This thesis delves into the intricate landscape of (green) industrial policies, focusing on Tata Steel Nederland (TSN) and its governance within the Netherlands from 2009 to 2023. Against the...Show moreThis thesis delves into the intricate landscape of (green) industrial policies, focusing on Tata Steel Nederland (TSN) and its governance within the Netherlands from 2009 to 2023. Against the backdrop of global sustainability imperatives, the study navigates the evolving paradigm of industrial policies in response to climate challenges. As the manufacturing sector, particularly steel production, stands pivotal in achieving emission reduction targets, the research unravels the change in governmental rhetoric and policy outcomes towards TSN. This thesis addresses change surrounding TSN governance, injecting agency into Historical Institutionalism (HI) analysis and considers three pressures — expert knowledge, mobilisation, and salience — collectively to address existing research gaps. HI provides the theoretical lens, supported by agency to address the theory’s limitations. The directional flow of pressures, from the communicative to the coordinative policy sphere, elucidates the role of actors in inducing institutional changes. A process-tracing case study methodology is employed and the research analyses governmental documents, health reports, news articles, and interviews to trace the unfolding changes in TSN's governance. The empirical findings show a departure from historical patterns, marked by the maatwerkafspraken, as well as increased monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure the company adheres to the new green industrial vision of the Netherlands. The findings indicate a necessity of coexisting pressures—expert knowledge, mobilisation, and salience—to trigger change. The absence of any one pressure prompts dynamic equilibrium in favour of the powerful interests of TSN, emphasising the need for high pressure in the communicative policy sphere.Show less
Recent developments such as the Syrian civil war and the Ukraine conflict have put Russia and the U.S. at opposing sides just as Japan increasingly sought relations with Russia over the Northern...Show moreRecent developments such as the Syrian civil war and the Ukraine conflict have put Russia and the U.S. at opposing sides just as Japan increasingly sought relations with Russia over the Northern Territories. The influence of the U.S. on the Russia-Japan relationship and thereby the Northern Territories dispute has been insufficiently researched. Using the Syrian Civil war and the Ukraine crisis as two case studies, the influence of the U.S.on the Russia-Japan relationship will be analyzed in this thesis. The theoretical framework will reflect on prevalent models with which to study Japan in international relations, considering Japan being either a reactive or adaptive state. To analyze the U.S.’ influence on the Russia-Japan relations and by proxy, the Northern territories issue, discourse analysis will be used. The discourse analysis will be looking for uses of discursive power: the ability to pressure another actor by the dominant power through the use of discourse. What is meant by discursive power and its significance to this research will be discussed in the methodology. This research will specifically look for forms of pressure, either explicit or implicit, that pressure Japan in the Ukraine or Syria case studies to sanction or take actions against Russia despite Japan’s interests in good relations with Russia because of the Northern Territories issue. Lastly, changes in the U.S. administration will be discussed briefly. The change from President Obama to President Trump has already caused a stir in the media discourse about the relationship between the U.S. and Russia, and between the U.S. and Japan. A brief speculation about the implications the change in administration might have is therefore necessary, since it is then established that the United State-Russia relationship will have an effect on the Russia-Japan relationship.Show less
