Radboud Educational Repository (Radboud Univ.)
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The future of Maastricht Aachen Airport
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine what is the best way to develop Maastricht Aachen Airport in a way that has an overall positive impact on the economic- social-, environmental- and infrastructural effects. To gather the desired data, a combination method of collecting qualitative data through an interview as well as collecting secondary data through desk research is used. An integration of both methods was made in the process of analysing the data. During this process, the sustainable development theory is used to provide a framework. The data collected from the interview is firstly being analysed by a coding process in Atlas.ti. Several results have come out of this study. A total closure of MAA is found to be not an option for the Limburg region. Both the costs of termination, as well as the recent investments make closing MAA a non-realistic option. Furthermore the social benefits of the airport would be terminated in that case. Operating MAA in the current way is however not the way to maximise its value to the region. Financially the current operation is not viable, yet the economic spin-off effects are beneficial for the surrounding business, which is a factor that also plays a role
From Vacancy to Complexity, An Institutional Perspective on VABs in the Dutch Countryside
No full textThis thesis examines how the approach to vacant agricultural buildings (VABs) in Alphen-Chaam is shaped and to what extent it connects with the Water and Soil Steering principle (WaBoS). VABs are former farm buildings that have lost their function. Their growing number causes spatial, social, and economic challenges but also offers opportunities for sustainable redevelopment.
The study applies the Policy Arrangement Approach (PAA), analyzing actors, rules, resources, and discourses through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with the municipality, province, waterboard, farmer organizations, and farmers. This revealed institutional dynamics and collaboration in practice.
Findings show fragmented cooperation and differing perspectives. The province and waterboard view VABs as part of wider transitions and stress ecological quality, while the municipality mainly takes a legal-planning angle, and farmers face uncertainty, complex rules, and limited prospects. Formal frameworks such as the Environmental Ordinance and demolition policy are often seen as inconsistent, while informal contacts strongly influence outcomes. Resources are unevenly distributed: municipalities lack capacity, the province is distant, the waterboard has knowledge but little authority, and farmers lack financial means.
WaBoS is supported provincially but scarcely embedded locally. Unclear roles, fragmented rules, and unequal resources limit effectiveness. Recommendations include stronger municipal capacity, early waterboard involvement, structural consultation, and clearer communication with initiators
Het herijken van sociale veiligheid door intern toezicht en bestuur. Een onderzoek naar de bevordering van sociale veiligheid door de Raad van Toezicht
No full textDit onderzoek heeft als doel te achterhalen hoe interne toezichthouders kunnen bijdragen aan het stimuleren en monitoren van sociale veiligheid binnen organisaties. Uit de literatuur blijkt dat toezichthouders hierin meerdere rollen hebben: zorgen voor een goede informatiepositie, maatschappelijke signalen meenemen, sociale waardecreatie vormen en ingrijpen bij bestuurlijk verval. De interviews laten zien dat toezichthouders dit onderwerp belangrijk vinden, maar moeite hebben om sociale veiligheid concreet te maken. Een strakke definitie wordt onwenselijk gevonden, omdat dit kan leiden tot een afvinklijst. Hierom wordt het thema juist cultureel en gevoelsmatig ervaren. Daarnaast blijkt dat oordeelsvorming vaak beïnvloed wordt door psychologische mechanismen, waarbij intuïtie en informele signalen zwaarder wegen dan formele rapportages. Het samenspel tussen bestuur en toezicht is een lastig spanningsveld, want te veel nabijheid kan leiden tot afhankelijkheid, terwijl te veel afstand wantrouwen oproept. Ook maatschappelijke druk kan leiden tot snelle symboolmaatregelen, terwijl juist zorgvuldigheid en dialoog nodig zijn. Concluderend kan worden gesteld dat interne toezichthouders vooral bijdragen door alert te zijn op hun informatiepositie, kritisch te reflecteren op hun eigen oordeel en de relatie met bestuurders zorgvuldig te balanceren. Tegelijkertijd blijft het formuleren van duidelijke ijkpunten een uitdaging, waardoor het onderwerp in de toezichtpraktijk onvoldoende houvast krijgt
Evaluation of CSRD’s effect on initiating sustainability efforts within companies; A case study at Van Mossel
No full textThe increasingly important role of corporations in contributing to the transition toward a global sustainable future has led the European Union to take action by developing a new sustainability reporting directive: the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Through the CSRD, companies are now mandated, for the first time, to report according to detailed reporting standards under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The primary goal of this directive is to enhance transparency and enable the comparison and standardization of sustainability reports. Underlying this is the EU’s ambition to improve companies’ sustainability performance by relying on the created pressure through transparency and accountability. Expectations, in that sense, are positive, but remain underexplored.
