Due to climate change and rising temperatures, the world is more often facing extreme weather conditions like drought. Such conditions of water scarcity especially cause problems in countries...Show moreDue to climate change and rising temperatures, the world is more often facing extreme weather conditions like drought. Such conditions of water scarcity especially cause problems in countries dependent on agriculture, where failed harvests can cause negative income shocks and grievance development, influencing conflict. Focusing on the relationship between conflict intensity and water scarcity, this research explores the case of the Syrian civil war from 2011-2017, finding that over-time differences in temperatures can explain monthly variations in number of deaths. This research thereby confirms the fact that rising temperatures can lead to more intense conflict and concludes with brief discussion of policy recommendations to tackle drought-related conflict.Show less
In this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of ...Show moreIn this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of (quasi-)market competition, information provision/asymmetry, and choosing a provider, a theoretical argument will be crafted to explain how public performance data can improve the quality of an organization. Using fixed effects models on cross-sectional time-series panel data constructed by public data from the ‘Nationale Studenten Enquête’ and enrollment data from the VSNU this relationship will be researched to see whether students are responsive to study programmes with better evaluation scoring. The data shows that there is a significant effect between a better NSE score of a master programme and an increase in student enrollment. This effect ranges between 3.3% and 13.42%. However, with an R-squared between 0.001 and 0.006. Thus students are responsive to a better NSE score. This paper has both scientific and societal relevance because it contributes to the scientific debate on whether public performance data has the potential to increase the quality of an organization, and for policymakers, it is important to better understand how and if these information schemes work.Show less
