This thesis looks at India as a development partner compared to Dutch development cooperation. This thesis aims to find out if the South-South cooperation approach to development is differing from...Show moreThis thesis looks at India as a development partner compared to Dutch development cooperation. This thesis aims to find out if the South-South cooperation approach to development is differing from a traditional donor approach to development cooperation. The comparative framework used is based on assumed differences between SSC and NSC derived from the literature review and claims made by SSC emerging partners like India. The factors are terminology, the rejection of conditionality, horizontal partnerships, agency of partner/recipient, and capacity building. This study contributes to the academic debate on the changing global power dynamics in the liberal world order, with emerging powers like India challenging the traditional development approach. They are claiming a more visible and active role in the field of international development. Through comparative analyses, the following research question will be answered: In what ways is the development partnership between India and Africa different from the traditional development cooperation approach of the Netherlands in Africa?Show less
What is environmental turbulence? How does it affect organisational performance? And how is this relationship moderated by stabilising features? This thesis delves into the topic of organisational...Show moreWhat is environmental turbulence? How does it affect organisational performance? And how is this relationship moderated by stabilising features? This thesis delves into the topic of organisational stability in the wake of turbulence stemming from the outside of (public) organisations. It uses COVID-19 crisis as an example of environmental turbulence and assesses its impact on the provision of education in The Netherlands. Moreover, this thesis investigates the moderating role of stabilising features, conceptualised as personnel stability in the form of personnel tenure, forms of employment and teacher-to-student ratio. This thesis is quantitative and deductive. In order to test this relationship, a statistical model has been set up, with the data on 429 public schools in the secondary education in The Netherlands. This thesis finds positive support for the argument that stabilising features attenuate the negative effect of environmental turbulence on the organisational performance, albeit weakly. This thesis recommends to delve further into contextual factors that could have an impact on aforementioned relationships, by choosing, for instance, a smaller N, or investigating one or few particular schools through interviews and thick description.Show less
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused both academic and financial hardship for students pursuing higher education in the Netherlands, including study delays and layoffs. Given that these types of...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused both academic and financial hardship for students pursuing higher education in the Netherlands, including study delays and layoffs. Given that these types of incidents have a bearing on students' overall financial behaviour and that student loans are a common tool among students to finance their postsecondary education, one would expect these effects of the pandemic to have a direct impact on student borrowing behaviour. However, there is another variable to take into account, namely students' financial preferences, particularly with regard to having or taking on debt. Accordingly, this study reports on the degree of debt aversion and how it affects the borrowing behaviour of students in Dutch higher education during this crisis. This relationship is examined by means of three hypotheses and corresponding multiple regression analyses with moderation effects, using data obtained through the use of a survey and an additive index measuring the degree of debt aversion. This research has shown that the financial preference of debt aversion has a negative impact on the borrowing behaviour of students. In other words, the higher a student’s degree of debt aversion is, the lower their monthly amount of student loans will be. This relationship does not differ depending on whether or not a student has been directly affected by the pandemic and the effects thereof.Show less
The purchase of a first home is considered a milestone in people’s lives as home ownership does not only provide wealth accumulation and security in old age, it is also ‘a key element of a ...Show moreThe purchase of a first home is considered a milestone in people’s lives as home ownership does not only provide wealth accumulation and security in old age, it is also ‘a key element of a ‘successful’ lifestyle package’ (Helderman, 2007; McKee, 2012). However, the purchase of a first home has become a difficult affair in many European countries, as outsiders on the housing market struggle to find a home within their price range (Voigtländer. 