This research investigated how the CSRD influences corporate behaviour and enhances sustainability practices, focusing on a case study at Van Mossel Automotive Group, a large Dutch corporation undergoing this regulatory transition in this current year. A qualitative research method approach is employed, where insights from the research period at Van Mossel is combined with both internal and external interviews to further examine the directive’s impact on external companies. This study showed that the CSRD does trigger sustainability-related developments, particularly when combined with exerted institutional- and stakeholder pressures, but that the initial coercive pressure exerted through the directive may hinder its effectiveness in encouraging sustainability efforts. The recently introduced Omnibus update appears to offer a better balance in the pressures exerted by the CSRD and presents a more promising outlook for fostering a more sustainable business environment
From Conflict to Control: Coping with Wearable Ambivalence
No full textPurpose – Research suggested that ambivalence could lead to more use of confrontative coping. This study aimed to test whether users of wearables exposed to experience ambivalence would use more confrontative coping strategies compared to users who experienced negative or neutral feelings. This study examined whether internal locus of control positively moderates this relationship. Methodology – One hundred and fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions, designed to elicit different (ambivalent, negative or neutral) experiences. Scales measuring coping, locus of control and ambivalence were adapted from research. The proposed model was tested using multiple regression analyses. Findings – The manipulation did not lead to significant differences in ambivalent feelings between the conditions. Ambivalence did not lead to significantly more or less use of confrontative or avoidance coping, compared to negative or neutral feelings. Internal locus of control did not moderate this relationship, but did significantly predict coping. Individuals with higher internal locus of control used more confrontative coping, while they used less avoidance coping. Females seemed to use more confrontative coping strategies. Contributions – This study supports the view that internal locus of control is associated with confrontative coping strategies. Future studies could investigate how to effectively manipulate ambivalence
Perceived Control as a Mediator in AI Adoption: The Influence of Complexity on Intention to Use
No full textThis study explores how perceived control mediates the relationship between complexity and adoption intention within the context of AI-driven financial technology. As the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into consumer markets accelerates, traditional models, such as the Diffusion of Innovations, fall short of explaining user resistance linked to psychological barriers. Drawing on Sensemaking, Cognitive Load, and Control Theory, we develop and test a model in which complexity reduces perceived control, which subsequently lowers adoption intention. Using a cross-sectional survey design (N = 101) and a fictional yet realistic scenario involving an AI financial tool, we find no significant direct effect of complexity on adoption intention once perceived control is accounted for, indicating a full mediation effect. Our results reveal that users are not directly deterred by complexity itself but by the loss of perceived control that it generates. This contribution to the literature introduces perceived control as a key psychological construct in the adoption process of AI services. The findings have managerial implications for AI design, suggesting that systems should emphasise user agency to alleviate the adverse effects of complexity on adoption behaviour
“Zij is eene derzulken die wel ,,heengaan” maar niet ,,sterven””: De correspondentie van Estella Dorothea Salomea Hijmans-Hertzveld
No full textEstella Hijmans-Hertzveld (1837-1881) was een befaamd dichteres in haar tijd die al jong haar debuut maakte in de literaire wereld. Naast een aanzienlijke collectie gepubliceerde en ongepubliceerde gedichten, schreef Hertzveld ook veel brieven. Zij correspondeerde veel met haar familie én met haar contacten uit de literaire wereld. Een concrete verzameling van deze correspondentie was voorheen nergens vindbaar, aangezien de brieven in verschillende archieven terechtgekomen zijn. De afgelopen jaren worden er steeds steeds meer correspondenties van historische vrouwelijke auteurs beschikbaar gemaakt, waar Estella Hijmans-Hertzvelds correspondentie nu aan kan worden toegevoegd. In deze scriptie zijn de brieven samengebracht, ingeleid en voorzien van verklarende voetnoten
Museum accessibility and neurodiversity in the Netherlands
No full textThis thesis investigates how Dutch museums can enhance accessibility for neurodivergent
young adults, with a particular focus on individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). While museum accessibility initiatives often prioritize physi cal or autism autism-related accommodations, ADHD remains comparatively underexplored within cultural
inclusion discourse. Drawing on a mixed mixed-methods approach, the research combines survey
data from neurodivergent young adults with semi semi-structured interviews with museum
professionals. The survey captures visitor perspectives on barriers, existing measures, and
desired improvements, while the interviews provide insight into institutional priorities,
constraints, and emerging practices. Analysis is framed by concept s including universal
design, visitor agency, and participatory practice, as articulated by scholars such as Black,
Eardley and Jones, and Timothy. Findings reveal gaps between institutional intentions and
visitor experiences, particularly regarding sensor y management, cognitive accessibility, and
flexibility of engagement. The study concludes with evidence evidence-based recommendations for
systemic, rather than piecemeal, change, advocating for accessibility as an ongoing,
collaborative process embedded in museum design and policy. By foregrounding ADHD and
the voices of young adults, this thesis aims to expand the scope of museum accessibility
scholarship and encourage Dutch museums museums—and cultural institutions more broadly broadly—to reconsider how they welcome and engage n eurodiverse audiences.
