Er bestaat al veel kwantitatief onderzoek over belangenbehartiging op (inter)nationaal niveau. Deze studie past deze theorieën over succesfactoren in beleidsbeïnvloeding toe op het lokale niveau,...Show moreEr bestaat al veel kwantitatief onderzoek over belangenbehartiging op (inter)nationaal niveau. Deze studie past deze theorieën over succesfactoren in beleidsbeïnvloeding toe op het lokale niveau, specifiek op een opkomende vertegenwoordigende institutie: dorpsraden. Deze vergelijkende gevalsstudie naar vier dorpsraden in Alphen aan den Rijn verklaart de verschillen in toegeschreven invloed op het gemeentelijke beleid. De analyse, op basis van zeven interviews met zowel vertegenwoordigers van de dorpsraden als publieke professionals en 164 media-artikelen, laat voor nagenoeg alle gebruikte theorieën ook op lokaal niveau empirisch bewijs zien. Samenwerking en coalitievorming, timing, diversiteit in venues en input en het beschikken over relevante informatie dragen bij aan het succes van de beleidsbeïnvloeding van dorpsraden en verklaren de verschillen in succes in de beleidsbeïnvloeding. Daarmee biedt deze studie relevante handvatten om opkomende dorpsraden verder gestalte te geven.Show less
This thesis examines the relationship between democracy and domestic terrorism, relying on a within-case study of the democratization process of Greece in the 1970s. The central theoretical...Show moreThis thesis examines the relationship between democracy and domestic terrorism, relying on a within-case study of the democratization process of Greece in the 1970s. The central theoretical argument, which is claimed by Chenoweth (2007) is that terrorism occurs so often in democracies because of a competitive logic that drives interest groups to compete with one another using violence. This thesis attempted to strengthen this so-called 'theory of the competitive logic' by further specifying the exact causal mechanism by means of a case study. Overall, the analysis disconfirms and thereby challenges the hypothesized causal mechanisms. A main finding is that Greece's democratization process did result in outburst of domestic terrorist activity, but did not result in an outburst of social mobilization in general. The large corrupt and clientelist overbearing Greek state, combined with the omnipresence of a few strong political parties immediately halted the ‘political energies’ that naturally arose after the fall of the Greek junta. Based on this finding, this thesis claims that, at least in the Greek case, not democracy's commitment to pluralism, but rather a lack of pluralism led to the proliferation of domestic terrorism. Further qualitative research should be done to assess whether Greece is an exceptional case or whether the theory is supported in other cases that experienced democratic transitions in the 1970s, such as Portugal and Spain.Show less