2019, p. 54). According to McKee (2012, p. 855) the insider and outsider conflict or inter-generational conflict on the housing market demands government interference as ‘to avoid the creation of a lost generation’ of young adults that are forced to postpone or cancel the purchase of their first home. The Startersloan or ‘Starterslening’ is a local policy that aims to repair a part of this major problem by providing first-time buyers with an extra loan on top of their mortgage to buy their desired house (SVn. 2018, 21 November). In 2002 the Startersloan was introduced by SVn or ‘Stimuleringsfonds Volkshuisvesting Nederlandse gemeenten’, a non-profit organisation that finances the loans with contributions from participating municipalities, provincial governments and housing associations (Elsinga, Hoekstra & Dol, 2014). The goal of this research is to establish whether the Startersloan is effective in achieving its main aim, to increase home ownership rates among first-time buyers. Based on existing literature on both the effectiveness of generic and targeted incentive policy, the expectation is that the Startersloan is effective in increasing the accessibility into homeownership among first-time buyers (Atterhög, 2006; Chen & Enström-Öst, 2005; Verwoerd, Schep and Mulder, 2014; Bloxham, McGregor and Rankin, 2010). The main question of this research is: Is the Startersloan effective in increasing accessibility into homeownership for first-time buyers, compared to a situation without the Startersloan? This research question will be answered by measuring the effect of the Startersloan on the level of relocated first-time buyers for 355 municipalities over the period of 2010 to 2020. The Startersloan is a local policy that is not offered to first-time buyers in all municipalities and the level of municipalities that offer the loan changes over time (SVn. 2018, 21 November). By making use of this temporal and spatial variation in the Startersloan the ‘what if’ question can be answered (Verwoerd et al., 2014) as naturally a treatment group, municipalities that offer the Startersloan, and control group, municipalities that do not, are created over time. This makes it possible to compare the levels of relocated first-time buyers of these two groups to answer the question what would have been the level of relocated starters if it had not been for the Startersloan or treatment effect. The independent variable is a dummy variable that captures the presence (1) or absence (0) of the Startersloan for each municipality for each year. Data from Statistics Netherlands is used for the dependent variable relocations that captures the level of relocated people in the age group of 20 to 40 years (CBS. 2021, 3 September). This age group is selected because the Startersloan is a local and specifically targeted policy that is only responsible for a small share of total home purchases (SVn, 2020). The data will be analysed by using a Fixed Effects (FE) Model with a Least-Squares Dummy Variables (LSDV) model as a benchmark. While the different types and the effectiveness of generic policies that aim to increase homeownership are more widely researched (Whitehead & Scanlon, 2002), this not the case for targeted incentive policy at first-time buyers. Atterhög (2006) and Chen and Enström-Öst (2005) found that generic incentive policies are effective in increasing homeownership rates. Verwoerd et al. (2014) and Mulder et al. (2014) researched the effect of the Startersloan, but only for the years 2013 and 2014 and Mulder et al. (2014) only researched the region of Amersfoort. It is mainly the lack of a time dimension in these studies that weakens the results that do show that the Startersloan is effective in increasing first-home purchases. Empirically measuring the effect of public policy is difficult as it is often not possible to capture policy at all (Atterhög, 2006, p. 20) or because there is not enough variation in this policy over time and location to really isolate its effect (Dungey et al., 2011). Furthermore, Flatau (2003, p. 1) argues that the long-term effect of incentive policies that aim to increase homeownership is unclear. The main contribution of this research is that it captures the effect of policy on real-life data, by making use of the variation in this policy over time and location, for a longer time period and for the entire country. Furthermore, this research not only provides useful insights into the effectiveness of a widely used but under-researched Dutch policy but also into the effectiveness of (targeted) incentive policies on the housing market in general. To conclude, this research also addresses the much broader question whether government interference on the housing market is not only effective on paper but also in real-life, which is highly relevant for research in the field of Public Administration. McKee (2012, p. 857) and Voigtländer (2019, p. p. 54) argue that the exclusion of young adults on the housing market has become an international phenomenon in the last decade. A survey in the Netherlands among 6.300 prospective first-time buyers in 2021, initiated by SVn among others, illustrates the difficult position of first-time buyers. In this survey, 78% of the respondents considers the housing market unfavourable, 89% thinks that buying a house in not a good idea at the moment and of the respondents that live with their parents 92% indicate that this is out of pure necessity (Startenopdewoningmarkt.nl, 2021). The societal relevance of this research is that it is important for policymakers, municipalities and most of all first-time buyers, to establish whether the Startersloan is actually effective in aiding first-time buyers. Furthermore, there might be drawbacks to the Startersloan policy. The Startersloan, like similar policies, might increase housing prices through increased demand (Lee & Reed, 2014). Although empirical evidence on this relationship is scarce (Lee & Reed, 2014; Verwoerd et al., 2014) , the view that the Startersloan might increase housing prices is shared by some local councillors and estate agents who therefore advice against this policy (Van Kooten. 