Keywords : ADHD - Young Adults - Museum Accessibility - The Netherlands – Neurodiversit
Collective Action Against Corruption Through a Sensemaking Lens: A Temporal Comparison of Public and Private Sector Perspectives
No full textWhereas historically corruption has often been investigated and understood through a principal agency perspective, Collective action has now become a widely used strategy for tackling corruption, especially in global governance settings where public and private actors must work together across institutional boundaries. While the literature on anti-corruption efforts has often focused on structural barriers or incentive misalignments, there has been less attention to how actors themselves make sense of collective action—how they interpret its purpose, justify their involvement, and navigate its tensions over time. This study seeks to address that gap by exploring the evolving sensemaking mechanisms of public and private sector actors engaged in collective anti-corruption efforts at two major conferences held in 2022 and 2024. Using a qualitative design, the study identifies four overarching ways in which actors made sense of collective action: as a moral imperative, as strategic risk management, as capacity building, and as a way to shape markets. These meaning-making processes were not fixed—they shifted across years and between sectors, shaped by experience, context. By analyzing these evolving interpretations, this study sheds light on the logics that underpin collective efforts to fight corruption, offering novel insights into how collective action is made sense of
Saba’s Food Future: Between a Dutch Security Discourse and Local Sovereignty Practices
No full textThis study examines the alignments and divergences between Dutch state approaches to food security and local practices of food sovereignty on the island of Saba, a small special municipality in the Caribbean Netherlands. Food systems of small island states generally experience a low level of food security due to challenges such as their small size, vulnerability to environmental shocks, heavy reliance on trade and imports, and significant constraints on land availability. A rapidly changing climate poses further risks for these food systems with rising temperatures, increased periods of drought and more extreme weather conditions. Saba also faces these significant challenges, having transitioned away from traditional, largely self-sufficient agricultural practices toward a heavy reliance on imported foods, with currently over ninety percent of the food being imported through a single supply chain. As a special municipality of the Netherlands, Saba is depended on action from the Dutch national government to increase food security. While the Dutch national government frame food security mostly in economic and productivism terms which emphasize entrepreneurship, integration into the global supply chain and technological innovation, the local narrative aligns more with food sovereignty ideals, stressing cultural appropriateness, agency and cultural identity.
Using a qualitative case study approach, this research combines semi-structured interviews with literature and policy analysis, applying assemblage theory to capture the complex interplay of human and non-human actors shaping Saba’s food system. The results show two alternative assemblages driven by diverging desires. While both perspectives recognize the need for both trade and domestic production in Saba's food system, they differ in strategies to achieve this. The Dutch government proposes interventions such hydroponics farming, a revolving fund and an alternative supply chain from Miami whereas local food sovereignty is expressed though backyard farming, an informal sharing network and a desire for an inter-Carribean trade network. This study argues that including food sovereignty as a key component to achieving sustainable food security would result in greater alignment between these discourses. Recommendations include strengthening backyard and community farming initiatives, fostering inter-island trade within the Caribbean, and restructuring Dutch funding mechanisms to give the local government more ownership and flexibility. While the specific context of Saba limits generalizability, the findings provide transferable insights for other vulnerable states in a small island context and studies looking into tension between national and local food security perspectives.
Keywords: Food Sovereignty, Food Security, Saba, Assemblage Theory, Carribean Netherlands, Governanc