In the past decades, scholars have been increasingly recognizing the importance of solid reputation building for the autonomy and legitimacy of independent regulatory agencies. In response to this...Show moreIn the past decades, scholars have been increasingly recognizing the importance of solid reputation building for the autonomy and legitimacy of independent regulatory agencies. In response to this growing body of research, this master thesis aims to understand the influence of the content of reputational threats on the reputational strategies of independent regulatory agencies (IRA). By investigating the reputational management of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) during the Dutch energy crisis, this paper aims to shed light on the role of pre-existing levels of reputation. Using a qualitative framing analysis, this study argues that the ACM uses a more evasive response strategy regarding its functional areas that enjoy a solid reputation, whereas weaker reputations are more often protected with direct strategies. These evasive strategies include problem denial, promises of continued monitoring and managing public expectations. On the other hand, the direct responses include problem acknowledgment, taking active measures and emphasizing unique features. However, a too small sample of data was collected regarding the response strategy of unique features specifically. Moreover, the final hypothesis considers the role of prolonged reputational threats, yet mixed evidence left a conclusion impossible. Lastly, recognizing that regulatory agencies are perceived by the public as scientific institutions, this thesis maintains that it is important for regulatory agencies to properly divide its attention to all regulatory duties. This is necessary to avoid suspicion of bias due to reputational considerations and thereby impair the reputation they aim to protect.Show less
This thesis explores the reputation management strategies European Regulatory Agencies (ERAs) employ on social media to maintain their online reputation and the role of different audiences in...Show moreThis thesis explores the reputation management strategies European Regulatory Agencies (ERAs) employ on social media to maintain their online reputation and the role of different audiences in shaping their communication strategies. Reputation management is fundamental for public agencies, as they must justify their existence and respond to diverse stakeholders with varying expectations. Effective social media interactions can help sustain and promote technocratic legitimacy, facilitate connections, and interactions with stakeholders regarding European regulations and policies. This thesis adopts the organizational reputation framework proposed by Carpenter and Krause (2012), which considers assumptions related to an organization's capacities, intentions, and mission as core elements influencing communication strategies. As part of the EU regulatory state, EU regulatory agencies are expected to emphasize expertise, technical competence, and results-oriented qualities in their communicative strategies. This study examined the reputation management strategies employed by European Regulatory Agencies (ERAs) on social media, specifically focusing on the communication strategies used by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products (AEMPS) on Twitter.Show less
Bureaucratic responsiveness has been well researched in the national sphere, but research has been lacking at the European level. Bureaucrats in European Union agencies must reconcile many...Show moreBureaucratic responsiveness has been well researched in the national sphere, but research has been lacking at the European level. Bureaucrats in European Union agencies must reconcile many different multidimensional demands– from the European Commission and national agencies to the general public. Bound by finite time and resources, EU agencies must decide which request to prioritise and respond to first. Building on Rimkutė and Van der Voet's (2021) research, this thesis looks at when bureaucrats prioritise external demands. The theoretical framework focuses on three hypotheses corresponding with three dimensions of these demands (1) that requests from political actors will be prioritised over non-political actors, (2) that requests with technical content will be prioritised, and (3) and that salient request will be prioritised. The theoretical framework synthesises existing theories on bureaucratic responsiveness with newer theories on Reputational literature. To test these hypotheses, a mixed methodology, including Experimental Vignette Methodology, was used to analyse 16 EU bureaucrats in real-time while making the choices. Finally, the data is analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, and we find that political actors and salient requests are most likely to be prioritised.Show less
As part of China’s quest of regaining its superpower status in world politics, the country has launched a comprehensive transportation system called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This BRI is...Show moreAs part of China’s quest of regaining its superpower status in world politics, the country has launched a comprehensive transportation system called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This BRI is accompanied with large-scale investment programmes in primarily the infrastructural and energy sector. One of the destinations of these investments, called FDI, is the Western Balkan region. This region consists of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. These countries are at different stages of their accession process to the European Union (EU). Unclarity exists amongst scholars whether the Chinese FDI that these countries receive obstruct their accession process towards the EU, i.e. their Europeanization process. By means of a longitudinal small-N MSSD-I research, it is investigated whether Chinese FDI negatively affects the Europeanization in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia. This research concludes that the Europeanization in the Western Balkans is indeed negatively affected by Chinese FDI, although this effect is of a less than proportional nature. This research also indicates which specific chapters of the acquis communautaire and which Copenhagen criteria of the Europeanization are negatively impacted, and whether this effect is limited or strong. Furthermore, it inquires how the Europeanization in the Western Balkans can be explained: is the logic of appropriateness or the logic of consequentiality better suited for clarifying this process? In other words, do the Western Balkan states feel an intrinsic connection to the European identity, or do they want to become EU member states because of the material benefits accompanied with accession? This research finds that the logic of consequentiality prevails over the logic of appropriateness in explaining the Europeanization in the Western Balkans. Nevertheless, both logics of action are still relevant for acquiring a full understanding of the acquis adoption in candidate member states.Show less
Today, reputation management is of great importance to public regulators. As a positive reputation can be a stepping stone for regulatory legitimacy, public regulators increasingly attempt to...Show moreToday, reputation management is of great importance to public regulators. As a positive reputation can be a stepping stone for regulatory legitimacy, public regulators increasingly attempt to cultivate a positive reputational image in the eyes of their audiences. However, while an abundance of research has been conducted on the reputational dimensions emphasized by EU agencies, little investigation has been done on what reputational dimensions its audiences consider when they assess the reputation of these bodies. Therefore, with the use of Carpenter’s (2010) multidimensional reputational framework, this work examined what reputational dimensions are valued by different audiences of EU regulatory agencies, specifically that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It tested two competing expectations. One expectation supposed that different audiences value different reputational dimensions, while the other regarded that different audiences value the same dimension. To inform these two expectations, fourteen semi-structured interviews were performed with representatives of NGOs, businesses and industry associations, academic organizations, and national regulatory authorities (NRAs). In addition, a qualitative content analysis of the audiences’ policy reports directed towards EFSA was performed. From this, this work found that different audiences valued different reputational dimensions, which also lead to several contradictory demands among the audiences. In addition, it found that several causal mechanisms played a role in explaining these different emphases on reputational domains, such as the resources and the structure of the audiences’ organizations and their professional interests and roles. Finally, this work provides several theoretical, methodological, and policy-relevant implications that are of relevance to both researchers in the bureaucratic reputation literature as well as practitioners of reputation management working in regulatory settings.Show less
This research ventures in examining the effects of reputational conduct agencies’ practice on the frequency and substance of the communications they issue while interacting with their diverse...Show moreThis research ventures in examining the effects of reputational conduct agencies’ practice on the frequency and substance of the communications they issue while interacting with their diverse audiences. In light of existing reputation literature, this study offers a scale based on the frequency of communications by agencies to quantify the effects of their reputational conduct. The purpose of this study is to examine how the various facets of government agencies’ reputational behavior, as reflected in the threats they face and the reputational uniqueness they seek to achieve in the eyes of their audiences through their function and mission, affect the rate at which government agencies communicate and the content of their communications. While this study has uncovered that the image that agencies present in their mission has the greatest effect on the rate and substance of communications, various suggestions are made for further study in this sector.Show less
