What explains variation in the expansion of rebel governance beyond pre-existing institutions? While studies have focused on variation in rebel governance, the relation between pre-existing...Show moreWhat explains variation in the expansion of rebel governance beyond pre-existing institutions? While studies have focused on variation in rebel governance, the relation between pre-existing institutions and rebel governance remains unclear. This thesis uses process-tracing and the cases of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), a rebel group that expanded its governance significantly beyond pre-existing institutions, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), a rebel group that expanded its governance less beyond pre-existing institutions. It examines the influence of rebel group ideology, governance provided by other actors, and rebel group resources. This thesis shows that variation in the expansion of rebel governance beyond pre-existing institutions is explained by different resources. Rebel groups interact differently with pre-existing institutions, because rebel groups govern to obtain resources, and different resources create different types of reliance upon the population. The findings highlight the role of the strategic concerns of rebel groups and external actors in shaping rebel-civilian relations. This way, this research contributes to the understanding of rebel group behaviour, and the complexity of warzones, while also acknowledging the pre-existing social order.Show less
This study is an effort to extrapolate the patterns that exist in parliamentary voting in the Dutch Parliament. It investigates what party- and vote characteristics influence the divisions between...Show moreThis study is an effort to extrapolate the patterns that exist in parliamentary voting in the Dutch Parliament. It investigates what party- and vote characteristics influence the divisions between coalition and opposition and between left and right that exist in parliamentary voting. Using a triadic model on all recorded votes in the 2017-2021 parliamentary term, this study finds that the proposing actor, proposal type, and proposal subject are relevant predictors of the division that will come about in a parliamentary vote. Specifically, this study provides evidence for three points. Firstly, amendments, bills, and budgets are found to have a stronger left-right division than motions, which have a more dominant coalition-opposition split. Secondly, proposals from opposition parties are found to have a stronger coalition- opposition division than proposals from the government or coalition. Thirdly, contrary to theoretical expectations, this study only finds very limited effect of topical ideological distance on votes pertaining to said topic. The effect is only significant for proposals on economics and environment. This study contributes to the literature by using an extensive dataset and an innovative triadic method. In doing so, this study has attempted to further understanding of parliamentary behaviour based on coalition- and opposition membership and ideology in the Dutch Parliament.Show less
Violent political events can be manifestations of anti-social preferences against outgroup members. Prior studies have already found differences between leftists and rightists in presenting anti...Show moreViolent political events can be manifestations of anti-social preferences against outgroup members. Prior studies have already found differences between leftists and rightists in presenting anti-social preferences. Political extremism was also found closely correlated with anti-social events. However, studies about the ideological difference in antisocial preferences against outgroups and the interactive effect of ideology and political extremism on anti-social preferences against outgroups are required for a better understanding of real-life violent political events. In a large experimental study (n = 769), I examined two hypotheses: (1) Rightists have higher anti-social preferences against outgroup members than leftists; (2) Levels of political extremity may moderate the relationship between ideology and anti-social preferences against outgroup members. Participants were asked to play the Joy of Destruction game with members of different ideology, same ideology, different nationality, and same nationality from them respectively. After the game, participants were asked about their political orientation and levels of political extremity. The results showed rightists have higher anti-social preferences against national outgroups than leftists; no significant difference in anti-social preferences against ideological outgroups was found between rightists and leftists. The level of political extremity was found not significant in moderating the relationship between ideology and anti-social behaviors against both ideological outgroups and national outgroups. These findings filled the gap for us to understand the ideological differences in anti-social preference against outgroups and they may stimulate future research.Show less
