This thesis investigates the relationship between the Saudi government and Aramco, the country’s major oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest. By uncovering the historical backdrop of...Show moreThis thesis investigates the relationship between the Saudi government and Aramco, the country’s major oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest. By uncovering the historical backdrop of this relationship, from the discovery of oil to the recent initial public offering (IPO) in 2019, this research explores the evolving dynamics of governance and authority within this relationship and its far-reaching implications for the broader Saudi Arabian landscape. After unpacking the events, actors and factors that have shaped this relationship over the years, this thesis will argue that the relationship between the two parties is closer and more interlocking than what is generally depicted, with the state having substantial influence over Aramco’s operations and governance. The findings provide insights into the changes and continuity of the investigated relationship, as well as contribute to an in-depth understanding of the governance dynamics and implications to the larger Saudi Arabian landscape. Understanding the weight of this relationship is essential when analysing Aramco’s future trajectory and, to some degree, Saudi Arabia’s future.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
The phenomenon called the Involuntary Celibate movement is quick to grow on the internet as well as violent attacks that are related to these so-called "Incels". Mainly in North-America these...Show moreThe phenomenon called the Involuntary Celibate movement is quick to grow on the internet as well as violent attacks that are related to these so-called "Incels". Mainly in North-America these violent incel attacks occur. The discussion in this thesis is how the North American states view these attacks and the incel movement overall in order to respond or anticipate to it. Along with that, this thesis sheds light on the difficulty of categorizing such a phenomenon. Looking at the definition of terrorism, it remains a daily struggle to have a collective meaning for it. This thesis helps to create more awareness about the involuntary celibates, and provide insights of possible dangers that come along with them. Moreover it discusses the political discourse of categorizing and defining such occurrences. It discusses how different actors within Canada and North America perceive the phenomenon and how they believe are correct reaction is. This thesis furthermore provides a piece that goes more in-depth on the specific characters, and create a framework of the incels that might be useful for instances to have idea what this movement entails.Show less
In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht waarom Nederlandse kinderen na de Tweede Wereldoorlog naar het buitenland werden uitgezonden en buitenlandse kinderen gelijktijdig in Nederland werden...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt onderzocht waarom Nederlandse kinderen na de Tweede Wereldoorlog naar het buitenland werden uitgezonden en buitenlandse kinderen gelijktijdig in Nederland werden ondergebracht. In deze scriptie worden motieven voor de organisatie in kaart gebracht, wordt de uitzending vergeleken met andere kinderuitzendingen en wordt vanuit een governance perspectief bekeken welke actoren betrokken waren bij de vorming en uitvoering van beleid en wat hun invloed was op keuzes voor opvang, transport, verlengd verblijf, terugkeer, opvoeding en onderwijs op de plaats van opvang. Uit dit onderzoek blijkt dat het laten aansterken van de kinderen bij deze en andere kinderuitzendingen de aanleiding vormde voor de organisatie hiervan. Ook de mogelijkheid tot (her)opvoeden van de kinderen bleek een rol te spelen. Doordat veel organisaties betrokken waren bij de kinderuitzending ontstonden onderlinge concurrentie en tegengestelde belangen op nationaal en internationaal niveau.Show less
De totstandkoming van het Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is in de literatuur al veelvuldig aan bod gekomen maar een evaluerende analyse van de fouten bij dit bouwproject bleef tot nu toe uit. Anders dan...Show moreDe totstandkoming van het Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is in de literatuur al veelvuldig aan bod gekomen maar een evaluerende analyse van de fouten bij dit bouwproject bleef tot nu toe uit. Anders dan de bestaande literatuur legt het werkstuk niet de nadruk op de discussie over 'een nationale bouwstijl' en de politiekmaatschappelijke spanningen tussen protestanten en katholieken maar probeert het de problematische totstandkoming van het museum te verklaren vanuit een bestuurskundige benadering. De reconstructie van de debatten die in het parlement over de bouw van het Rijksmuseum tussen de agendering en de oplevering van het gebouw zijn gevoerd vormen de kern van dit onderzoek. Aan de hand van de Handelingen van de Tweede Kamer wordt optreden van de Kamer getoetst. Dit gebeurt via een chronologische verdeling in bouwfases. In ieder hoofdstuk wordt het optreden van het parlement getoetst aan vijf criteria geformuleerd door hoogleraar bestuurskunde Paul 't Hart. Dit levert per fase een gestructureerde analyse op met heldere, nieuwe inzichten op de totstandkoming die een nuttig tegenwicht bieden tegenover de bestaande literatuur. Het onderzoek toont namelijk aan dat de Kamer, als gevolg van scheve machtsverhoudingen en een voortdurende informatieachterstand, niet goed in staat was om haar controlerende taak uit te voeren.Show less
