Radboud Educational Repository (Radboud Univ.)
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Suffering and Serious Illness: Examining the role of non-religious and religious meaning and coping
No full textThis thesis examines the experience of suffering within the context of serious illness. The focus is laid on exploring the role of non-religious and religious meaning and coping within the adversity and struggles of being (or falling) seriously ill. By shedding light and reviewing the existing literature regarding these concepts and examining conducted qualitative and quantitative empirical studies, the author attempts to clarify, compare, and illustrate how these concepts are intertwined and how they affect the coping process in regards to alleviating the negative effects of illness-induced suffering. Four distinct dimensions of well-being and suffering will be taken into consideration. These being: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being
Eudaimonic wellbeing at location-based entertainment venues; What is the power of innovative storytelling
No full textIn location-based entertainment (LBE), merely offering products and services is no longer sufficient; experiences that enhance subjective wellbeing are increasingly vital. This study investigates how innovative and traditional storytelling approaches in LBE relate to eudaimonic wellbeing. Using a qualitative research design, 914 guest reviews from eight LBE venues were coded and analysed through content analysis. Findings indicate that both storytelling types can meaningfully contribute to wellbeing. Innovative storytelling more often led to immersion, which was strongly associated with dimensions of eudaimonic wellbeing. Traditional storytelling more frequently fostered emotional participation. Furthermore, LBE venues whose storytelling featured highly themed and explorable environments were most effective in supporting immersive experiences, while museums and art venues, though also emotionally engaging, tended to be less immersive due to limited interactive elements
Within and Against the Canon: Nikolai Khardzhiev's Avant-Garde Art History
No full textThis thesis provides a robust investigation of art historian Nikolai Khardzhiev's (1903–1996) archive. Largely underexamined and now housed in the storage of the Stedelijk Museum, these materials reveal an intensely personal and affective historiographic project centered on Russian Futurism. Khardzhiev, along with the collection he curated, occupied multiple roles in relation to the Futurist movement in Russia. As a collector with strong personal ties to many of the artists he archived, he exercised decisive control over what was considered worthy of preservation—or otherwise censored and edited out from his and historical viewpoints. This personal relationship manifested both in Khardzhiev's connection to the collected art and manuscripts, and in his self-positioning as the sole authoritative historical voice of the avant-garde movement in Russia. In parallel, his methodology, annotations, and archival arrangements constitute an art historical practice in their own right. This thesis approaches the archive as a site of art historiographic production. At the same time, it seeks to detach from Khardzhiev's authorial presence in certain parts, allowing the objects themselves—the artworks, manuscripts, books, collages, and ephemera—to articulate their own historical cosmologies, when placed outside Khardzhiev's authorial framing. These perspectives are explored through a thesis structure that alternates between broader reflections on the archive's role in historical canon formation and close readings of specific items that open onto the movement's particularities. The narrative thread running through all chapters is the act of auto-historicization—how the movement wrote itself into history, both in tension with and through the European lineage-dominated art historical consensus on modernism.
The first chapter examines how the history and origins of Russian Futurism have remained a contested field, a struggle reflected in Khardzhiev's marginalia. His comparison-laden annotations reveal a continuous, personal engagement with debates over historical interpretations. The second chapter turns to collectively authored texts—particularly as published and arranged in Futurist almanacs—as sites of shared avant-garde vocabulary formation. I argue that such text collections function as acts of auto-historicization, consolidating and extending the canon of Futurism and later avant-gardes. The third chapter investigates how these collective historicizing narratives are reproduced in visual forms—drawings, visual poetry, and pedagogical collages—where the impulse toward historiographic expression is fixed beyond purely textual media. By paving an argumentative pathway from the private art historian's annotations to teaching tools collaboratively authored by avant-gardists, the thesis moves away from a chronological or linear view of artistic progression. Instead, it proposes a methodological arc: from intimate, affective acts of writing art history to the public formalization of the avant-garde
Toerisme en het lokale karakter op Schiermonnikoog
No full textHet toerisme op het eiland Schiermonnikoog is aan het veranderen. Dit veranderende toerisme brengt gevolgen met zich mee die mogelijk invloed hebben op het lokale karakter van het eiland. Het doel van dit onderzoek is daarom ook het meten van de gevolgen die dit veranderende toerisme met zich meebrengt. Daarvoor is de volgende onderzoeksvraag opgesteld: ‘In hoeverre beïnvloedt het veranderende toerisme het lokale karakter van het Waddeneiland Schiermonnikoog?’. Het lokale karakter is opgesplitst in ruimtelijke en sociaal-culturele componenten.
