Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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The mitumba trade of second-hand clothing in Kenya has been growing rapidly the last twenty years, making the street vendors selling from huge piles of second-hand clothing very familiar in the...Show moreThe mitumba trade of second-hand clothing in Kenya has been growing rapidly the last twenty years, making the street vendors selling from huge piles of second-hand clothing very familiar in the street view. The complexity of this network behind the import, unpacking, distribution, adjusting, selling and buying of second-hand clothes, has been examined through a three month field study in Mombasa, the biggest harbor city of Kenya. By taking this chain of relationships as departure, trust and distrust have been uncovered as mechanisms which create tensions, chooses, manipulations, commitments and expectations for second-hand clothing traders. Trying to make a living in this trade requires the strategic use of reputation, social connections and information, making the complexity and applications of trust in this value chain of key importance for the study of the second-hand clothing market.Show less
Research master thesis | Political Science and Public Administration (research) (MSc)
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Party competition lies at the heart of every democracy. It is related to party organization and electoral behavior. There is no consensus on what the political space of competition looks like. The...Show moreParty competition lies at the heart of every democracy. It is related to party organization and electoral behavior. There is no consensus on what the political space of competition looks like. The left-right dimension is the most well-known model of party competition. However, especially in multiparty systems, with multiple salient issues each election, locating parties in a predefined onedimensional space is very unlikely to capture all differences between parties. This study addresses the question what the spatial representation of party competition in multiparty systems looks like. Is it indeed structured along a left-right dimension, or are multiple dimensions necessary to understand competition? It has been argued before that competition in multiparty systems is best understood using multiple dimensions. However, this is the first study that investigates whether the left-right dimension gives accurate information about party competition both deterministically and probabilistically. First, the formal logic behind the empirical use of the left-right dimension is tested. In other words, it is investigated whether the necessary conditions for one-dimensional competition hold in a multiparty system. Additionally, it is investigated how much information is gained when the space of competition is modeled probabilistically, without the a priori assumption that competition is one-dimensional. Focusing on party competition in the Netherlands, it is found that in all election years from 1982 to 2010 left-right party positions did not give an accurate representation of Dutch competition. Rather, two-dimensional spaces are necessary. Especially ethical issues and the issue of European integration cannot be squeezed into an overarching left-right dimension.Show less
Research master thesis | Political Science and Public Administration (research) (MSc)
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The European Union (EU) has witnessed a diversification of its membership in terms of integration. This is regarded as one way of accommodating an increasingly heterogeneous EU. However, this...Show moreThe European Union (EU) has witnessed a diversification of its membership in terms of integration. This is regarded as one way of accommodating an increasingly heterogeneous EU. However, this differentiated integration is likely to be accompanied by disadvantages. Among other things, differentiated integration is also thought to be harmful to the differentiated states’ reputation. However, there is very little empirical work on tangible consequences of differentiated integration. This paper tries to fill this void by looking at one manifestation of informal power: member state access to European Commission advisory committees. The main conclusion is that there is no general relation between access to advisory committees and differentiated integration. However, when looked at in more detail, differentiated integration appears to strongly diminish access to Eurozone-related advisory committees. Moreover, it appears that newer member states’ degrees of access are affected, especially those new members that have not yet integrated fully into the Eurozone and Schengen. If this pattern is structural, the interests of newer member states could be affected.Show less
Abstract: Existing literature on the impact of economic changes on governmental trust presents mixed and contradicting findings. These contradicting outcomes of objective economic performance on...Show moreAbstract: Existing literature on the impact of economic changes on governmental trust presents mixed and contradicting findings. These contradicting outcomes of objective economic performance on trust can be partially explained by an asymmetrical bias. When economy is bad, trust will be affected, if economy is good then trust will not be affected. The credit and sovereign debt crisis changed the economic situation in the eurozone countries. In order to examine these contradicting claims, this research investigated the changes in governmental trust during the sovereign debt crisis. Which factors can be related to governmental trust is examined at aggregated and individual level. Trust in