Poliitika ja valitsemine digiajastul – Master´s theses

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Algorithm of interest: a qualitative analysis of the public debates in Dutch, UK, and Australian cases of algorithmic decision-making scandals
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Agirbas, Emre; Homburg, Vincentius Martinus Franciscus, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines scandals arising from algorithmic decision-making systems and the ensuing discourse, focusing on the concept of fairness in public debates. Three cases from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, where algorithmic systems were implemented in public institutions, are analyzed. Through qualitative research utilizing thematic analysis, textual data from e-petitions and media documents is thoroughly examined. The study reveals procedural and distributive justice as central themes in discussions surrounding fairness. Despite extensive exploration of fairness in political philosophy, empirical investigations remain limited. This thesis seeks to address this gap by empirically investigating the role of fairness in algorithmic decision-making scandals, highlighting its significance in contemporary discourse. Through the application of justice as fairness theory, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges and implications of algorithmic decision-making systems in public institutions. By examining real-world cases, it sheds light on the complexities of fairness in algorithmic governance, offering insights that can inform both policy and academic discourse.
Analyzing the populist voter in Europe: the effects of political news and internet usage on voting behaviour
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Apaestegui Cam, Luis Alberto; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Populism is one of the most researched topics in the past decade. There are many factors that can have an effect on the populist vote. It has been claimed that political news and internet use are some of them. Regarding the former, the mediatization and sensationalization of politics alongside the interdependence between political parties and the media could have an effect on people, which eventually might influence their voting behaviour. Regarding the latter, social media algorithms and unregulated content creates echo chambers and filter bubbles that are used by populists who are experts at using online tools to spread their ideas to a vast audience; which could translate into cast a vote for a populist party. Hence, this thesis analyses the effects of the media’s political news (PN) and internet usage (IU) on the populist voter to try to see if their consumption could be linked to voting for a populist party. It also tries to discover if rightwing populist voters (in comparison with left-wing populist and centrist populist voters) are those who spend more time watching political news and using the internet. In order to analyze this, two sets of logistic regression were performed. The first included the main variables of the study, PN and IU, and the second model was applied with the inclusion of 10 additional demographic and attitudinal variables. Each regression was tested in 22 European countries. Depending on types of populism found in each country, the regression was tested in right wing, left wing and centrist populist scenarios. In order to see which kind of populist voter consumes more news and internet, a t-test was carried out to compare the means for the groups of voters. The overall findings showed that the PN and IU do not have a significant effect, except for what can be considered an isolated scenario. Nonetheless, the full model permits the discovery of other findings that will help to give an overview of the behavioral traits of the populist voter.
Augmenting public sector data-driven decision support systems with expert knowledge: case of OTT
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Leets, Peeter; Solvak, Mihkel, juhendaja; Võrk, Andres, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Public sector data-driven decision support systems are uniquely challenging to design due to the ramifications they have on the societal level. Accountability and ethical considerations require these systems to arrive at an equilibirium between accuracy and interpretability amid various implementation and data constraints. While these systems need to contribute to legitimate governance through reasoned and explainable decision-making, they also need to accurately model the policy outcomes they were designed to support. Inopportunely, inductive data-driven systems struggle to solve problems that rely on heuristic input. In this thesis, a particular knowledge engineering technique was adopted to augment a public sector Machine Learning decision support tool with domain expert knowledge. The case in question is OTT – a job-seeker profiling tool used by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund to predict the long-term unemployment risks of their clients. Upon augmenting it with knowledge from caseworkers and data scientists associated with the project, some evidence was found that accounting for expert knowledge in probabilistic data-driven models can lead to a model that performs better on new out-of-sample data and is more in line with underlying domain rules. This yields important implications on the future of Machine Learning in the public sector as it opens up new potential use cases in avenues where 1) labelled training data is hard to come by, 2) a more generalizable model is preferred due to frequent changes in the surrounding context, 3) a model has to perfectly mimic domain logic for interpretability and explainability reasons.
“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.
