Radboud Educational Repository (Radboud Univ.)
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The Care of the Self within a Biopolitical Paradigm: Integrating Cognitive Psychology to resist Subjectification
No full textContemporary theories of resistance to biopolitical subjectification often reify unfreedom by lacking a plausible model of agency. This thesis resolves this by establishing an ontological foundation for the agent as fundamentally autopoietic and semiotic, drawing on contemporary cognitive science. It then proposes a new foundation for resistance by synthesizing Michel Foucault’s later work on the care of the self with the 4P/5E model of embodied cognition. I show how this interdisciplinary approach establishes Foucault’s ethical techniques as a systematic ecology of practices for cultivating a free, self-determining agent and by reframing resistance as a practical, embodied ethics of self-formation, it inherently fosters two vital skills: the gain of self-knowledge and self-mastery
High Rates, Low Chips? The Semiconductor Sector’s Sensitivity to Monetary Policy Shocks
No full textThis thesis investigates the effect of US monetary policy shocks on semiconductor equity returns employing a monetary policy decomposition model. Surprise federal funds rate changes, identified through futures contracts, are found to negatively affect stock performance of semiconductor firms more than manufacturing firms. Subsamples of semiconductor ETFs do not exhibit a significant link with unexpected monetary policy. A traditional event study approach reveals positive abnormal stock activity in response to different FOMC decisions, with strong evidence for rate hikes, weaker responses when rates are maintained, and no evidence for rate cuts. Cross-sectional analyses indicate no link between firm-level variables and abnormal returns on days of monetary policy announcements. These findings suggest limited sensitivity to Fed policy changes, signifying the sector is a stable investment class
Local Energy Initiatives a Success Story - A case analysis of interactions at the local level in Schleswig-Holstein
No full textClimate change is accelerating, requiring urgent and comprehensive responses (Shukla et al., 2022). Electrification and decentralisation of energy systems are key strategies in the energy transition. One promising approach is citizens’ wind energy initiatives (Bürgerwindenergieinitiativen), which are especially prevalent in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. Despite their success, these initiatives currently operate based on local intuition rather than scientific analysis. This study aims to systematise these practices by asking: What interactions between local stakeholders make these initiatives effective and sustainable, and how are policy changes influencing them?
Using open-ended interviews, desk research, and a combined theoretical framework—the Policy Arrangement Approach (Liefferink, 2006) and the triangle of social acceptance (Wüstenhagen et al., 2007)—six key factors were identified: local exchange, public participation, financing frameworks, value chain creation, the Bürgerenergiefond, and key individuals. These elements collectively stabilise the policy arrangement supporting citizens’ wind initiatives. Crucially, the mutually reinforcing relationship between social acceptance and transparent information-sharing about planning, environmental measures, and finances strengthens the system. However, recent EU policy changes, such as adjustments to feed-in tariffs (§21 EEG), threaten this stability. To ensure a just, decentralised, and widely supported energy transition, such locally embedded and participatory models must be preserved and replicated
Securitizin the Arctic: new environmental security realities
No full textThis thesis investigates how the United States has framed climate change as a security threat in its Arctic security agenda from 2019 to 2024, and how this process of framing has influenced the region’s security discourse. Using Entman’s framing theory, this thesis deploys a frame analysis by which the four functions of the framing theory are used as foundation to investigate which frames are used within the two researched ‘Arctic Strategy’ documents. Furthermore using a comparative analysis, this thesis concludes two distinct frames per researched document that indicate an increase of the U.S. military’s involvement in security regarding climate change threats. This finding therefore contributes to an increase in ‘governmentality’ within the interaction of the military with climate change
A deliberative democracy, if we can keep it
No full textThe theory of deliberative democracy has gained substantial traction over recent decades. As a way of creating more legitimacy within society, it is argued that citizens and representatives should engage in rational-critical debate aimed at mutual understanding. This thesis argues that the legitimacy of such a system is put into question due to a ‘two-fold threat’. This threat consists of the effect of fragmentation due to social media on the one hand, and the epistemic implications of misinformation on the other hand. The thesis proposes a multifaceted response: promoting diverse exposure on social media through digital constitutionalism, enhancing digital literacy among citizens, and scaling up deliberative mini-publics. Together, these measures aim to restore the epistemic conditions necessary for legitimate democratic deliberation in both the digital and offline public sphere
The influence of ambiguous words on finding the origins of lexical-gustatory synaesthesia
No full textBij lexical-gustatory synaesthesia kunnen mensen bij woorden die ze zien, horen of schrijven een smaaksensatie ervaren. Er zijn twee verklaringen die hiervoor gegeven worden, maar welke correct is, is nog onduidelijk. Een verklaring stelt dat de smaaksensatie wordt opgerooependoor de lossen fonemen (spelling) van het woord, de ander zegt dat de smaaksensatie wordt opgeroepen door de betekenis van een woord. In mijn scriptie werk ik met ambigue woorden. Omdat deze woorden qua spelling hetzelfde blijven maar qua betekenis veranderen, is dit de perfecte woordsoort om dit te onderzoeken. Met behulp van een questionnaire heb ik onderzocht welke theorie de correcte/dominante kan zijn. Uit het onderzoek bleek dat er geen dominante verklaring was en dat het voor elke persoon anders kan zijn
Demographics, democracies and war
No full textThis thesis investigates the complex relationship between democracy, demographic structure and the onset of interstate war. Based on an extensive literature review, the hypotheses for this research are: (1) Controlling for median age leads to a decrease in the strength and/or statistical significance between the democratic peace theory and the onset of interstate war. (2) The use of updated data through 2007 will give a statistically significant, negative effect between the joint democratic dyadic peace and onset of interstate war. (3) That median age acts as a moderator. The presumed democratic dyadic peace is moderated by median age which leads to a stronger pacifying effect in dyads that consist of two states with a median age of >30.