2021, 8 August). Another drawback is that the Startersloan is not risk free, for both recipients and municipalities. Opponents of the Startersloan argue that this policy encourages young people to pile debt on debt (Bekkers. 2014, 8 August), which can lead to financial problems (Vogels. 2021, 11 October). A risk of the Startersloan for municipalities is that it is unclear whether municipalities get repaid after compulsory sale as it concerns a second mortgage (Bekkers. 2014, 8 August; Mulder et al. 2014, p. 25). Overall, the Startersloan is the most costly product SVn provides with a total value at the end of 2020 of 621 million (SVn, 2020). Because of the possible drawbacks of the Startersloan it is important from a societal perspective to establish its effectiveness. Furthermore, this research is also relevant in light of the increasing popularity of the Startersloan as a policy instrument to make homeownership possible for young adults (SVn, 2020). The results partly confirm the prediction of the effect of the Startersloan. The Startersloan has a positive significant effect on the level of relocated first-time buyers that relocate within their own municipality, but not on the level of relocated first-time buyers that have settled in a municipality from elsewhere.Show less
Master thesis | European Politics and Society: Vaclav Havel Joint Master Programme
open access
In 2006 Puar defined homonationalism as a form of nationalism that utilizes gay rights to exclude (Muslim minorities). This thesis analyzes the development of Dutch homonationalism from 1990-2002....Show moreIn 2006 Puar defined homonationalism as a form of nationalism that utilizes gay rights to exclude (Muslim minorities). This thesis analyzes the development of Dutch homonationalism from 1990-2002. It finds that the origins and development of homonationalism are rarely discussed. Only research by Bram Mellink focused on the origins of Dutch homonationalism between 1980 and 1990. By analyzing the selected period, this research tries to bridge the gap between the origins of Dutch homonationalism and the full fledged Dutch homonationalism that can be found in the 21st century. It applies a framework that is grounded in established theories and understandings of homonationalism, to reflect on the theoretical foundations of homonationalism and their historical applicability. This paper finds that utilizing homonationalism and its manifestations as they were defined by Puar is in fact ahistorical. Consequently, under the chosen theoretical framework homonationalism is rarely found. Therefore, this research identifies a developing form of homonationalism: proto-homonationalism. To support further research, it establishes a new framework to analyze this proto-homonationalism. The findings of this research thus establish the weaknesses of applying homonationalist theory to historical periods and provide an alternative that allows for a deeper theoretical as well as historical understanding of homonationalism throughout time.Show less
This study discusses the effect of changes in retirement policy on expected retirement behavior of individual people. Using the panel dataset LISS from 2011 to 2019 in a fixed effect regression...Show moreThis study discusses the effect of changes in retirement policy on expected retirement behavior of individual people. Using the panel dataset LISS from 2011 to 2019 in a fixed effect regression model, we see a highly statistically significant positive effect of a change in statutory retirement age on the expected retirement age. For people between 45 and 61 years old, their expected retirement age increases when the statutory retirement age is increased. Looking for heterogenous effect in different subgroups, the effect remains similar, indicating a robust result. Next to a change in the statutory retirement age, having a partner also influences the expected retirement age. Taking into account these factors, if the government wants to increase her financial sustainability, an increase in the statutory retirement age will lead to a decrease in the old-age dependency ratio, and thus achieving the expected resultShow less
This thesis researches how Dutch PRRPs agree or disagree over EU policy areas and whether this changes over time. At the national level, it is important to know how their EU positions vary for...Show moreThis thesis researches how Dutch PRRPs agree or disagree over EU policy areas and whether this changes over time. At the national level, it is important to know how their EU positions vary for gauging the possibility of long-term cooperation and the exact areas that they might influence in the future. The content analysis based on election manifestos shows that there is a variety of views on the EU, while all parties are generally Eurosceptic. Further, it is shown that PRRPs do adopt a stable position on the EU and that the source of significant position change is a split of a PRRP. So, it is expected that PRRPs will stay Eurosceptic and therefore keep trying to complicate further European integration in the future.Show less