BRICS's role in influencing the state capacity through sanctions-proofing: a comparative analysis of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela (2010–2022)
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Haiduk, Hanna; Wierenga, Louis John, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
State capacity, a pivotal concept in political science, has garnered extensive scholarly attention for its crucial role in shaping human progress. This thesis explores the origins, significance, and measurement of state capacity, emphasizing the influence of foreign policy tools, particularly economic sanctions. Initially, the study delineates the state's definition, tracing its historical evolution and examining its core components as articulated by Tilly and Mann. It then focuses on state capacity, defined by McAdam et al., as the degree of control state agents exercise over persons, activities, and resources within their territorial jurisdiction. The research investigates how economic sanctions, as a coercive foreign policy tool, impact the state capacity of targeted authoritarian regimes. Given the prevalent use of sanctions by the United States, the study selects three case countries—Russia, Iran, and Venezuela—examining the US-imposed secondary and oil sector sanctions. This focus is justified by the significant role of oil in these countries' economies and the global dominance of the US dollar. State capacity is analyzed through three dimensions: coercive, administrative, and extractive, relevant to the context of authoritarian regimes. The study introduces BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) as an explanatory variable, assessing its potential to mitigate the adverse effects of sanctions and support the sanctioned states' economic resilience. Employing qualitative research methods, including process tracing analysis, the thesis aims to elucidate the causal mechanisms linking sanctions, BRICS' interventions, sanctions-proofing tactics and changes in state capacity. Data sources include OFAC for sanctions, OPEC and Statista for oil market fluctuations, and the World Bank for state capacity indicators. The anticipated outcome suggests that countries with strong economic ties to BRICS will better withstand sanctions, maintaining more stable state capacity compared to those without such support. This research contributes to understanding the interplay between international economic policies and state capacities in authoritarian states.
Convergence or adaptation of cybersecurity policies: insights from Chile and Estonia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Mendoza Schmitz, Catalina; Muhhina, Kristina, juhendaja; Homburg, Vincentius Martinus Franciscus; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The topic of this thesis is cybersecurity policies, particularly whether, how and why there may be differences and similarities between Estonia and Chile in the parliamentary debate. This study concludes that there are similarities, like the use of the EU directive policy or other cases, and differences, such as how the institutional system worked in each case. An explanation for this is that both respect international organisations and the policy they produce and that similar cases may produce emulation. However, internal elements may still have a significant role to play. This conclusion was formulated using policy convergence theory (PCT) and punctuated equilibrium theory (PET) as a theoretical foundation in a small-n, qualitative country comparison using parliamentary debates, policy documents and additional interview transcripts as data sources. This thesis ends with an overall reflection, lessons learned and recommendations for future research in this area. like the weight of PET in the elements discussed in the parliament, other factors that can contribute to the policy change in the domain of cybersecurity and further questions.
Corruption, populism, and polarization: unraveling the causes of democratic backsliding in 68 countries
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Usmanov, Asilbek; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines the dynamics of democratic backsliding, focusing on the potential impacts of affective polarization, populism, and political corruption, with inflation as a control variable. Utilizing three primary datasets: the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) dataset, the V-Dem’s Party Dataset, and the World Bank’s Global Database of Inflation (GDI), the study conducts both univariate and multivariate regression analyses. The findings confirm that affective polarization significantly predicts changes in both electoral and deliberative democracy, supporting the hypothesis that increased polarization can lead to democratic backsliding. However, the relationships between populism and liberal democracy, and political corruption and egalitarian democracy, were not statistically significant at the conventional levels. Despite these limitations, this study contributes to the literature on democratic backsliding by highlighting the potential impact of political corruption, affective polarization, populism, and inflation on various forms of democracy. The findings underscore the complexity of democratic backsliding and the need for further research in this area. As democratic backsliding continues to be a pressing issue in many parts of the world, it is important to understand these dynamics. Future research could benefit from expanding the dataset to include more countries and a longer timeframe. This would increase the number of observations and potentially lead to more robust findings. Additionally, future studies could consider incorporating other variables that might influence democratic backsliding, such as institutional strength, and cultural factors.
