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Geopolitics of Border Hardening: Protecting Statehood through Re-territorialisation
Mičko, Branislav ; Romancov, Michael (advisor) ; Doboš, Bohumil (referee) ; Lepič, Martin (referee)
The presented dissertation seeks to answer why states construct barriers on their borders. In order to provide an answer, a new theoretical approach is proposed based on re-reading the works of Carl Schmitt. The offered theory builds upon existing scholarship and is centred around the concept of nomos, defined as a political order consisting of a performative way of life and land division that is underlying the political existence of states. The basic argument advanced here is that border barriers are constructed against hard-to-identify strangers to this order. Seven case studies are offered where the process of barrier construction is tracked back- to-back with various developments pertaining to the identified nomos. The results confirm the existence of hard-to-identify strangers challenging the respective nomos in different ways and their role in the process leading to the barrier construction. For the study of border barriers, this implies the importance of the issue of strangeness and identification in predicting barrier construction. The work also demonstrates nomos' potential usefulness as an analytic prism for geopolitical research.
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Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant and Energy Diplomacy: How Construction of the Akkuyu Power Plant affected Energy Diplomacy between Turkey and Russia? A Process Tracing Approach.
Kolay, Bengi ; Holubcová, Jitka (advisor) ; Ludvík, Jan (referee)
In 2010 a contract was signed between Russian Rosatom and Turkey to build the first Nuclear Power plant (NPP) in Turkey called Akkuyu NPP. The aim of this thesis is to analyze energy diplomacy between Turkey and Russia in context of the construction of Akkuyu. By analyzing energy diplomacy in the context of Akkuyu NPP gives a better understanding of bilateral relations, national interest, economic considerations and security concerns. To study this, explaining the outcome type of Process Tracing (PT) was used as it allows analyses within a case. Akkuyu NPP in itself is unique as it is the first NPP that is built on Build Operate and Own (BOO) principle that is technically owned by the Russian Federation. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested. As a result, out of three hypotheses two were proven. The first hypothesis that argued that the construction of Akkuyu NPP was used as an energy diplomacy tool by Russia to promote national interest was conclusively proven but had some plausible indications. Hypothesis two and three demonstrated that construction of Akkuyu was affected by energy diplomacy and economic considerations and Akkuyu NPP has negatively affected energy diplomacy between Turkey and Russia. From PT results and literature review combined it can be further plausible to say the...
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Application of Article 7 of the TEU: the cases of Poland, Hungary and Romania
Sechovcová, Anežka ; Šlosarčík, Ivo (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
Some of the member states of the European Union are currently facing a rule of law crisis characterized by threats to the independence of the judiciary, to the media or to the freedom of speech. The situation is most critical in Hungary and Poland where these values are being systematically violated. However, Romania is also among the member states facing a crisis of the rule of law,mainly because of the threatsto the independence of judiciary and the limitation of anti-corruption measures. Since the value of the rule of law is enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, its violation is a reason for sanctioning the member state. The European Union has several instruments at its disposal to sanction these states and as well protect European values. One of the most important is the mechanism under the Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union which can cause a member state to lose its voting rights in the Council of the European Union. Using the process tracing method, the thesis traces the steps taken by the European institutions to apply this mechanism in the cases of Poland, Hungary, and Romania. The aim of the thesis is to determine whether there are interdependencies among the three cases. Based on the research, it can be concluded that there are significant differences among the...
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Assessing the Priorities in China's Climate Change Policy-Making: Domestic and International Perspectives
Du, Yiyi ; Karlas, Jan (advisor) ; Tesař, Jakub (referee)
This thesis investigates the factors that can sufficiently explain China's policy change on climate change issue. We utilize interest-based theory in environmental politics and constructivism to explore the drivers behind China's climate change policy formulation. The theories are tested by process tracing the historical development of China's policy on climate change. The analysis is further complemented by other explanatory factors based on empirical findings, including domestic policy process and the impact of non-state actors. The study finds out that China's climate change policy has experienced positive changes with growing policy stringency. The result shows that China's climate change policy cannot be sufficiently explained by the interest-based theory, the factor regarding ecological vulnerability can be only partially confirmed. Instead, international norms can provide plausible incentives for policy change through the process of socialization. The final policy outcomes are also connected to the interest of the most influential domestic political actor. The study results help us to better understand the environmental politics in China and provides guidelines to predict China's role in international climate change negotiation after the Conference of Parties in Paris.