This study researches the role of accountability in several late medieval middle Dutch texts. The thesis underlines the importance of cultural factors like religion and honor in the thinking about...Show moreThis study researches the role of accountability in several late medieval middle Dutch texts. The thesis underlines the importance of cultural factors like religion and honor in the thinking about accountability of medieval officials.Show less
This thesis delves into the relation between crisis and policy change in a historical context by exploring the Dutch emigration policies concerning South Africa before and after the Sharpeville...Show moreThis thesis delves into the relation between crisis and policy change in a historical context by exploring the Dutch emigration policies concerning South Africa before and after the Sharpeville massacre (1960). Most literature discussing the Sharpeville massacre and its aftermath take the decline in emigration in the years following the massacre as an evident consequence of the changing perceptions of South Africa, and place it in a holistic hypothesis of general denunciation. By analysing this from a policy perspective, the decline in emigration is better explained by a multitude of factors, then by a single event (i.e. Sharpeville) alone. It is undeniable that Sharpeville had an impact on how South Africa was being perceived in the Netherlands. And evidently, this must have discouraged people to emigrate there. However, this thesis argues that the structures, policies and practices of the Dutch emigration system have been overlooked in this context. The emigration apparatus played such an important role on Dutch emigration as a whole, that it had a crucial impact on the emigration to South Africa. Despite the obsevation that there was not a clear policy change after Sharpeville, their power as an institution to orchestrate the Dutch emigration proved to be an important factor when trying to explain the decline of Dutch emigration to South Africa.Show less
In the early 1980s, the number of asylum seekers doubled in West Germany and the issue got increasingly politicised. Most of the asylum seekers originated from Turkey where political unrest and...Show moreIn the early 1980s, the number of asylum seekers doubled in West Germany and the issue got increasingly politicised. Most of the asylum seekers originated from Turkey where political unrest and socio-ethnic conflicts were widespread. In this setting, Turkish asylum seekers belonging to Christian minorities became a source of controversy within the German Federal Ministry of the Interior. This thesis looks into the dynamics of asylum politics through analysing primary sources from the Federal Ministry of the Interior that depict the most important intergovernmental, federal and societal governance actors who either argued in favour of or against the admission of this specific group of asylum seekers. Their interplay is examined with the help of four main concepts under the umbrella of the gap hypothesis, which explain why the Christian asylum seekers were granted a right to stay in the long run although their asylum applications were first rejected: The liberal paradox of democratic states and the difficulty of interpreting the right of asylum gave room for multiple actors negotiating the case. Eventually, the positively constructed social class of the asylum seekers enabled the political realm to reach consensus to smartly settle the liberal paradox with a generously applied hardship regulation.Show less
This thesis seeks to explore how street children in Cairo are governed. It takes a multi-level approach through examining the public level, aid organizations and the Egyptian government. The way...Show moreThis thesis seeks to explore how street children in Cairo are governed. It takes a multi-level approach through examining the public level, aid organizations and the Egyptian government. The way street children are perceived on these different levels influences policy approach. Street children are rejected by Egyptian society, and a negative stereotype about them dominates the public view. The choices that street children must make in their daily life accentuate these stereotypes. A recent paradigm shift in academia has led aid organizations from viewing street children as passive subjects of charity towards a more human rights-based approach. Despite this paradigm shift, the government has yet to adapt its policy and continues to treat street children as delinquents. This thesis calls for more research on the topic of street children, in order to map out the magnitude of the problem. Furthermore, I suggest that unless street children are perceived the same on all levels, no adequate solution will be found to the growing problem.Show less