Ilminjuŭi is generally known for an ideology that President Syngman Rhee attempted to use in the early years of the First Republic in order to create a single-minded unity. There are many writings...Show moreIlminjuŭi is generally known for an ideology that President Syngman Rhee attempted to use in the early years of the First Republic in order to create a single-minded unity. There are many writings about Syngman Rhee, and he is often portrayed as a nationalist and staunch anti-communist. However, the part where he tried to promote Ilminjuŭi and how this ideology functioned during his rule, often gets overlooked. Ilminjuŭi has been only a minor focus of studies on Syngman Rhee and his long career of fighting for an independent Korea and for what he thought was right. Most of the existing literature explain what Ilminjuŭi is, who created it, and that Rhee tried to use this idea of creating a single-minded unity during the early years First Republic, before the start of the Korean War. This thesis therefore distinguishes from existing literature by looking at primary sources from Korean news articles during the time of the entire First Republic. The news articles are used to give an idea how Ilminjuŭi was reported through media and how this idea was being disseminated. The ideology seems to have died out shortly after the Rhee period. Therefore, I went on an academic journey to analyze how and where this ideology was most influential, and where was the turning point that led to Ilminjuŭi becoming less influential in Korean society. The research questions of my thesis are therefore, “How was Ilminjuŭi spread and reported through media, and spread by the government during the First Republic?” and secondly, “What were possible indicators that led to the vanishment of Ilminjuŭi?”.Show less
The current situation with regard to the covid-19 pandemic has given rise to an explosion of new conspiracy theories within the public debate. It is claimed that the virus was artificially created...Show moreThe current situation with regard to the covid-19 pandemic has given rise to an explosion of new conspiracy theories within the public debate. It is claimed that the virus was artificially created by the Chinese government to use as a weapon, that it is used as a ploy by our own government to secretly install harmful 5G radiation towers and that the vaccine against the virus contains a microchip by Bill Gates to track and control us. How do these wildly different stories relate? In this essay we will investigate what they have in common and how they work. Instead of simply dismissing conspiracy theories as lunacy, we will try to understand them and examine their claims and purpose. What exactly do they claim and why? Such a serious investigation into the concept of conspiracy theories is needed, as they do often seem to contain a kernel of truth. Conspiracy theories are rightly suspicious of authorities and the knowledge that is provided by these authorities. We will investigate this suspicion and evaluate conspiracy theories. Most importantly, we will be focusing on the link between conspiracy theories and ideology. How do conspiracy theories resemble social theory that cites ideology as a factor, and are we justified to say that conspiracy theories embody a critique of ideology?Show less
This thesis examined the candidate lists of the 17 parties that obtained at least one seat in the parliamentarian elections of March 2021 in the Netherlands. The candidate lists were analysed to...Show moreThis thesis examined the candidate lists of the 17 parties that obtained at least one seat in the parliamentarian elections of March 2021 in the Netherlands. The candidate lists were analysed to determine the level of parties’ descriptive representation in relation to ethnic minorities and women. The rationale for this is the changing demographics, increased popularity for diversity and inclusions practises among parties and, at the same time, an increasingly polarized debate regarding ethnic minorities and immigration policies. The main goals are the following; first, to test if there is a correlation between parties’ restrictiveness on immigration and the share of ethnic minorities on the candidate list and share of safe list position that are filled with ethnic minorities. Second, to test whether centre and right-wing parties contribute proportionally more to representation of women vis-à-vis ethnic minorities. Moreover, all 744 candidates were analysed in terms of ethnicity and gender and with this data an original dataset was created. Secondary sources were used to determine parties’ restrictiveness on immigration. The dataset provided information to test the role of the independent variable – restrictiveness on immigration – on the two dependent variables; a) share of ethnic minorities candidates on the lists and; b) share of safe list positions that were filled with ethnic minority candidates. These variables formed the import for a linear regression analysis. The second possible correlation was tested by plotting the parties’ share of ethnic minorities and female candidate against four statistical dimensions; (1) average percentage of ethnic minorities on the candidate lists; (2) percentage of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands; (3) average percentage of women on the candidate lists; and (4) the percentage of women in the Netherlands. This thesis found a linear inverse correlation between parties’ restrictiveness on immigration and the share of ethnic minorities on candidate lists and safe list positions filled with them. Moreover, this thesis also found that centre and right-wing parties contribute proportionally more to the share of female than ethnic minority candidates.Show less