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Germany's commitment to CSDP operations: comparing the cases of the DRC and Libya
Westenberger, Kay Louise ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Beneš, Jan (referee)
This thesis analyses Germany's commitment to multilateral military operations. Following the research question why Germany participates in some multilateral military operations but not in others, Germany's respective decision-making process regarding troop deployment in the DR Congo in 2006 on one hand and military non-engagement in Libya 2011 on the other hand is traced. By contrasting the concept of strategic culture with a purely rational assessment of the factors of alliance politics, risk-analysis and military feasibility of the operations, the decisiveness of taking into account Germany's strategic culture to explain deployment decisions is stressed. Neither is there a lack of external pressure for German military participation in the case of Libya, nor is the military operation in the DR Congo decisively less risky or militarily more feasible. Rather, Germany's multilateral and anti- militaristic strategic cultural strands affect its decision-making. Next to demanding a thorough justification and legitimization of any military engagement, two red lines for military deployment can be identified. First, Germany refuses to act unilaterally and displays a high reluctance towards military engagement outside the multilateral framework of the UN, NATO or EU. Secondly, Germany rejects to engage in...
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Policy Failure and Policy Success: Case Study of Labor Offices Organizational Reform
Hiekischová, Michaela ; Veselý, Arnošt (advisor) ; Paulík, Karel (referee) ; Malíková, Ludmila (referee)
This thesis deals with policy failure and policy success and aims at introducing this issue into the context of the Czech Republic. The main perspective of the thesis follows approaches to analysis of policy success and policy failure developed by Mark Bovens, Paul 't Hart, and Allan McConnell. Their theoretical assumption is complex, as they evaluate the policies upon the criteria of the more general dimensions (process, program, and politics). The goal of the thesis is not only to utilize their theoretical background but also to refine and reconceptualize current theory of policy success and policy failure, respectively. The thesis is based on case study research design. The chosen case - organizational reform of labor offices - is considered as a typical policy failure. I describe and analyze in detail the selected case with a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods. This reform was extensive and was realized in two stages. The first stage focused on the organizational structure (from decentralized to centralized management). The second stage included changes in the content of the public employment services provided by the labor offices (the newly introduced services were all non-insurance social benefits). The analysis of labor offices reform seeks to answer the following questions,...
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Copyright in the European Union: Influence of Interest Groups during the Creation of the Collective Rights Management Directive
Slabyhoudek, Václav ; Šlosarčík, Ivo (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
The master's thesis focuses on the influence of interest groups during the creation of the 2012 Proposal for a Directive on collective rights management. In particular, the thesis deals with the pre-legislative phase of the legislative process, which began in April 2004. The theoretical framework includes conceptualization of interest groups, lobbying and influence. The mechanisms of influence are analysed using two theories - rational choice theory and rational choice institutionalism. The thesis utilizes process tracing - theory testing as a main methodological approach. Empirical evidence is investigated by analysing primary sources. The main subjects of the analysis are the most relevant documents from the European Commission concerning the pre-legislative phase. Four semi-structured interviews with selected relevant actors were also conducted. The thesis concludes by confirming/ disproving of the main hypothesis: Specific interest groups succeeded in influencing the text of the proposal for a directive on the collective management of copyright.
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Development of employment of persons with disabilities Czech republic
Jedlinský, Jakub ; Nekola, Martin (advisor) ; Tomášková, Vladimíra (referee)
The thesis is concerned with the issues related to the development of the system that helps the disabled people to integrate into the labour market in the Czech Republic using the theory of social construction of target groups. The aim of this thesis is to understand the development of the form of the observed policy that arises from the expected development of social construction of the chosen target group and its political power within a given period of time. To understand the problem and putting the topic was based on thematic analysis and study of the documents presented to readers of historical and social development status of persons with disabilities in society. Monitored period from the nineties to the present, which was divided into shorter periods. In these periods, the final policy design was identified by way of the interviews with addressed experts. The experts expressed their opinions also on the development of social construction and political power of the target group, which was supported by the study of the documents. The contents of the targeted policies were observed and the benefits or burdens for the target group were distinguished within the contents. The results of the analysis showed the relationship between the development of social construction of target group and the...
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