Poliitika ja valitsemine digiajastul – Master´s theses

Selle kollektsiooni püsiv URIhttps://hdl.handle.net/10062/82875

Sirvi

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“Best practices” vs. tailor-made reforms: an exploratory case study of agencification and its effects on policymaking capacity in Ukraine in 2016-2021
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Yevdokymova, Oleksandra; Muhhina, Kristina, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
International aid agencies and organisations have been promoting good governance and institutional development for several decades. Recently, however, the approach of importing “best practices” from developed Western countries and applying them as blueprints elsewhere has received substantial scepticism and criticism. Both academics and policymakers now emphasise the importance of contextualising and tailoring institutional reforms. They aim to find a good fit for each country and achieve long-term sustainable results rather than quick wins. One of the aid recipient countries for which the change of approach to institutional development is relevant is Ukraine. Among many other reforms, it is now undergoing agencification – a transformation of ministries into analytical units, freed from excessive and duplicated administrative functions. This thesis explores the case of agencification in Ukraine, endorsed and coordinated by the EU and the OECD’s SIGMA programme. As an exploratory case study, it investigates how the tailoring of agencification reform affects the policymaking capacity of ministries as its main intended result. The researcher conducted document analysis, desk research and in-depth interviews with public administration experts and practitioners. As a result, the study suggests four nuanced hypotheses which need to be further explored and verified in future research on the relationship between agencification reform tailoring and the policymaking capacity of ministries in developing countries.
The impact of Europeanization on action against gender-based violence in the Balkan countries: a comparative study
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Abzalova, Albina; Ehin, Piret, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Gender-based violence remains a widespread problem, which causes physical, psychological, economic and social damage. It is a brutal violation of women’s fundamental rights and the European Union has committed significant efforts and resources combatting it not only across its territory but also beyond its boundaries. As a gender equality promoter at the international level, the EU has sought to reduce gender-based and domestic violence in the candidate countries. The candidate countries must fulfill certain criteria to become members of the EU including harmonization of legislation on gender equality. This study examines how local actors in three Balkan countries react to EU laws, norms and practices on gender equality, and specifically, EU efforts to reduce gender-based violence. The Balkan countries have a long history of violence against women rooted in patriarchal society, economic inequality, and legacy of wars. The thesis is based on interviews with nine organizations working with victims of gender-based violence in three countries – Serbia, Albania and Montenegro. Besides interviews, the analysis is based on public reports, documentation of international organizations, and reports written by independent expert groups. Through fieldwork, the researcher was able to collect the data from organizations working towards prevention and protection of women from violence. These insights allowed to make several findings. First, lack of state budget impacts implementation of legislation on the gender-based violence, including national strategies, and the provision of services provided by women NGOs, shelters, referral centers and trainings of professionals. Second, it is clear that state does not fully recognize the expertize of specialized NGOs and establishes inadequate requirements to provision of social services for victims of gender-based violence, especially in Montenegro and Serbia.
The legacy of left-wing authoritarian regimes on parties' dispersion on the left-right scale: a study of post-communist democracies in the European Union
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Kopytsiak, Yuliia; Braghiroli, Stefano, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The collapse of left-wing authoritarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe initiated a transformative journey toward democratization and European integration. However, the legacy of these regimes continues to shape party competition decades later. While previous studies have explored structural and institutional consequences, the long-term impact on the dispersion of parties along the left–right scale remains understudied. Using ParlGov Releases (2010–2024) and focusing exclusively on EU member states, this thesis analyzes party system polarization (Dalton Polarization) and the ideological center of gravity (Country Ideology), and introduces a novel variable – Right-Wing Concentration (RWC) – to capture the simultaneous rightward shift and ideological narrowing. The study shows that in post-communist democracies, the far left is marginalized without a compensating far-right ascent, resulting in more right-leaning and less polarized party systems compared to consolidated democracies. This pattern intensifies over time within the studied period. By comparing countries with and without left-authoritarian legacies, the study demonstrates that historical background outperforms conventional structural variables in explaining ideological party configurations. These findings underscore the enduring imprint of authoritarian legacies and highlight the need for future research on party polarization in the EU to account for historical determinants alongside institutional, structural, and political factors.
Migration and EU enlargement attitudes: analysis of public opinion