Including the study of personality into the study of attitudes towards the EU can contribute to a better, more detailed and nuanced understanding as personality offers the possibility to account...Show moreIncluding the study of personality into the study of attitudes towards the EU can contribute to a better, more detailed and nuanced understanding as personality offers the possibility to account for differences between individuals. These differences are important as they can result in variance in political thought and action. In a quantitative study (N = 186) conducted in the Netherlands this research investigates the direct effect of personality on EU support as well as the indirect effect of personality, mediated by ideology on EU support. Therefore, this study measures personality, EU support and ideological self-placement and conducts a mediation analysis. The results show a significant direct relationship between the personality trait agreeableness and EU support but no significant indirect effects and emphasize the importance of incorporating psychology into the study of public opinion in the EU.Show less
The Zanzibar Revolution reflected the decades of racial oppression and injustice on the African majority population. From the Portuguese to the Omani Sultanate to the British, and once Zanzibar...Show moreThe Zanzibar Revolution reflected the decades of racial oppression and injustice on the African majority population. From the Portuguese to the Omani Sultanate to the British, and once Zanzibar became independent, A political party dominated by the Arab minority, the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP), came into power. This triggered the Zanzibar Revolution and resulted in a new government forming with a coalition between the Afro-Shirazi Party and the Umma Party. At the same time, the influences of the Cold War played an important factor in the revolution.This leads to the research question: how did foreign intervention influence the Zanzibar Revolution? By analysing the influence that the choice of ideology can have and how it can affect the types of intervention, it becomes clear that the communist bloc had a significant influence on the Zanzibar revolution and especially on the new Zanzibar government.Show less
Researchers have tried to link the motivation to experience certain emotions to specific ideologies. Recently there has been more support for taking context into account when studying the influence...Show moreResearchers have tried to link the motivation to experience certain emotions to specific ideologies. Recently there has been more support for taking context into account when studying the influence of ideology on the motivation to experience an emotion. One of these contextual factors is the belief that an emotion can reinforce one’s ideology. Therefore, this study investigated whether the belief that anger reinforces one’s ideology motivates one to experience anger. Additionally, we tested whether leftists are more motivated to experience hope than rightists and whether rightists are more motivated to experience fear than leftists. The belief that anger reinforces one’s ideology was induced by reading a scientific article about anger and ideology. To test if participants were then more motivated to experience an emotion, participants created a ranking of their preference for reading anger, hope, fear and no emotion inducing articles. We found that reading an article that states that anger reinforces one’s ideology does not motivate one more to experience anger. There was also no evidence that leftists are more motivated to experience hope than rightists or that rightists are more motivated to experience fear than leftists. These results show the difficulty of convincing one that anger reinforces one’s ideology and that one can be hesitant to want to experience anger. The results that hope was not tied to leftists and fear not tied to rightists can be explained by the influence of a state of fear in the participants due to the use of Coronavirus-related stimuli. These findings indicate that future research should also take other contextual factors into account, like one’s current emotional state, when studying the influence of beliefs about emotions on motivated emotion regulation.Show less
This thesis describes how Wuthering Heights is a social novel, which analyses the cause and effect of class, gender and communal conflict in a late eighteenth-century rural community. Socio...Show moreThis thesis describes how Wuthering Heights is a social novel, which analyses the cause and effect of class, gender and communal conflict in a late eighteenth-century rural community. Socio-political developments, like the rise of the middle classes, shape and form the community and the characters in the novel These forces give rise to ideologies, and create conflict within the Earnshaw and Linton families. This leads to a cycle of conflict, with inflicted suffering and revenge. The root of conflict in the novel is Mutual incomprehension, caused by ideological differences, prejudice, and characters' upbringing in closed cultures.Show less
A comparison between the feminist movements of the French Revolution and the French Revolution of 1848, focused on the ideological and historical context that shaped both movements and on the...Show moreA comparison between the feminist movements of the French Revolution and the French Revolution of 1848, focused on the ideological and historical context that shaped both movements and on the actions taken by the feminists of both revolutions.Show less
This thesis consists of a chronological reproduction of the bilateral relation between Chile and Bolivia, commencing with the Saltpetre War in the 19th century. Throughout the bilateral events, a...Show moreThis thesis consists of a chronological reproduction of the bilateral relation between Chile and Bolivia, commencing with the Saltpetre War in the 19th century. Throughout the bilateral events, a framework of Ideology and Pragmatism is applied in order to analyse the nature of the political relation.Show less
