuing an international campaign to change the coca leaf’s legal status. However, it has also taken very seriously certain commitments of the global drug prohibition regime, such as combating illegal drug trafficking and coca-paste interdiction. Bolivian policies under Evo Morales and the MAS both resist and comply to international drug prohibition. This thesis is interested in exploring the developments leading up to this change in Bolivian policy and subsequent actions undertaken domestically and in the international arena. My principal academic interest is to bring clarity to Bolivian coca policy innovations, domestic and international, in relation to the drug prohibition regime and the American drug war.Show less
This thesis addresses the issue of return migration of Mexican adults from the United States to Mexico 2007-2015. In this period more people where returning to Mexico than going to the U.S. It is...Show moreThis thesis addresses the issue of return migration of Mexican adults from the United States to Mexico 2007-2015. In this period more people where returning to Mexico than going to the U.S. It is discussed what are the reasons given by immigrants for their return and what influence the financial crisis of 2008 had on return migration.Show less
How did the illegalization of paramilitarism together with other government policies contribute to the accumulation of power of these organisations in the period of 1989-199? Is the research...Show moreHow did the illegalization of paramilitarism together with other government policies contribute to the accumulation of power of these organisations in the period of 1989-199? Is the research question of this thesis. The main actors to be identified and discussed are the paramilitaries and the state.Show less
This thesis aims to analyze the, effects of Regional Integration and Security Cooperation in dealing with drug trafficking in CARICOM from 2000 to 2010. The Caribbean, is annually devastated by the...Show moreThis thesis aims to analyze the, effects of Regional Integration and Security Cooperation in dealing with drug trafficking in CARICOM from 2000 to 2010. The Caribbean, is annually devastated by the ever increasing influx of drug related crimes in its region, thus preventing the successful development of regional integration and security cooperation. Through the presentation of two case studies on Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, a clear portrayal is given on the existing conditions of drug trafficking in the Caribbean, as well as, the actions taken by the respective governments and CARICOM. The approach of analysis in these thesis was exhibited in three chapters presenting the theoretical contextualization of the topic, a historical timeline of regional integration and security cooperation in Latin America and finally, the in depth discussion between the two case studies. The conclusions addressed in this thesis pointed out, that domestic corruption in governance, misalignment of interests between the member states, ineffective institutional practices and a complex geographical disposition lead to a daunting problem in which, drug trafficking is flourishing almost uncontrollably.Show less