Voor de beantwoording van de hoofdvraag is er een kwalitatief onderzoek uitgevoerd, met zowel deskonderzoek als veldonderzoek. Tijdens het veldonderzoek zijn meerdere interviews gehouden met mensen die een relatie hebben met het eiland, waarvan voornamelijk inwoners. Ook zijn er observaties uitgevoerd op het eiland tijdens meerdere meetmomenten.
Uit de resultaten is gebleken dat het toerisme op Schiermonnikoog op dit moment veel soorten veranderingen en ontwikkelingen kent, op zowel ruimtelijk als sociaal-cultureel niveau. Door het gemêleerde gezelschap zijn er op het eiland ook veel verschillende belangen en opvattingen. Daarom zijn er veel fricties te ondervinden tussen groepen. Al met al, beïnvloedt het veranderende toerisme wel degelijk het lokale karakter op het eiland Schiermonnikoog
Circular Urban Development and Stakeholder Interaction in Buiksloterham, Amsterdam
No full textAs cities seek to transition to a sustainable and resilient future, the concept of circular urban development (CUD) has come forward as a promising transformative planning paradigm. While technical innovation and sustainable goals dominated the discourse of the circular economy (CE), the social dimension, in particular the role of stakeholder participation, is increasingly addressed. This thesis research explores how CUD in Buiksloterham, a pioneering neighbourhood in Amsterdam, supports the participation of stakeholders in the transition towards a circular city.
Based on the theoretical framework of Paul Lachapelle (2008) for the sense of ownership, this thesis researches how trust, participatory processes, tangible results, and justifiable equity shape the participation of stakeholders. The results show that while Buiksloterham supports participation, it limits equitable participation by structural barriers such as institutional fragmentation, limited inclusivity, and market dominance.
This study concludes that CUD can support the participation of stakeholders on a meaningful basis if co-production and knowledge are embedded into governance structures illuminating systematic inequalities. The case of Buiksloterham offers both a promising example and a warning story: Participation in circular urban development should be invited and needs to be empowered, sustainable, and equally distributed
The underdogs of geographical categorization - Shifting understanding of peripheral regions towards a human-agency approach
Get PDFThis thesis critically examines the concept of regional peripherality in the Netherlands, arguing that current spatial categorizations, often based solely on structural indicators or geographic distance from urban cores, oversimplify the complex realities of regional development. Using the Dutch province of Gelderland as a case study, the research challenges dominant binary frameworks such as ‘core vs. periphery’, which risk reinforcing spatial polarization and overlooking local agency. Through a mixed-method approach combining statistical analysis with a case study-approach on human agency supplemented by a semi-structured interview, the thesis introduces an alternative framework grounded in human agency. It utilizes the concepts of opportunity space and economic path development, emphasizing how differentiated actor compositions and power relations among actors within regions influence their developmental potential. The findings suggest that peripherality is not a static condition, but a relational and dynamic process shaped by both structural constraints and human agency. Regions labeled as 'left behind' may still possess transformative capacity if opportunity spaces are fostered. Ultimately, this thesis advocates for a more nuanced and agency-informed understanding of peripherality that moves beyond static spatial typologies, offering fresh insights for both academic theory and regional policy
Does Board Gender Diversity Drive Technological Adoption? A Job Postings Analysis with Firm Size and CEO Gender as Moderators
No full textThe extent to which firms adopt new technologies in their daily operations is a critical driver of their competitiveness and performance. The determinants of such technological adoption have therefore been a longstanding topic of interest for academic research. To further investigate this, this paper takes a relatively novel approach and analyzes mentions of new technologies in job postings. Specifically, given the growing societal and academic importance of gender equality in business, it studies how board gender diversity impacts firm-level technological adoption, as measured by these job posting technology references. Moreover, as the effects of board gender composition on firm outcomes are found to be complex and context-dependent, two moderating factors that may shape this relation are also studied: firm size and CEO gender. The results of multiple regression analyses on a panel of 607 U.S.-listed firms between 2010-2019 indicate that board gender diversity does not have a significant effect on technological adoption by firms, and neither firm size nor CEO gender significantly moderate this relation. These results, though interpreted with caution given key conceptual and empirical limitations, imply that increasing firm level adoption of new technologies likely requires attention to broader strategic or operational conditions