The findings of this research show support for the democratic peace theory. The models show a statistically significant and negative correlation between democratic dyads and war onset. However, the result of including median age as a moderator gives more surprising results. The result of a state having a median age >30 has a pacifying effect, which aligns with the demographic theory of war (Brooks et al., 2019). But the pacifying effect of democracy seems to be weaker in older democratic dyads. This stands in contrast with both democratic peace theory and the demographic theory of war.
The conclusion of this research is that the effect of democracy on peace is not universal, but conditional. Demographic characteristics of states should also be considered in a more interactive way instead of just being control variables. These insights provide new opportunities for investigating international relations and war, and call for further research on the complex dynamics in these studies
Navigating Urban Areas in the Digital Age - The role of navigation apps on the experience of international students in Nijmegen
No full textAs digital navigation apps become integral to daily life, their role in shaping urban experiences is often overlooked. This thesis explores how algorithmic filtering in navigation apps influences the spatial behavior of international students in Nijmegen, a group highly reliant on such tools during their integration into a new city. Through qualitative interviews, live app-use observations, and a comparison of location-based search results, the study reveals that while navigation apps offer convenience and comfort, they also steer users toward predictable routes and popular, commercial locations often at the expense of spontaneous discovery and cultural exploration.
The research finds that apps subtly shape mental maps and limit engagement with lesser-known areas, potentially reducing opportunities for intercultural exchange. Some students blindly follow app recommendations, while others actively resist digital guidance to reclaim their sense of exploration. The study concludes that navigation apps act not just as tools, but as powerful mediators of urban life. To align digital mobility with the values of the Erasmus experience, this thesis calls for greater awareness of algorithmic influence and the development of app features that promote spatial diversity, curiosity, and deeper cultural connection
La representación de los personajes masculinos en Las Tres Muertes de Marisela Escobedo (2020): un contraste entre la masculinidad hegemónica y la masculinidad sensible
No full textDe Mexicaanse documentaire Las Tres Muertes de Marisela Escobedo (2020) vertelt het waargebeurde verhaal van een moeder die vecht voor gerechtigheid na de moord op haar dochter. Deze scriptie onderzoekt hoe mannelijkheid in de documentaire wordt gerepresenteerd, met nadruk op de tegenstelling tussen hegemonische en gevoelige vormen van mannelijkheid. Aan de hand van theorieën over feminicide (Lagarde y de los Ríos), hegemonische mannelijkheid (Connell) en gevoelige mannelijkheid (Porras Quirós; Castro Arbeláez) wordt een cinematografische analyse gemaakt volgens Verstraten (2006). De documentaire toont gevoelige mannelijkheid via personages als Juan Manuel Escobedo en Gabino Gómez, waarbij close-ups en lichtgebruik hun emotionele betrokkenheid en solidariteit onderstrepen. Tegelijkertijd representeren figuren als Sergio Barraza en Arturo Nahle de dominante, patriarchale mannelijkheid, zichtbaar gemaakt door kadrering en archiefmateriaal. Op deze manier laat de documentaire zien hoe hegemonische mannelijkheid machtsstructuren behoudt, terwijl gevoelige mannelijkheid juist bijdraagt aan het bevorderen van een rechtvaardige samenleving
Culture, institutions and risk-taking
No full textThis study examined how culture and institutional quality separately influence individual risk preferences, and whether institutional quality moderates the relationship between culture and risk-taking. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of individualism and uncertainty avoidance were used as measurement for culture, since these exhibit the strongest theoretical link with risk-taking. The World Governance Indicators were used as operationalisation for institutional quality, with regulatory quality as the main proxy. It was expected that institutional quality positively moderates the positive effect of individualism on risk-taking. Moreover, there was hypothesised that institutional quality positively moderates the negative effect of uncertainty avoidance on risk-taking. These hypotheses were tested using a multilevel regression analysis on a large dataset of 49,582 respondents spanning 45 countries across multiple continents. There is controlled for both individual- and country-level variables. Random effects at the country and region levels were included to account for data clustering. The results reflected that uncertainty avoidance was significantly negatively associated with risk-taking, confirming the variable’s key role in shaping risk preferences. However, neither individualism nor institutional quality exhibited a significant effect. Moreover, the two interactions were non-significant. Additional findings highlighted the strong influence of income inequality, age, gender, and subjective math skills on risk-taking