Democracy and trends in wealth inequality: a global empirical study
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Smith, Joshua J.; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Effective democracy relies on the political equality of individuals, which is in turn influenced by wealth inequality levels. However, within-country wealth inequality has reached extreme levels in the world today and continues to rise. Conclusive information on whether democracies are effectively reducing or limiting wealth inequality as compared to non-democracies is currently lacking. Here I show that generally countries with high levels of democracy are not any more likely to reduce or limit wealth inequality than non-democratic states, using a rigorous methodology and data from 146 countries. Conversely, I also find that two specific aspects related to democracy, strong and independent elected regional government and widespread respect for civil liberties, do function to reduce or limit wealth inequality. My results demonstrate that democracy is in need of certain reforms to both increase political equality and limit wealth inequality. Besides providing empirical support for the practice of federalism as well as policies protecting civil liberties for the disadvantaged, this thesis also examines reasoning for why democracy may not be functioning to reduce or limit wealth inequality, and relevant policy recommendations are highlighted.
"Did we go too far?": Post-incumbency electoral performance after partnering with populist radical right in Europe 1999-2023
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Astudillo Laureda, Eduardo Alonso; Reiljan, Andres, juhendaja; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines the electoral consequences for the political parties that decided to collaborate in executive coalitions with Populist Radical Right Parties (PRRPs) in Europe. It addresses the need to understand the implications of these political alignments, given the growing frequency of such coalitions. Using a large-N quantitative analysis and linear regression model, this research analyzes electoral data from eleven European countries to explore the strategic implications of coalition formation with PRRPs. Even though the study reveals that there is no consistent impact and direction on overall electoral costs for forming such coalitions, the effect changes depending on a party's position on the left-right spectrum. The thesis finds that right-leaning parties face uncertain immediate electoral fates post-coalition, while left-leaning parties will perceive a negative electoral impact when entering a coalition with PRRPs. The findings have important implications for the study of multi-party competition as they challenge expectations regarding accommodative strategies and the efficiency of the cordon sanitaire. The research highlights the complex dynamics of ideological alignment, voter behavior, and the challenges of balancing core values against the need for strategic coalition-building.
Digital democracy in Europe: service design facilitating e-participation platforms
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Sheremet, Yuliia; Khutkyy, Dmytro, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This study investigates the impact of service design on citizen engagement in e-participation platforms within the context of digital democracy in Europe. With technological advancements significantly altering political processes and democratic engagement, this thesis explores how service design can facilitate citizen participation on digital platforms. The research encompasses a comparative analysis of eight e-participation platforms across Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Iceland, France, Scotland, and Ireland. Using a mixed-methods approach, including manual qualitative platform analysis, reports review, and expert surveys, the study identifies key factors in service design influencing user engagement and satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of user-friendly interfaces, accessibility features, and robust feedback mechanisms in enhancing platform effectiveness. The study provides recommendations for optimizing service design to improve citizen engagement and support democratic processes, ultimately contributing to the development of more effective e-participation platforms in Europe.
Effect of societal culture on women empowerment in the Panchayati Raj system in India
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Malik, Alpana; Kilp, Alar, juhendaja; Bhatti, Rampal, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This case study focuses on assessing the impact of societal cultures on women's empowerment within the Panchayati system in India, particularly in the Khanpur Kalan and Ganwari villages of Sonipat district, Haryana. Employing a qualitative approach with openended interviews, the research explores the cultural factors influencing gender treatment in both the Panchayat and village contexts. Thematic content analysis, guided by Hofstede’s Dimensions Theory of Culture and Kabeer’s Instrumental Model, identifies four main themes: Cultural factors in the Panchayat system, Cultural factors in the village, Village empowerment determinants, and Council empowerment determinants. The study reveals a dominance of masculine cultures, emphasizing gender roles. Despite women having access to resources, findings indicate insufficient empowerment, with low agency and achievement status. Informal cultures within Panchayats and villages significantly impact women's participation and efficiency in the studied region.
