The production of political legitimacy is an open-ended process that is created by the continuous reproduction and negotiations between the ruling regime and its citizens. This thesis aims to...Show moreThe production of political legitimacy is an open-ended process that is created by the continuous reproduction and negotiations between the ruling regime and its citizens. This thesis aims to answer the research question How has insecurity and the role of inefficient institutions affected the political legitimacy of Felipe Calderón's 2006-2012 presidential terms? The research paper first explores the parameters of political legitimacy and utilises the normative approach as a theoretical framework of political legitimacy in combination with Hansen's definition of political legitimacy as components to measure Felipe Calderón's regime legitimacy. Thereafter, the text analyses the utilization of electoral legitimacy and revolutionary legitimacy as a tool to maintain and re-assert power and legitimacy during the PRI era, Vincente Fox's administration and its continual use during Calderón's presidential term. Furthermore, the thesis also examines the effects of the three minor variables: criminal violence, media, and public perception on (in)security and (in)efficient institutions on three specific events: the 2006 Mexican presidential election; Felipe Calderón's war on drugs; and the opening event of the monument Coloso and have founded that the insecurity and the role of inefficient institutions have largely decreased the political legitimacy of Felipe Calderóns 2006-2012 presidential term. The paper concludes that Calderón's presidential term was deemed as intially legitimate by the public during electoral process. However, the increase in insecurity and the inefficiency within state institutions greatly decreased the regime's legitimacy by the end of Felipe Calderón's presidential term.Show less
This thesis investigates how the process of coming to an EU negotiating position for the conferences of the parties (COPs) of the UNFCCC changed between 1997 and 2015. The EU preparations for three...Show moreThis thesis investigates how the process of coming to an EU negotiating position for the conferences of the parties (COPs) of the UNFCCC changed between 1997 and 2015. The EU preparations for three of these climate conferences (Kyoto, Copenhagen, and Paris) are analysed through the content analysis of EU documents and expert interviews. This thesis argues that this negotiating process became increasingly embedded in the theoretical framework of multi-level governance. Treaty changes, shifts on the global stage of negotiations and the addition of new member states caused the European level (mainly the Commission) to play a leading role in the intra-European negotiations.Show less
Political trust is seen as a requirement for democratic regimes to function well. In the Netherlands, polling data indicates that trust is lower in less densely populated provinces, while remaining...Show morePolitical trust is seen as a requirement for democratic regimes to function well. In the Netherlands, polling data indicates that trust is lower in less densely populated provinces, while remaining high nation-wide. This study aims to identify if living in less urbanized - low population density - areas in the Netherlands have lower levels of political trust, and if so look at potential explanations. I investigate the two most specific levels of the framework by Norris (2011, 2017) of political trust: trust in regime institutions as well as trust in incumbent office-holders. All analyses were performed on four waves of data from the DPES (2006 - 2017). After controlling for education, religion, gender and age, urbanization did not improve the prediction of political trust in either level. One remarkable result was that education and age had opposite influences in trust in regime institutions versus trust in incumbent office-holders. These differences demonstrate the value of Norris’ framework: the type of relation between an underlying factor and political trust may depend on the type of political trust considered.Show less
This thesis looks at what the regional institutions of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have done to promote regional identities and whether or not these strategies...Show moreThis thesis looks at what the regional institutions of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have done to promote regional identities and whether or not these strategies have been successful.Show less
This paper tries to explore how contract enforcement was handled in the cross-religious environment of late medieval Christian Valencia, Muslim Granada and North Africa, given the fact that each...Show moreThis paper tries to explore how contract enforcement was handled in the cross-religious environment of late medieval Christian Valencia, Muslim Granada and North Africa, given the fact that each religious community has usually been assumed to apply their own set of rules through their own community courts. By following the merchants of Valencia (incidentally also of Mallorca), whether Christian, Muslim or Jewish, we find instead a more complex scenario in which both Christian consulates and Muslim Royal courts played a crucial role by adapting their proceedings to the requirements of cross-religious trade. We explode also the role of institutions in supporting the expansion of commerce in early fifteenth century Valencia.Show less
This study investigates the effect of population density on the development of land rights in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe from 1923 to 2013. By comparing three former British colonies with...Show moreThis study investigates the effect of population density on the development of land rights in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe from 1923 to 2013. By comparing three former British colonies with remarkably different population densities, this thesis explores the hypothesis that a denser population leads to stronger individual property rights over land. Through an in-depth analysis of the history of land rights, the relationship between people and land before, during and after colonialism is uncovered, ultimately challenging a Eurocentric model of (economic) development and contributing to the debate on land reform and economic inequality and in Southern Africa.Show less