History education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history...Show moreHistory education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history education and learning materials. This thesis aims to find out how Dutch colonial history is represented in Dutch secondary education learning materials. Through an analysis of several high school history textbooks, it became clear that there are quite a few issues when it comes to the representations of Dutch colonial history. In short, the books pay too little attention to the topic, contain Eurocentric and one-sided narratives, biased language use and they rarely engage in current public debates around colonial history. A questionnaire was also conducted among high school students to discover how extensive their knowledge on Dutch colonialism is, and to get an insight on their opinions and perspectives regarding that history. The questionairre revealed that there are significant gaps in the students’ knowledge about Dutch colonialism. While the newer editions of the textbooks showed some improvements, the learning materials still have a long way to go.Show less
When NATO was established the world was in a different place. The world had seen the use of nuclear weapons in Japan for the first time and was confronted with the devastating consequences of these...Show moreWhen NATO was established the world was in a different place. The world had seen the use of nuclear weapons in Japan for the first time and was confronted with the devastating consequences of these weapons. NATO was established as an Alliance between the United States, Canada, and European countries. Meanwhile, the Cold War had started between the United States on one side and the Soviet Union on the other side. To ensure the safety of the European counterparts, NATO decided to establish the nuclear sharing arrangement that would provide certain countries in Europe with nuclear weapons. The Netherlands is one of these countries. This was in the Netherlands’ own security interests, which are heavily influenced by NATO’s security policies. After the end of the Cold War, there was no direct threat and therefore, no direct need to keep these nuclear weapons. However, the Netherlands has been unable to denuclearize. It will use securitization theory as a theoretical framework to try to understand the denuclearization process. This thesis will analyze the denuclearization debate in the Netherlands and what role nuclear weapons play in Dutch security policy.Show less
The display of Suriname at the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition in 1883 in Amsterdam can be identified as a root cause to the aphasia and cultural archive of the Netherlands....Show moreThe display of Suriname at the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition in 1883 in Amsterdam can be identified as a root cause to the aphasia and cultural archive of the Netherlands. Laura Ann Stoler’s 2011 colonial aphasia is reframed to mean cultural aphasia, and this theory paired with Gloria Wekker’s Dutch cultural archive will drive the discussion in this thesis. Through the concepts of Orientalism, Primitivism, the ‘spectacular’, and the ‘other’, this thesis will examine the means of display used in the exhibition. This thesis begins with a look at the history of the Netherlands highlights the root causes of this aphasia, and through its persistence the Netherlands viewed itself a small, innocent nation when compared to other European powers. This view of themselves led to a lack of acknowledgement of the realities of colonialism. Following decades under the rule of Habsburg Spain, the Netherlands believed they had experienced colonialism themselves and set out not to do the same abroad. Nevertheless, this was not the case, and the Netherlands would become a large colonial power. This active disassociation with reality further translates itself in the writing and major exhibitions during the nineteenth century. These traveler accounts offer a direct look at the perspectives of the Dutch West Indies from several perspectives. A thorough explanation of early anthropology and major exhibitions proceeding the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition in 1883 are given to provide its inspiration. The economic prosperity from colonies allowed for the rapid modernization of Amsterdam, and a large event was wanted to display such wealth. This exhibition was unique because the colonies were the main topic while earlier events cared more for demonstrating cultural and racial variation. Anthropology coincides with colonialism, and its participation in this particular exhibition goes further to objectify the colonies and their inhabitants. A close look at several traveler accounts also demonstrates the persistence of rhetoric and perspective in the Western Hemisphere about the colonies. A comprehensive analysis of the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition in 1883 in Amsterdam will be done to showcase the melding of aphasia and anthropology in the