Julius Malema is one of the most controversial figures in comtemporary South African politics. He is regularly described as a populist promoting an incoherent political programme for personal gain....Show moreJulius Malema is one of the most controversial figures in comtemporary South African politics. He is regularly described as a populist promoting an incoherent political programme for personal gain. This thesis investigates Malema's use of the work of Frantz Fanon in the ideology of the Economic Freedom Figthers(EFF). It studies the writings of Fanon on colonialism and post-colonial politics as well as the revolutionary ideology brought forward by Julius Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF)in their political manifestos as well as Malema's speeches. This ideology has appropriated the works of Fanon to bring togehter the different ideological positions within the EFF. Fanon serves to bring together socialist as well as pan-Africanist and Black Conciousness crtitiques of the ANC's government of South AFrica since 1994. While these ideologies are historically at odds with one another, the appropriation of Fanon serves to bring a degree of coherence to a revolutionary ideology drawing on different ideologies and grassroots critiques of the ANC. While this makes the EFF's ideology seem incoherent or shallow it does allow the EFF to appeal to different sections of South Africa's population and to unify different political movements into one political party.Show less
Urban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular...Show moreUrban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular political structures in the two respective cities. In this thesis it will be reflected how these ongoing processes are reflective of the particular nation-building processes that the Thai and Singaporean governments have undertaken. Moreover, how these process have served to maintain the dominant nationalist ideologies.Show less
This thesis employs Robert Putnam’s concept of foreign pressure (“suasive reverberation”) to analyze the battle in the US Congress over the 2015 Iran nuclear accords. Drawing on the public...Show moreThis thesis employs Robert Putnam’s concept of foreign pressure (“suasive reverberation”) to analyze the battle in the US Congress over the 2015 Iran nuclear accords. Drawing on the public statements of key players, journalistic sources, and the congressional record, I contend that the most important factor in determining whether undecided lawmakers voted for or against the agreement was lobbying by other states. Specifically, the survival of the deal can be credited to appeals from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well as to a lesser degree from Russia and China. Working in close conjunction with the Obama Administration, representatives of these states successfully pressured wavering members of Congress to support the agreement. I also argue that, counter-intuitively, the government of Israel’s suasive reverberation in opposition to the Iran accords probably contributed to the deal’s survival. The methods and rhetoric used in Israel’s lobbying were perceived as partisan and sparked a backlash among Democratic members of Congress, leading them to close ranks and vote to approve the deal. Through examination of these divergent outcomes, this paper provides empirical support for the importance of suasive reverberation and sheds light on the conditions underlying its use, success, and failure.Show less
This thesis seeks to give an answer to which changes in both Cuba and the United States have resulted in the reopening of the bilateral relation between the two countries after Raúl Castro took...Show moreThis thesis seeks to give an answer to which changes in both Cuba and the United States have resulted in the reopening of the bilateral relation between the two countries after Raúl Castro took power in the island state in 2008. This is a highly relevant issue, as the reopening of the relation between these two nations took place very recently. The relation between Cuba and the United States is one of the most studied themes modern Latin American history. The student has used relevant academic sources and other complementary information in order to investigate the topic. The definition of the problem investigated has been defined in a clear manner. There is continuance throughout the entire work which means that the student keeps to the most relevant historical, political and current news issues in his assessment of the problematique. The theoretical chapter discusses both ideological and pragmatic behaviour in bilateral relations, which the student manages to link to both the contextual chapter and in the case study. This is a less innovative approach though, as similar approaches in the academic debates about bilateral relations have analysed pragmatic and ideological behaviour on numerous occasion in the past. A limited number of authors have been used quite frequently. A more diverse and less pronounced usage of these would have been preferable. This has also been mentioned on several occasions during the thesis writing process by the supervisor. All in all, the thesis has a logical structure, where the most central historical and political issues in order to analyse the bilateral relation between Cuba and the United States have been addresses. External as well as internal factors are also taken into account during the analysis of the topicShow less