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Kovalova, Daria; Ehin, Piret, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The European Union's consideration of further enlargement has reemerged as a significant geopolitical question following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, raising questions about the factors that influence public support for admitting new member states. This study investigates the relationship between public attitudes toward migration and support for EU enlargement, examining whether negative perceptions of migration correlate with lower willingness to expand the Union. The research employs multilevel logistic regression analysis utilizing Standard Eurobarometer survey data from all 27 EU member states, examining three dimensions of migration attitudes: perceptions of intra-EU mobility, attitudes toward immigration from outside the EU, and beliefs about immigrants' societal contributions. The empirical analysis confirms a significant relationship between migration attitudes and enlargement support, with attitudes toward external immigration demonstrating a stronger association with enlargement preferences than perceptions of immigrant contributions. Pronounced regional variation emerged in this relationship, revealing an East-West divide where Western European countries displayed strong positive correlations between favorable views of external immigration and enlargement support. In contrast, Central and Eastern European nations exhibited weaker or even negative correlations. The findings indicate that while addressing migration concerns is necessary for building enlargement support, broader attitudes toward European governance and integration play a more determinative role in shaping citizens' preferences regarding the Union's expansion. These results contribute significantly to post-functionalist integration theory by demonstrating how cultural and identity considerations increasingly structure European integration attitudes, providing crucial insights for policymakers navigating the complex terrain of public opinion as they consider the EU's future institutional boundaries.
Multi-level party politics in the European Union: assessing the coherence between European political parties and their member parties’ positions on EU enlargement
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Gegia, Nana; Ehin, Piret, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Political parties constitute an integral part of democratic representation in the European Union (EU), however, their ability to formulate coherent positions across national and EU levels is still contested. Despite extensive research on the institutional structures of European political parties, limited attention has been paid to position coherence across party levels on specific policy issues. Even less is known about how such coherence changes over time, especially in light of major geopolitical events. Following the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, enlargement has become a controversial topic within the EU, providing a timely and relevant case to study multilevel party dynamics. This thesis examines 115 party manifestos from the 2019 and 2024 European Parliament elections to assess how coherent the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and the European Green Party (EGP) and their member parties have been on this policy area. It evaluates coherence across five key areas: overall stance on enlargement, temporal scope, geographical focus, internal EU reforms and security and geopolitical justifications. The findings suggest that over time, there has been an increase in coherence between Europarties and their member parties as well as among member parties. Although several areas showed coherence already in 2019, by 2024, coherence had strengthened in support for enlargement, a gradual approach to this process and security justification of enlargement. Nevertheless, this trend is not uniform; some categories have become fragmented on issues such as EU internal reforms, suggesting that coherence is not a static process.
The role of religious beliefs in shaping public attitudes toward EU integration in Serbia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Xu, Chongtian; Ehin, Piret, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines how religious affiliation, particularly to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), influences public attitudes toward European Union membership in Serbia. The relatively low public support for EU integration in Serbia highlights the importance of identifying contributing factors. Religion emerges as a key determinant, especially in contexts where religious institutions have a significant impact on societal values and political preferences. The Serbian Orthodox Church, beyond its role as a religious authority, serves as a symbol that is deeply tied to Serbian national identity. The thesis uses data from the European Social Survey (ESS10) and applies quantitative methods, including logistic regression, interaction, and variance analysis, to assess the impact of religious affiliation on attitudes toward EU membership, with national attachment as a conditional effect. The findings reveal that being a Serb Orthodox alone does not significantly affect attitudes toward the EU, while religiosity plays a more important role, with higher levels of religiosity associated with stronger opposition to EU membership. Incorporating European attachment as an additional moderator provides a deeper and statistically significant interpretation of the conditional effect of national attachment; as European identity strengthens, the conditional effect of national attachment diminishes among Serb Orthodox individuals. Variability in attitudes was more pronounced among Serb Orthodox individuals, particularly those with higher levels of religiosity, reflecting greater ambivalence on the issue. Overall, the thesis highlights the critical role of religious faith and identity dynamics in shaping public opinion on EU membership in Serbia, offering valuable implications for policymakers aiming to bridge societal divides and strengthen support for EU integration.

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Sirvi Poliitika ja valitsemine digiajastul – Master´s theses Märksõna "Euroopa Liit" järgi