Netherlands. The 1883 black and white image of Johannes Kojo by Friedrich Carol Hisgen, part of Roland Bonaparte’s study of the Surinamese at the exhibition, will be used to understand the display of Suriname in their Rotunda circus tent. Understanding the notion of placement will be used to study the exhibition and its curatorial decisions. The whole of the exhibition is explained along with a description of how the Indonesian kampong was constructed under the guise of Orientalism. The differing Primitivism will demonstrate to be the driving force behind the curatorial decisions of the Rotunda. With how Suriname was presented, ideas of Western superiority fueled by anthropology were placed within the Rotunda itself to translate to the public the power and wealth of the Netherlands. As a whole, this thesis will demonstrate how the Netherlands was different in its construction of its cultural archive through a dominating eventual aphasia, and its implications into contemporary colonial memory.Show less
In 1996, the Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council (AC) with eight states, all of which have territory in the Arctic. The AC is the leading intergovernmental forum in terms of...Show moreIn 1996, the Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council (AC) with eight states, all of which have territory in the Arctic. The AC is the leading intergovernmental forum in terms of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. This forum promotes cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic States and among Arctic indigenous communities. The Netherlands became an Observer in 1998, whereas China joined the AC in 2013. Both states are concerned about the impact of climate change in the Arctic region and the different kinds of consequences it may have for their state. Both states contribute to the AC with scientific knowledge, and they participate in several Working Groups. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) helps explore and understand the meaning of the role of the Netherlands and China as Observers, leading to an answer to how both states use science diplomacy (SD) as a strategic tool and potentially revealing hidden agendas in terms of the nature of their economic interest. Although CDA did not unfold hidden agendas of both states, what can be said is that probably both states are using SD as a strategic tool to shift attention away from their own (economic) incentives.Show less
Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) has affected the position of member states (MS) through a wide range of policy areas. While the Dutch government has resisted pressures to partly...Show moreBritain’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) has affected the position of member states (MS) through a wide range of policy areas. While the Dutch government has resisted pressures to partly replace Britain’s budgetary role within the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Sweden has hoped to create a more social Europe, in order to respond to European citizens’ disenchantment with the Union’s approach on employment issues. This thesis aims to examine why the Dutch conception and performance within the MFF have successfully changed in light of Britain’s pending departure, while Swedish influence on EU employment policy has remained limited. The findings of the research suggest that policy priorities at the EU level, differences in support for the two areas and domestic developments are responsible for the dichotomy identified between the two countries and their respective policy priorities.Show less
This article examines the position of the Dutch planters in Indonesia after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949 until this nationalisation of the Dutch businesses in 1958. It studies the political...Show moreThis article examines the position of the Dutch planters in Indonesia after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949 until this nationalisation of the Dutch businesses in 1958. It studies the political and economic position of these planters and the changes it had to go through after the transfer of sovereignty, in the light of the ongoing New Guinea conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia. The study argues that the Dutch planters had trouble with adjusting to the new political and social situation, which was hardened by the political relationship between the former colonizer and colonized.Show less
After the Liberation of the Southern Nederlands in late 1944, the head of the Philips company contacted the American religious and anticommunist organization the Moral Rearmament. Throughout the...Show moreAfter the Liberation of the Southern Nederlands in late 1944, the head of the Philips company contacted the American religious and anticommunist organization the Moral Rearmament. Throughout the 50s, the Philips family played a major role in facilitating the American organization in the Netherlands, propagating Cold War rhetoric in politics, culture and industry. What in historiography has been called a 'postwar consensus', a period of a supposed 'ideological vacuum' and labour harmony, is problematized by the activity in the Netherlands of this highly ideological network of international industrialists. This thesis tries to research how the Moral Rearmament politicized the fundaments of the 'postwar consensus' by various tactics, and simultaneously traces the dissemination of its political ideas in Dutch society and key industries.Show less
