Economic Governance in EU has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the suspension of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), window for reforms have become visible. To...Show moreEconomic Governance in EU has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the suspension of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), window for reforms have become visible. To understand the implications of the proposed reforms by the EU Economic Governance Review, we conduct a case-study analysis of both COVID-19 Pandemic and the European Debt Crisis of 2009 to understand how efficient these proposed SGP reforms could be. The case-study analysis compares the public expenditures of member states to derive the efficiency of the Excessive Deficit procedure (EDP) under SGP. The author is able to derive limitations pertaining to policy failure in the analysis. Overall, even though the study might identify the subjective relevance of EDP amongst the member states, the procyclical impact of the reforms suggest further discourse in the field.Show less
Costa Rica has set ambitious goals regarding climate issues. It strives to be carbon neutral in 2021, and aims to completely decarbonize their economy by 2050. The state of the transport and...Show moreCosta Rica has set ambitious goals regarding climate issues. It strives to be carbon neutral in 2021, and aims to completely decarbonize their economy by 2050. The state of the transport and infrastructure in Costa Rica are therefore a thorn in the side for both civil society and policymakers. In light of the issues in this sector the government has formulated several policies with the goal to transform the transport sector, creating a clean, efficient and safe system of transport and infrastructure. Some of these policies will be discussed in this thesis, namely the Plan de Descarbonización 2018-2050, the Plan Integral de Movilidad Urbana Sostenible, and the Plan Nacional de Transporte 2011-2035. The focus of this thesis will be on the mechanisms behind these policies. As such, some key questions that will be addressed are: how is the policymaking process designed? Who are the actors in this process? What institutions are involved and how is coordination shaped? Where lie the biggest challenges in the implementation of these policies? As it currently is, the transport sector suffers from high degrees of fragmentation, with many institutions involved and no clear leadership. It is a very interesting subject for study, as these mechanisms are the foundations on which the implementation of the policy builds. Without proper understanding of the interactions and challenges that one is faced with in this sector, effective implementation of the policies, and therefore the reaching of the climate goals becomes less feasible. . The facilitation of the implementation of the plans through institutional transformation is argued to be the absolute priority for the achievement of the goals and objectives as proposed in the policies that will be discussed in this thesis. The expectation is that the Costa Rican public administration for the transport sector will require a comprehensive reform, and as it stands it lacks the capacity to push for such reform. In the first chapter of this thesis the conceptual and theoretical basis for the analysis of the transport sector will be laid. Here the concepts of the public policy process in Latin America, Neo-institutionalism, and Public-Private Partnerships will be discussed and put into perspective of how they can be used to analyse the Costa Rican transport and infrastructure sector. The second chapter will offer the contextualization of the topic of study. The chapter is organised chronologically and starts with the economic crisis of the 1980s in Costa Rica. The chapter then continues to address the state reform during the 1980s and 1990s, followed by the developments of the past twenty years. It concludes with a brief overview of the current situation and policies in the transport and infrastructure sector. The third and final chapter’s focus will be the analysis of the policies discussed using the concepts as discussed in the first chapter, looking into the mechanisms behind these policies and the actors involved in the process. The chapter starts with an analysis of the policy process, followed by an analysis of the role and functioning of the institutions involved. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the use of public-private partnerships and the challenges the public administration if faced with regarding coordination between the sectors.Show less
This investigation will analyze the Venezuelan migration crisis in Colombia starting from 2014 until 2019. The roles of states of both Venezuela as the emigrant state and Colombia as the receiving...Show moreThis investigation will analyze the Venezuelan migration crisis in Colombia starting from 2014 until 2019. The roles of states of both Venezuela as the emigrant state and Colombia as the receiving state will be analyzed by viewing the policies put in place by both states. Concepts such as transnationalism, border cities and labor markets will be used to explain the migration networks that are created in between Colombia and Venezuela and assess how Venezuelans who are forced out of their country are received in a neighboring country such as Colombia. This investigation will also show how the policies and initiatives set forth by Colombia have eased the arrival of Venezuelans, but also point out how job integration into the formal sector has not been possible with the deepening of the crisis. This investigation's findings will be supported by the fieldwork carried out in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia through the gathering of information through personal interviews, government archives and non-governmental data.Show less
This thesis studies in depth a public policy in Chile called Plan de Prevención y Descontaminación Atmosférica para la Región Metropolitana (Prevention and Atmospheric Decontamination Plan for the...Show moreThis thesis studies in depth a public policy in Chile called Plan de Prevención y Descontaminación Atmosférica para la Región Metropolitana (Prevention and Atmospheric Decontamination Plan for the Metropolitan Region). The main objective of this study was to analyze which were the different communication and participation approaches between the Chilean Ministry of Environment and the different participating actors in the design, implementation and evaluation of this public policy. The conclusion of this study was that there is a disorganization between the Chilean State and the Chilean Ministry of Environment as well as within the ministry itself regarding this policy. Consequently, this generates a lack of coordination, leadership and resources that generates a less efficient and effective policy. This thesis also studies the presence of Embedded Autonomy, NIMBY and the Issue-Attention Cycle.Show less
Extractive industry in Peru is accompanied by significant challenges when it comes to public policy. This research provides an understanding of the problematics of the extractive industry with...Show moreExtractive industry in Peru is accompanied by significant challenges when it comes to public policy. This research provides an understanding of the problematics of the extractive industry with regards to social and environmental interests and priorities to be set for public policy in general. My research question is: To what extend does Peru’s public policy determine the ability to create sustainable development in the mining industry? I will answer this question through means of the following sub questions: ‘How did public policy develop throughout the 80s and 90s in Peru?’ and ‘What has been the impact of public policy on the mining industry, the environment and local communities?’.Show less
El Salvador suffers some of the highest rates of violence in the world. Following the end of the civil war, violence in El Salvador remained high with politicians and media outlets blaming maras...Show moreEl Salvador suffers some of the highest rates of violence in the world. Following the end of the civil war, violence in El Salvador remained high with politicians and media outlets blaming maras for being the perpetrators of violence and insecurity in the country. Governments began to employ repressive anti-crime measures to remedy the country of high rates of violence, however, repressive policies were highly ineffective; led to serious prison overcrowding and failed to address the underlining structural causes of the problem. After years of ineffective repressive measures, the diffusion of preventive measures across the region by international actors had a positive impact in the reduction of crime levels and increased the state’s capacity to combat crime and improve citizen security. This thesis explores the effect of citizen security measures on the maras' violence problem in El Salvador. I argue that El Salvador’s shift from repressive anti-crime measures to preventive measures is an effect/result of political networks that incorporate the participation of NGOs, the private sector, civil society, and international community in the formulation of policy to attain citizen security in the country.Show less
