Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This thesis researches the sense of belonging among Christian Chinese first-generation female migrants living in The Hague. The study explores how these women present and produce a sense of...Show moreThis thesis researches the sense of belonging among Christian Chinese first-generation female migrants living in The Hague. The study explores how these women present and produce a sense of belonging in the intercultural context of migration and religion. I reflect on the large issues of migration and belonging, as well as employ an anthropological perspective to highlight the issues of importance in this marginalized niche. I illustrate the complexity, transcendence, and dynamics of these women’s processes of presenting and producing different dimensions of belonging. I, thereby, employ anthropologist Gammeltoft’analytical models of belonging and quantitative research methods, such as interviews and participant observation, through case studies conducted with twelve women. The novelty lies in adding a theological anthropological perspective to existing studies of migration and belonging. The addition of the theology aspect enriches and deepens our understanding and perception of the related research topic.Show less
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
The history of domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) and geese (Anser anser domesticus) remains poorly understood and retains many open questions. This circumstance makes it difficult to...Show moreThe history of domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) and geese (Anser anser domesticus) remains poorly understood and retains many open questions. This circumstance makes it difficult to assess the role of wildfowling as well as the economic and social impact of the domestication of ducks and geese in different periods. The lack of data is mainly caused by the difficulty of identifying archaeological bones as domestic, due to the existing overlap between anatid species and domestic and wild forms. Different dates are given in academic literature for their adoption in the Netherlands, ranging from the Iron Age to the Early Middle Ages in the case of domestic geese, and from the Roman period to the Late Middle Ages in the case of domestic ducks. This thesis applies a new osteometrical methodology (Poland, 2018) that allows to identify domestic forms and distinguish between anatid species with more confidence. As a case study, four archaeological assemblages from the Zuid Holland province in the Netherlands are analysed, ranging from the Roman period to the 17th century AD: Voorburg-Arentsburg, Oegstgeest-Nieuw Rijngeest Zuid, Vlaardingen-Gat in de Markt and Rijswijk-Kerklaan 98. The new osteometrical methodology was highly successful in determining the variety of anatid species present in the four study cases. 53% of the analyzed elements were identified to the species level and 75% to at least the genus level, although the success varied according to the particular bone type and anatid group. Species diversity was much higher than expected in two of the sites (Oegstgeest and Rijswijk), and the analysis provided a more accurate quantification and species identification for the other two sites (Voorburg and Vlaardingen). It is determined that domestic geese were present in the Netherlands since at least 160-230 AD, and domestic ducks since at least 585-725 AD. The latter might also be present in the Roman assemblage, but the evidence is inconclusive. As of their economic role, domestic species constitute only a small percentage of the total consumed anatids and do not surpass 15-20% in any case. This is mainly caused by the weight of wildfowling in the Netherlands, concentrated during the winter season. Taphonomical analysis did not show substantial differences between the anthropic treatment of wild and domestic anatids. When compared to chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), these highly outnumber domestic geese and ducks since their remains usually constitute half of the birds in each assemblage. The economic role of chicken was therefore much higher and better established than that of geese and ducks. The sample size considered in this thesis is likely too small and biased to accurately detect any kind of evolution through time. In any case, no increase has been observed and the total percentages of domestic anatids seem to remain constant.Show less
Film has the power to influence the worldview of its audience. This includes shaping the image of countries by including them on the silver screen. Through a case study of five Hollywood films from...Show moreFilm has the power to influence the worldview of its audience. This includes shaping the image of countries by including them on the silver screen. Through a case study of five Hollywood films from the 1970s and 2010s, this thesis takes a diachronic in exploring how the Netherlands is represented in American cinema. The concept of verisimilitude is used to determine how well the images of the Netherlands in the movies correspond to the perception of the country from a Dutch person’s perspective. The main points of focus in the analysis are the environment and people. In these sections, it is evident that the inclusion of traditional clothing and landmarks such as windmills is better contextualised in the older films than in the newer ones. In general, when comparing the results between the films from the different decades, it can be concluded that the degree of verisimilitude is relatively higher in the 1970s. In other words, the representation of the Netherlands in American film has become more stereotypical in recent years.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