The role of Employee Share Ownership in the relationship between Corporate Sustainability Performance and Corporate Financial Performance
No full textEmployee share ownership (ESO) is mainly considered as an instrument to align employee behaviour to an organization’s strategic goals, such as economic outcomes. Going beyond this economic focus, this study examines whether and how ESO affects the trade-off between corporate sustainability performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP). Specifically, the study distinguishes between listed and unlisted firms, between corporate social performance (CSoP) and corporate environmental performance (CEP), and between short- and long-term effects of CFP. Using a unique European panel dataset, the results show that ESO leads to a negative CSP/CFP trade-off in the short-term, as increased CSP investment reduces short-term profitability. However, these investments tend to pay off over time, resulting in both higher CSP and CFP in the long-term. The results indicate that ESO has a stronger effect on the CSP/CFP trade-off in listed firms than in unlisted firms, particularly for CSoP. The stronger effect for CSoP likely results from the fact that social performance measures directly impact employees’ working conditions. Overall, the results suggest that ESO is more effective in contexts with stronger stakeholder accountability and public reporting requirements
Beyond Symptoms: The Biologisation of Parkinson’s Disease and Its New Ethical and Phenomenological Challenges for (Potential) Patients
No full textThis article critically engages with the emerging trend toward the biologisation and ever-earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), as advanced by recent proposals such as the NSD ISS and SynNeurGe groups (2024) and the introduction of a tRF-based blood test for pre-symptomatic detection (2025). These developments propose a redefinition of PD based solely on biological markers, independent of clinical symptoms. Drawing on phenomenological literature and twelve semi-structured interviews I conducted with PD and early-stage PD patients, the article explores the ethical and existential implications of this shift. It examines how biologisation risks marginalising patients’ lived experience, resulting in testimonial injustice, while PD biomarker-based preclinical diagnosis introduces a condition of epistemic and existential uncertainty for those labelled as potential patients. In such cases, the lack of conceptual and clinical frameworks may lead to hermeneutical injustice. This work represents a first step in addressing these emerging developments not only from a biomedical but also from an ethical and phenomenological perspective, highlighting the urgent need for further research before their clinical implementation
Impact of Communication Variable on Regional Economic Growth Using Interactive Fixed Effects, Replication Study
No full textThis thesis examines the relationship between short-term human mobility and regional economic growth in the European Union, focusing on tourism and air travel as proxies for compound factor mobility. Building on the methodology of Liu (2019), the study first replicates the original interactive fixed effects (IFE) model using Eurostat panel data from 2000–2013 and confirms the statistical significance of tourism indicators in explaining regional GDP variation. Extending the temporal scope to 2013–2022, the analysis finds that tourism intensity—measured through arrivals, occupancy rates, and accommodation capacity—remains a significant and positive predictor of regional economic performance. Additionally, air passenger transport is introduced as an alternative proxy for communication and mobility; its positive and statistically significant effect on GDP is validated through panel models with fixed effects. Robustness checks incorporating structural covariates from the Solow–Swan endogenous growth framework—such as human capital, educational attainment, and population—confirm the stability of results across all specifications. These findings reinforce the view that mobility-related openness, particularly in the form of tourism and transport infrastructure, is a key driver of spatial economic development in the post-crisis EU context