The aim of this research is to demonstrate the influence of the EU on the anti-corruption efforts and attitudes in the Republic of Croatia 2001 – 2018. Using a constructivist approach, three stages...Show moreThe aim of this research is to demonstrate the influence of the EU on the anti-corruption efforts and attitudes in the Republic of Croatia 2001 – 2018. Using a constructivist approach, three stages of norm cycle are identified regarding the acceptance of the anti-corruption norm in order to offer a deeper understanding of the norm transfer as a prerequisite for the successful fight against corruption. Two main mechanisms which are part of the norm cycle are investigated: the EU conditionality and the “naming and shaming” mechanism. The methodology of this research relied on the comparative case study method focusing on process tracing as it observes the influence of the EU on a single country throughout time. After demonstrating the valuable data in forms of documentation published by both the EU and Croatia, it was concluded the EU conditionality was more effective than the mechanism of “naming and shaming” but also, that Croatia still requires a lot of time and effort in order to reach the final stage of the norm cycle, the norm internalization.Show less
The debate on the EU and the various aspects of its enlargement process is a topic which has been viewed through various approaches; however no specific theory is capable of encompassing and...Show moreThe debate on the EU and the various aspects of its enlargement process is a topic which has been viewed through various approaches; however no specific theory is capable of encompassing and explaining the EU, its behavior, position, actions and role in the international political scene in the entirety of its complexity. In this regard Kenneth Waltz stated that “If we gather more and more data and establish more and more associations, however, we will not finally find that we know something” (Waltz, 2010, p.4). Therefore, continuously piling up new data does not contribute to our understanding and it brings us to finding new approaches and methods. In this sense, this research tries to paint a clearer and wider picture of the EU and its process through some of the core/basic principles of realism. Namely the process of EU enlargement is influenced by numerous factors; this thesis however, is focused specifically on the concept of threat perception as an important external factor which influences decisions in regards to EU enlargement. Stephen Walt, through his Threat Perception Theory (TPT), has not only provided a systematic way to introduce the concept of threat perception in the overarching theory of realism, but has also through the 4 categories, provided us with a tool to determine the concrete evaluation of a threat. In this thesis, that evaluation is applied to the example of Russia and how it is perceived from the EU standpoint. Walt has defined these four categories in such a way that they are not only applicable to the evaluation of threat that comes from certain actors (states), but they also provide room for analyzing specific aspects of their policies. This thesis utilizes this applicability of Walt’s TPT and uses it to also analyze the threat coming from Russian natural gas/energy politics. Due to the fact that threat, as a wider concept, is irrefutably connected to the concepts of survival and power, this thesis will also tackle the topic through the prism of these two primary concepts of realism. When it comes to power it will more notably focus on the works of Tom Casier (2018) and the notions of positive and negative compulsory power. Where this research deviates from the (often dogmatic) principles of the realist theories is the claim that states are the unitary actors on the international scene. This thesis views, and proves, that the EU is a sui generis actor capable of creating and achieving its foreign policy goals. Thus the aforementioned concepts which are generally attributed to states in realist theories, in this research are applied to the European Union.Show less
Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota on the brain and cognitive functioning have led to the hypothesis that the probiotic ‘Ecologic Barrier’ may decrease aggressive behavior and/or...Show moreRecent insights into the role of the human microbiota on the brain and cognitive functioning have led to the hypothesis that the probiotic ‘Ecologic Barrier’ may decrease aggressive behavior and/or thoughts. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a 4-week multispecies probiotic intervention on self-reported aggressive behavior and thought patterns in healthy individuals, whether there are differences between males and females, and to investigate whether HRV has an influence on the efficacy of the intervention with probiotics. HRV is a physiological phenomenon of the variation in the time interval between heartbeats. Low HRV can be related to impaired behavioral regulation and reduced behavioral inhibition, which is related to aggressive behavior, and therefore this can be a mediating variable in the design of this study. Individuals with a low HRV could benefit more from the intervention with probiotics than individuals with a high HRV and could expect a greater decrease in aggressive behavior and/or thoughts. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pre-and post-intervention assessment, between-subjects design, 25 healthy participants received a 4-week probiotic food-supplement intervention with the multispecies probiotics, while 25 control participants received an inert placebo for the same period. In the pre- and post-intervention assessment, self-reported aggressive behavior and thoughts were assessed using the Aggression Questionnaire and the aggression subscale of the LEIDS-r, the Leiden Index for Depression Sensitivity. The 4-week multispecies probiotic intervention did not reduce physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, overall aggression scores or aggressive thought patterns. A slight decrease in aggressive behavior and aggressive thoughts can be seen on a few subscales in the probiotics group, but the results were not significant. An exploratory finding was found: participants with a decreased HRV compared to the pre-intervention measurement, scored higher on verbal aggression during the post-intervention; a strong negative correlation was found. However, HRV appeared to have no influence on the efficacy of the intervention with probiotics. These results provide evidence that a low HRV could be linked to higher verbal aggression. Previous research has shown that there could be a difference in aggression between men and women, for example through male hormones, and therefore future studies should investigate why self-reported aggressive behavior and thoughts in males and females may respond differently to probiotics. The sample used for this study was pre-dominantly female and this could be an explanation for the fact that no difference was found. This study has some limitations that may have led to these results. A lot of research has been done on mice, research that cannot simply be translated into humans. This study did not include the exact influence of stress and the use of HRV, regulated by efferent fibers of the vagal nerve, to determine the influence and effectiveness of probiotics can be questioned because probiotics activate the afferent fibers of the vagal nerve . Furthermore, we work with self-reported aggressive behavior among participants without clinical aggression scores. In the future, research could be done into the influence of probiotics on aggression within the clinical population.Show less
In this study we investigated whether social norms moderate the relationship between anger experienced within the context of a service failure and the intention to take online revenge. A total of...Show moreIn this study we investigated whether social norms moderate the relationship between anger experienced within the context of a service failure and the intention to take online revenge. A total of 143 participants participated in an online survey where they were presented with a scenario describing a service failure, after which either a pro-revenge norm, an anti-revenge norm or no revenge norm (e.g. control condition) was induced. Participants answered several questions regarding their emotions and online revenge intentions. Extending existing literature, results revealed a positive relationship between anger and online consumer revenge. Social revenge norms, however, did not influence the intention to take online revenge, neither did they moderate the relationship between anger and online revenge intention. Possible explanations, strengths and limitations of this study are discussed. Given various limitations, the results should be interpreted with caution. Further research into this topic is advised and various suggestions are proposed.Show less