This thesis looks at how human rights activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands and NGOs impacts Dutch foreign policy towards the People’s Republic of China. I explore academic writing on...Show moreThis thesis looks at how human rights activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands and NGOs impacts Dutch foreign policy towards the People’s Republic of China. I explore academic writing on human rights, the construction of foreign policy and human rights activism related to the PRC. These are later looked at through the public and private actions of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands. Furthermore, I will look at the influence of NGOs in Dutch foreign policy construction, as well as, their implications for supranational institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). Firstly, by look at existing literature on the Uyghurs in East-Turkestan. Secondly, in by blending literature with the information about the influence of the activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands. Thirdly, by looking at the impact of the advocacy of NGOs within and outside the country and their impact on the foreign policy of the Dutch government. Through this case study, I examine the validity of the “spiral model” by Risse and Ropp in the Dutch context.Show less
This thesis aims to shed light on legal practice of the nineteenth century in France and The Netherlands and contrast it with legal theory and current historiography. In both older and newer French...Show moreThis thesis aims to shed light on legal practice of the nineteenth century in France and The Netherlands and contrast it with legal theory and current historiography. In both older and newer French and Dutch historiography, the nineteenth century is described as the century of legalism, also referred to as exegetical thinking. This exegetical school of law considers the codified law to be the highest and practically the only source of law on which the judge and legal scholar must rely. This historiography is mainly based on the development of legal theory as practised at universities. Implicitly or sometimes even explicitly, legal practice is equated with this legal theory. This fallacy obscures the practice of law, which did not take place in the university or the chambers of scholars, but in the courtroom. To address this lacuna, the following question was answered: To what extent was legalism in the Netherlands and the exegetical school in France really the dominant approach in legal practice and how can possible differences between both countries be explained? In order to know the practice of law and to assess whether judges, like legal theorists, were under the spell of exegetical thinking, judgments of courts were analysed. These can be found in case law journals that emerged in the nineteenth century. This study looked specifically at the judges' references to case law; the work of colleagues. The reference to case law is contrary to the doctrine of the exegetical school which accepts codification as the sole source of law. Referral to sources of law outside the codification by the courts, either implicit or explicit, imply a freer attitude towards the codification than legal scholars of the nineteenth century and current historiography would have us believe. Analysis of approximately two thousand Dutch and French judgments throughout the nineteenth century showed a difference in the quantity and nature of the references between both countries. In France, judges themselves referred explicitly to specific case law or to case law in general, whereas in the Netherlands judges did not refer to case law themselves, but relied on the arguments of the litigants and the Advocate-General, who did explicitly invoke case law. My research gives cause to adjust the image of nineteenth century legal history. The nineteenth-century judge was a child of his time, but not a puppet of legal theory. Lex semper dabit remedium: The law always provides a remedy; this was the starting point, but case law often supplemented it. The demonstrated difference between legal theory and legal practice fits within a broader development in current historiography, emphasising continuity of politics, culture, and in this case legal practices, in the wake of the French Revolution.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 influence of the EU or ‘top-down Europeanization’ on the convergence of Member States has been a popular area of research. This study will take it a step further and address the following...Show moreThe influence of the EU or ‘top-down Europeanization’ on the convergence of Member States has been a popular area of research. This study will take it a step further and address the following research question: ‘What effect has Europeanization posed on the shaping of the Counter-Terrorism strategy of France and the Netherlands?’. This specific research will take a look at which terrorism related events happened in both countries before 9/11, how the process of counter-terrorism strategies developed after 9/11, and how (top-down) Europeanization had influenced the shaping of these counter-terrorism strategies.Show less
In light of creating more mutual understanding between South Korea and the Netherlands, this thesis studies and compares the general organizational cultures of South Korean and Dutch businesses by...Show moreIn light of creating more mutual understanding between South Korea and the Netherlands, this thesis studies and compares the general organizational cultures of South Korean and Dutch businesses by focusing on the view of a sample population of employees from each country. Consequently, the question this thesis attempts to answer is: ‘How do the organizational cultures of South Korean and Dutch businesses compare, as viewed through the eyes of the general employee?’ This thesis consideres every organization that employs people as a business. Furthermore, this thesis defines organizational culture as ‘values, norms, behaviors and work practices of the members in an organization’. To test the hypothesis that the two current organizational cultures of businesses in South Korea and the Netherlands are similar to each other, despite the different ways in which the organizational cultures of the two countries have been shaped, this thesis made use of a survey method to research how employees viewed their organizational culture. The survey combined qualitative and quantitative approaches through close-ended answers and deeper delving, open-ended answers. Subsequently, the survey was distributed to employees from all different kinds of job positions and workplaces within both South Korea and the Netherlands. The results of this study show that there are many similarities between the organizational cultures of South Korean and Dutch businesses, such as an occasional need to work overtime, after-work gatherings initiated by colleagues, a feeling of being heard by their boss and colleagues and a generally decent job satisfaction. Differences between the countries include a difference in flexibility of working hours, different views on obedience towards people in higher positions and different views on the need for strong personal bonds with collegues. Overall, the organizational cultures of businesses in South Korea and the Netherlands were found to contain more similarities than differences.Show less