Eind negentiende en begin twintigste eeuw trokken miljoenen emigranten (met name afkomstig uit Oost-Europa) door Noordwest-Europa op weg naar Noord- en Zuid-Amerika. De doorreis van deze migranten...Show moreEind negentiende en begin twintigste eeuw trokken miljoenen emigranten (met name afkomstig uit Oost-Europa) door Noordwest-Europa op weg naar Noord- en Zuid-Amerika. De doorreis van deze migranten was voor Europese transitlanden, waaronder Nederland, niet zonder risico: De mogelijkheid bestond dat de migranten ziektes verspreidden, de publieke orde verstoorden of achterbleven en een last werden voor de samenleving. Deze scriptie onderzoekt hoe de controle op transmigranten in Nederland in het Interbellum er uitzag en waarom de controle er zo uitzag. Specifiek is er in dit onderzoek ingegaan op de reactie tegenover de mogelijke verspreiding van ziektes door transmigranten, de terugkerende migranten en de doorreis van Joodse vluchtelingen uit Nazi-Duitsland. Om de invulling van de migratiecontrole te kunnen verklaren is een governance-benadering toegepast: Naast het beleid van de centrale overheid is er gekeken naar de rol van lokale autoriteiten en de scheepvaartmaatschappijen in de controle op transmigranten. Deze scriptie laat bovenal zien dat het Nederlandse transmigratiebeleid in het Interbellum niet-lineair was: De controle werd verstevigd als gevolg van crisissen en werd verminderd als de spanning verdwenen was.Show less
Cryptocurrencies, although in their infancy, are becoming increasingly important for the global economy. Bitcoin was the first invented cryptocurrency, created by a group or person under the...Show moreCryptocurrencies, although in their infancy, are becoming increasingly important for the global economy. Bitcoin was the first invented cryptocurrency, created by a group or person under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto in 2007, allowing for the exchange of economic value by use of its verifiable and cryptographically secure blockchain. While many countries still don’t even know how to define cryptocurrencies, China has been regulating them for years. The Chinese tech industry also often exemplifies that it is at the forefront of global blockchain technology development with its numerous fast-growing companies and tokens such as DeepBrain Chain, Ontology Network, NEO, Tron, and QTUM, thus suggesting that the tech must be succeeding in certain areas, perhaps either as a result of government regulation, or in spite of it. This paper has contextualised the state of the Chinese blockchain industry in regards to a new type of blockchain political economy and in terms of the Chinese regulatory climate.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to explore Official Chinese English-language media for the purpose of researching if the Chinese leadership instrumentalizes protests for international purposes. I...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to explore Official Chinese English-language media for the purpose of researching if the Chinese leadership instrumentalizes protests for international purposes. I compared rational protest management theories and a theory based on the Chinese concept of 'face'. I used two different cases studies to analyze the applicability of these theories: the 2012 anti-Japanese and the 2017 anti-THAAD protests. Case study research shows that the Chinese leadership uses anti-foreign protests as an instrument to justify foreign policy and international actions. However, the leadership does not always have complete control over protests. I propose to compare the leadership's policy position and nationalist demands to predict and explain protest management.Show less
Onderzoek naar de samenwerking tussen de Nederlandse overheid en de Nederlandse Federatie voor Vluchtelingenhulp binnen het Difficult Cases project eind jaren 1950.
De naoorlogse emigratie uit Nederland werd in grote mate gestimuleerd door de Nederlandse overheid. Het voorlichten en voorbereiden van emigranten vormde een belangrijk onderdeel van het...Show moreDe naoorlogse emigratie uit Nederland werd in grote mate gestimuleerd door de Nederlandse overheid. Het voorlichten en voorbereiden van emigranten vormde een belangrijk onderdeel van het stimuleringsbeleid. De emigratievoorlichting en -voorbereiding speciaal ontwikkeld voor de Nederlandse vrouw wordt in deze scriptie onderzocht. Hoe en waarom werden vrouwen voorgelicht en voorbereid voor de naoorlogse emigratie uit Nederland tussen 1949 en 1961? Om deze hoofdvraag te beantwoorden zijn motieven en methodes behandeld van instanties die zich bezighielden met de emigratie van de Nederlandse vrouw, met in het bijzonder het Nederlandse Vrouwen Comité (NVC). Hierbij komt niet alleen de rol van de vrouw in het emigratieproces aan bod, maar worden ook de verhoudingen, belangen en strategieën van betrokken spelers in de emigratieregulering (emigratie-governance) blootgelegd.Show less