EU and national government is examined in order to see if they are influenced by the same factors. During the sovereign debt crisis trust levels in the eurozone dropped considerably. At aggregated country level, governmental trust is related to unemployment before and during the crisis. A general trend of decline in governmental trust was not found. Positive and negative trend lines were found for different countries. Trust in national government and EU government is strong and positively correlated to each other, yet the direction of causality was not examined. At individual level trust can be best explained by crisis performance and by objective and subjective economic indicators. Finally, problem solving capacity, economic uncertainty, social status and life satisfaction are of significant, but weak influence on trust in national and EU government.Show less
Readers can be poor comprehenders in the face of sufficient basic reading skills. Common perception is that poor comprehenders have difficulty constructing a coherent mental representation of the...Show moreReaders can be poor comprehenders in the face of sufficient basic reading skills. Common perception is that poor comprehenders have difficulty constructing a coherent mental representation of the text in their memory. In current study, among good (N = 11) and poor comprehenders (N = 14), was analyzed through one-way ANOVA whether good and poor comprehenders draw different inferences and if there are relations between inference making patterns for good and poor comprehenders. The analysis showed that poor comprehenders engage significantly different online processes, and show weaker working memory abilities compared to good comprehenders. This research provides further evidence that working memory abilities influence reading comprehension.Show less
This study investigated the adaptive skills of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in comparison to normal developing children and to children with comorbid ADHD and ADHD/ODD-CD. The...Show moreThis study investigated the adaptive skills of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in comparison to normal developing children and to children with comorbid ADHD and ADHD/ODD-CD. The sample consisted of parents of children aged 4-12 years (Mage 8.58 years; SD = 2.26). In the study two questionnaires were used; the ‘Adaptieve Vragenlijst voor Jeugdigen’ (AVJ) to measure the general adaptive skills in children, and the Social Emotional Questionnaire (SEV) to measure disorder symptoms. Results showed lowe adaptive scores of children with ASD and/or comorbid ADHD or ODD-CD on the AVJ-subscales a. relation with peers, b. relation with parents, c. focus on school, work and future, and d. self-direction, when compared to normally developing children. Regardless of comorbidity, the skills that were the severest impaired in children with autism were related to competently and maintaining relationships with peers and recognizing emotions in peers. Competently maintaining relationships with adults is the least impaired skill in children with autism, meaning they can flexibly handle contacts with parents, teachers and authorities. Age, gender and cultural background did not interact with these differences and similarities. In children with autism the adaptive skills accounted for respectively 44% of the explained variance of social functioning as measured with the SEV. This implicates that there are possible other factors associated to the disorder related adaptive behaviors of children with ASD. Further research should focus on intelligence as a contributing variable, for IQ seems to be a strong predictor of adaptive behavior. And as the grading of adaptive behavior is influenced by the expectations of the people who grade them, an implication would be that questionnaires should be completed by teachers as well as by parents.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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In Hindu North India marriage is a family-centred event. The vast majority of marriages is arranged, which means that family elders have an important input in the choice for a prospective spouse...Show moreIn Hindu North India marriage is a family-centred event. The vast majority of marriages is arranged, which means that family elders have an important input in the choice for a prospective spouse for their younger members. When arranging a marriage, the family seeks to form an alliance with another family with whom they share a number of characteristics and whose background is thus considered compatible in terms of caste, class and religion. Therefore, apart from the formation of new kinship ties, marriage is a crucial act in confirming and reproducing existing social and economic boundaries. However, the marital landscape appears to be changing as young individuals increasingly prefer what they label as love marriages. In this thesis I focus on how such love marriages are perceived amongst Hindus in North India and in which manner they differ from arranged marriages. Furthermore I look at how this increased preference for love marriages impacts local family and gender relations. I argue how love marriages are not dichotomous to arranged marriages but instead show a lot of overlap. I show how not only young individuals, but their family elders and close kin as well creatively invent strategies in order to adapt marriages to the changing socio-economic circumstances.