The critical infrastructure is at the core of a well-functioning society (Mussington, 2021). Through technological developments, the critical infrastructure is increasingly regulated through the...Show moreThe critical infrastructure is at the core of a well-functioning society (Mussington, 2021). Through technological developments, the critical infrastructure is increasingly regulated through the internet. However, digitalization has made the critical infrastructure more vulnerable to digital disruptions (OECD, 2012). Therefore, it is a vital interest for national governments to protect the critical infrastructure from digital threats (Mussington, 2021). Within this cybersecurity domain, a multitude of stakeholders is collaborating to carry out the governance of cybersecurity. However, yet little attention has been designated to the organizational structure of the cybersecurity governance domain, according to Kuerbis & Baldiei (2017). While zooming in on the organizational aspect, this research aims to fill this gap in academic knowledge by gaining insight into the cybersecurity governance approaches of Spain and the Netherlands regarding critical infrastructure protection. The findings of the research indicate that public-private partnerships are more prominent in the Dutch context. The Spanish cybersecurity governance approach revolves around the security services present in the country. Moreover, the study concludes that the Spanish approach is characterized by a market governance structure, whereas the Dutch are following a networked governance structure. The research framework and findings have offered the foundations to unpack the organizational structure within the cybersecurity domain. Applying other lenses on this matter will increase the academic confidence in the organizational aspect within the cybersecurity domain.Show less
Based on the Alt-Right Movement in the United States, Study Association Erkenbrand was established in the Netherlands in 2016. Their ideology is based on the notion of White supremacy and therefore...Show moreBased on the Alt-Right Movement in the United States, Study Association Erkenbrand was established in the Netherlands in 2016. Their ideology is based on the notion of White supremacy and therefore they are against ethnic and racial blending. Ultimately, Erkenbrand wants to create a White ethnostate free from (minority) groups, such as migrants, Jews and Muslims. Therefore, Erkenbrand has their own website where they post propaganda articles about current social developments, events and other topics related to their different values within their ideology. This study aims to explore the themes within Erkenbrand’s propaganda articles in 2021 to analyze the nature of their content and which themes occur most often. Combining grounded theory with framing theory, 92 propaganda articles were analyzed to also investigate how Erkenbrand frames those key themes within their ideology to its followers as this could possibly radicalize them and/or stimulate them to use violence. Findings showed that key themes within Erkenbrand’s propaganda are nationalism, White supremacy, degradation of culture, anti-migration, and anti-left/liberal and anti-government sentiments. Furthermore, Erkenbrand argues that the White race is declining and being replaced by other ethnic groups due to mass immigration. According to Erkenbrand, the (leftist and/or liberal) government is to blame for not protecting the Western culture, tradition and White race by making secret agreements and conspiring against the ‘real’ Dutch citizens.Show less
Utilizing the case of the JTF and Dutch provinces, this thesis inquires the main research question on which factors contribute to Dutch regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Extracting from the...Show moreUtilizing the case of the JTF and Dutch provinces, this thesis inquires the main research question on which factors contribute to Dutch regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Extracting from the theoretical framework and literature, two hypotheses based on party-political congruence and interest compatibility are formulated. The analysis of party-political congruence and executive overlap as determinant shows that there are big differences in the level of congruence between provincial regions of The Netherlands. However, the analysis likewise shows that party-political congruence solely attributes little to the extend of regional cooperation in EU-affairs. This resulted in the determinant of party-political congruence being refuted. However, when we reformulate and add the dimensions of party ideology, executive (party) network and coalition agreements to the equation, political congruence increases in validity as supporting factor for regional cooperation. The analysis of interest compatibility shows that that there are significant differences in the degree of interest compatibility between different provinces within different regions in The Netherlands. This variation results in significant different outcomes when it come to regional cooperation in EU-affairs. Hence, interest compatibility is accepted as determinant factor. When further scrutinizing, it appears that social, economic and geographical provincial characteristics are important conditions for interest compatibility. In conclusion to the thesis' main question, it’s the compatibility of provincial interests and proactive executives which are the drivers behind regional cooperation. When provinces are characteristically alike, have well-connected executives, pro-European parties in the regional assemblies and European funds maintain well-defined criteria, regional cooperation can be a logical phenomenon in The Netherlands.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
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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