Recent insights have revealed that engagement with civil society can reinforce the effectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts. This study investigated when and to what extend the Dutch security and...Show moreRecent insights have revealed that engagement with civil society can reinforce the effectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts. This study investigated when and to what extend the Dutch security and intelligence services (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD)) started to recognise the importance of civil society based on their annual reports since the attacks of 9/11 (2001-2017). A documentary analysis of sixteen annual reports and additional documents, was used to measure the development in the extent to which civil society has played a role in countering radicalisation and terrorism in the Netherlands. Based on the reports published online by the Dutch secret and intelligence services since 9/11, this thesis found that there is surprisingly limited attention and interest for civil society. This study contributes to the existing discourse on engagement of civil society and counter-terrorism efforts, by performing an empirical study of annual reports published by the Internal Security and Intelligence Services in the case of the Netherlands. In addition, the issue investigated in this study provides insight into a real potential for improving our understanding of democratic counter-terrorism.Show less
International cultural relations connect a countries’ foreign policy agenda and their cultural achievements in a unique way. Therefore, this thesis compares the Austrian and the Dutch approach to...Show moreInternational cultural relations connect a countries’ foreign policy agenda and their cultural achievements in a unique way. Therefore, this thesis compares the Austrian and the Dutch approach to international cultural relations and explores the influence of its soft power projection in the international political arena. It studies the setup, the methods and the resources of the Austrian Cultural Fora and the Dutch embassies. By analysing the cultural diplomacy frameworks, this dissertation explains the incentives of the two countries to invest in cultural policies abroad. The diplomatic activities present national values and promote a politically and economically beneficial Image of the Netherlands and Austria abroad. Despite the aim to establish a coherent approach, the diplomats adapt cultural diplomacy to the political and societal circumstances in the host country to achieve both economic benefits and international cooperation. This research analyses semi-structured interviews with elites working in the field of international cultural relations at the Austrian and the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs as primary sources and supports the findings with secondary literature. The thesis demonstrates that the methods and the institutions of Austrian and Dutch international cultural policy depend on the countries’ history and their foreign policy objectives.Show less
This paper investigated discourse on the use of the English language in Dutch pop music. An important term in this research was societal treatment. Societal treatment studies deal with the explicit...Show moreThis paper investigated discourse on the use of the English language in Dutch pop music. An important term in this research was societal treatment. Societal treatment studies deal with the explicit manifestations of beliefs, feelings and behavioural intents present in a wide range of communications (Santello 2015). The questions which were researched in this thesis were: What are the language attitudes of the people of the Netherlands towards Dutch and towards English in pop music? Do they have a language preference? Three methods were used to look at the societal treatment of English and Dutch in pop music: content analysis, indirect measurement, and direct measurement (Van Meurs 2010). In the content analysis, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) was gathered about the use of Dutch and English in pop music from different forums. All this data was categorized into twenty-three different categories. The indirect measurement consists of a questionnaire which focused on the four tendencies which were found in the content analysis. These four tendencies were the connection to the song, the understanding of the song, the thoughts on the lyrics, and the enjoyment of the song. The goal of this questionnaire was to define if there were differences in the treatment of Dutch and English in these tendencies by letting people evaluate different video clips. In all the video clips Dutch artists were present but half of the video clips were sung in Dutch and the other half was sung in English. The direct measurement was the creation of two discussions online which focused on upcoming new Dutch music genres and the language attitudes of the Dutch towards the Dutch language. Overall, the results show that most of the Dutch have a negative language attitude towards their first language and have a language preference for English in pop music.Show less