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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Museums today, as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) portrays, are viewed as non-profit institutions, open to the public, promoting education, research, study and entertainment. They are,...Show moreMuseums today, as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) portrays, are viewed as non-profit institutions, open to the public, promoting education, research, study and entertainment. They are, like James Clifford suggests, institutions that serve as a communication point for different cultures. Additionally modern museums are considered to have a strong social character as oppose to their past nationalistic one. Taking into account all these elements, this inquiry attempts to understand the meaning that a modern Ethnographic museum tries to communicate to the public. In order to achieve that, an Ethnographic exhibition in the making is being examined. To understand the importance and sensitivity of the subject displayed, past museum exhibitions of the same culture are mentioned along with the social impact they carried. Different stages of this exhibition, as well as the decision making process are being presented. A more thorough and complete image of meaning construction in an Ethnographic museum is given by introducing other recent exhibitions displayed by the same museum. Through interviews conducted with the museum personnel, this study anatomizes meaning construction in an Ethnological museum. The negotiation of the different views and agendas of the individuals, and the communities, participating in the exhibition making process, as well as external factors influencing that procedure, are being analyzed. Concluding, this study explores on what level, meaning created in a modern Ethnological museum is educational or recreational and to what expense.Show less
My study focused on knowledge about the EU. It was my aim to explain the variance in this knowledge among Europeans and to answer the question: What explains the variance in the knowledge about...Show moreMy study focused on knowledge about the EU. It was my aim to explain the variance in this knowledge among Europeans and to answer the question: What explains the variance in the knowledge about European Union among European citizens?Show less
In this thesis the debate that led to the Dutch slavery momument is shown. This debate is compared with the English debate and other cases of historical injustice.
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
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2017-07-19T00:00:00Z
The investigation of aggressive behaviors in specific types – reactive and proactive – on the basis of knowledge about executive dysfunctioning is important for determining both the etiology and...Show moreThe investigation of aggressive behaviors in specific types – reactive and proactive – on the basis of knowledge about executive dysfunctioning is important for determining both the etiology and the treatment strategies for aggression. The present study aimed to identify executive functions as the mechanisms underlying reactive and proactive aggression. Twenty-seven boys from 7 to 12 years old (M = 9.78, SD = 1.37) participated in this study. We created a sample including boys with different types of aggression and a wide range of aggression scores. Several (computerized) neurocognitive tasks were used for the measurement of the executive functions: inhibition, attention, frustration tolerance, cognitive flexibility and planning. A teacher questionnaire was administered for the reactive and proactive aggression scores of the boys. We found that the executive dysfunctions were associated with higher levels of aggression. Inhibition problems were associated with both types of aggression, but we also delineated unique factors in the prediction of reactive or proactive aggression. These results are not only important for theoretical frameworks about the etiology of aggression, but we can also underpin the importance of stimulating the development of specific executive functions for the prevention and treatment of different types of aggression.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This thesis is a result of anthropological research that I conducted at the Volkenkunde Museum in Leiden (Museum of Ethnology). The research is about the change in the organization of the museum in...Show moreThis thesis is a result of anthropological research that I conducted at the Volkenkunde Museum in Leiden (Museum of Ethnology). The research is about the change in the organization of the museum in the last 25 years. The change of organization had an influence on the decision making process and consequently on the image that is being formed in exhibitions. The aim of this thesis is to explain how image-forming is been done in a decision making process. Specifically I will do this in relation to permanent and temporary Indonesian exhibitions at the museum. I use the term ‘imagined community’, introduced by Benedict Anderson, to show that the image that is formed in Indonesian exhibitions is an imagined one. When the museum went through a change of organization in the 1990’s, it also redecorated the exhibition halls. For the discussion on the new design of the museum I use the distinction made in Sally Price’s book ‘“primitive art in civilized places” between objects displayed in art and ethnology museum. As a case study I will describe my internship at the Volkenkunde Museum on the Queen Wilhelmina doll collection.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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The thesis looks at how collectors of three types of dolls (Barbie, Blythe, Ball-jointed dolls)shape their collections, how they form a relationship with the collected objects and how collectors...Show moreThe thesis looks at how collectors of three types of dolls (Barbie, Blythe, Ball-jointed dolls)shape their collections, how they form a relationship with the collected objects and how collectors interact with each other both online and offline.Show less
In spite of the skeptical forecasts in the early 1990s when Brazil’s transition to democracy process was starting, this presidential regime is now considered stable. Therefore, the analyses in...Show moreIn spite of the skeptical forecasts in the early 1990s when Brazil’s transition to democracy process was starting, this presidential regime is now considered stable. Therefore, the analyses in political sciences today seek rather to explain how this process has evolved than to recommend profound changes in the system’s direction. This work is based on one of such theories, called the “Executive toolbox”. Its proponents contend that the president has tools that enable him or her to bring stability to the system through a balanced use of a set of tools in the Executive-Legislative relations. One of such tools is the budgetary prerogatives of the president - which, in the Brazilian case, include the liquidation of individual amendments of MPs. This thesis will study pork barrel politics in Brazil in comparative perspective and in relation to other tools in the president’s kit, especially with coalition goods. An existing debate in Brazilian literature about pork is taken as starting point and qualitative research methods are used including media analysis and personal interviews with Brazilian MPsShow less
Advanced master thesis | Political Science (Advanced Master)
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While in past, most studies have taken self-determination movements as unitary actors, recent research has shown that many movements striving for self-governance are highly fragmented. Taking this...Show moreWhile in past, most studies have taken self-determination movements as unitary actors, recent research has shown that many movements striving for self-governance are highly fragmented. Taking this as a starting point, this thesis offers an alternative explanation of state’s decision making process in complex situations as active intra-state conflicts. By facing the factions of the self-determination movement, states have to endure great levels of violence and pressures. These push the ‘rational’ state to a take a decision. Through an analysis of the Tamil and Jumma movement in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively, this study outlines the dynamics of group fragmentation and addresses its overall implications.Show less
The purpose of this thesis is to explore and test whether framing climate change as a security issue impacts the way non-state actors can participate in national and global climate change...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to explore and test whether framing climate change as a security issue impacts the way non-state actors can participate in national and global climate change policymaking. While it has been argued, in general terms, that securitizing an issue creates a state-centric security response, it has yet been untested to what extent this impacts environmental NGOs and civil society in climate change policymaking. After an analysis of the discourse on climate change over the past decade, I posit that since 2007 we have seen and will continue to see an increase of environmental NGOs indirectly excluded from climate change decision-making processes by states. This thesis, therefore, contends that climate change should be de-securitized and approached with a multidimensional climate change framework, incorporating a green theoretical standpoint. Drawing from an extensive questionnaire and two case-studies, I evaluate the role of non-state actors in climate change policymaking. The results suggest that the more climate change is framed as a security issue, the more non-state actors are indirectly excluded from climate change policymaking.Show less
Advanced master thesis | Political Science (Advanced Master)
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In 2001, the killing of a young Kabyle student in Algeria sparked Berber anti-Arab protests in Algeria and France, marking decades of intermittent conflict positing Berber identity against the Arab...Show moreIn 2001, the killing of a young Kabyle student in Algeria sparked Berber anti-Arab protests in Algeria and France, marking decades of intermittent conflict positing Berber identity against the Arab-Islamic policies of the Algerian state. Explanations for a growing Berber movement and the resulting conflict point to historical categorical divisions of “Berber” and “Arab” in colonialism and cultural groups. This thesis challenges the historical consistency of these explanations and examines how identity is constructed; it asks how this categorization of “Berbers” and “Arabs” has mobilized a Berber identity movement. Instead of linking this movement to a legacy of “Berber” against “Arab,” this thesis aims to show that the Berber identity movement as understood today is a relatively recent phenomenon. The following analysis develops two main arguments to support this claim: First, a historical discourse analysis of four periods shows that the category “Berber” has served different functions in different contexts. Second, the analysis develops a genealogy of “Berber” to present an alternative understanding for how categorization has shaped Berber identity, arguing that this movement is better understood as a product of interacting national discourses based on exclusive concepts of membership. These arguments are developed using insights from securitization theory to model identity formation, conceptualizing “Berber” as a term used with a purpose that produces a context dependent effect.Show less