Environmental co-creation: barriers to codesigning public value in Estonia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Luud, Elli-Maria; Muhhina, Kristina, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This research looks into the co-production/creation landscape of Estonia and, more specifically, into public value creation. The focus of this study is on the barriers that societal actors encounter while engaging in the co-production process. The public value perceptions of societal actors engaged in co-production are considered. Drawing from literature about coproduction and public value, semi-structured interviews were conducted using four environmentally focused case studies. These case studies investigated between March and April of 2024 are the World Cleanup Day (2018 - present date), Tallinn’s Citizens’ Assembly for a Green Capital (2023), East-Viru County Green Plan (2020 - 2021) and Foodsharing Tartu (2019 - present date). The interviews were complemented by document analysis. The research identifies seven barriers to co-creation of public value in Estonia. These are the need for a common goal, recourses, observable outcomes, bureaucracy issues and need for change, the lack of community, language barriers and disregarding digital tools. In the final section of this thesis, a new operational framework for Estonian co-creation proposes mitigation strategies for these perceived barriers.
Gender blind spots? Network structures and gender in smart mobility: Bangkok and Khon Kaen, Thailand
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Thitasut, Kavisara; Muhhina, Kristina, juhendaja; Pääbo, Heiko, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Adding to the critiques of smart city planning being gender-blind, the issue of gender and mobility persists. Network governance, a collaborative approach involving diverse actors, presents a potential solution. Theoretically, this non-hierarchical structure fosters inclusive policy design. This research addresses a critical gap in literature by examining how network structures influence the integration of gender considerations in smart mobility programs. Feminist urbanism and network theory inform this study. Employing a qualitative approach with coding techniques, the research investigated smart mobility programs in Bangkok and Khon Kaen, Thailand. Data included interviews with nine informants across four stakeholder groups and 17 relevant documents. While network structures differed across the cases, the analysis revealed no significant variation in the strategies for integrating gender considerations. These findings highlight the need to focus on understanding gender in their respective policy arena, within networks, regardless of structure. The research concludes with policy recommendations for designing more gender-responsive smart mobility programs.
Governing private employment agencies in emerging markets: the case of labor migration governance in Kenya
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Nduati, Fiona Waithira; Muhhina, Kristina, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
There has been a steady increase in labor migration globally. This movement, facilitated by private employment agencies, is fueled by the need to find new opportunities for a better life and to improve overall well-being. However, for many unskilled and low-income migrant workers in emerging markets, their mobility is marked by many vulnerabilities that make them prone to exploitation, impeding their well-being. My thesis adopts a policy study approach to analyze the role of private employment agencies, focusing on the case of Kenya as an example of emerging markets and how their activities threaten the rights of low-income migrant workers. Further, this policy study proposes policy options for the case of Kenya on the governance of PEAs on safe labor migration governance of low-income migrant workers. Various arguments and studies have been conducted on low-income migrant workers in the context of emerging markets. However, these studies have focused on these workers' economic rights, primarily because of their economic value to home and destination countries. Others have taken a rights-based approach, which is primarily developmental. This policy study reframes the approach to the rights of low-income migrant workers by considering their human and labor rights while also leaning on the migration rights provisioned by the Global Compact for Migration. Using interviews and documents as my key methods, this policy study shows that the policy options for the governance of PEAs in Kenya should be applied in plurality and tandem. The findings in Kenya are positioned similarly to scholarly findings of PEAs in emerging markets. This study produces insights that indicate that approaches for the governance of PEAs in emerging markets lean towards hierarchical and network-based modes of governance. This policy study highlights the interconnectedness of structural factors of the labor market that pave the way for the exploitation of low-income migrant workers and how the proposed policy options for the governance of PEAs address those issues, leading to the ultimate protection of the rights of these workers.
Green Deal, clean break: assessing securitization of clean energy transition in Europe in the process of energy decoupling from Russia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Terentjev, Jan; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The weaponisation of energy by Russia before and after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine has underscored the vulnerability of Europe's dependence on imported fossil fuels. This has catalysed a growing demand for a transition towards green energy, characterised by local sustainable energy productive and reduced vulnerability to energy market manipulation by external actors. Central to this transition is the European Green Deal, a comprehensive set of policy measures aimed at enabling the European Union to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This thesis investigated the impact of Russia's energy weaponisation and the war in Ukraine on the EU’s policy regarding the transition to clean and renewable energy sources, employing a conceptual framework of securitization using discourse analysis as the analytical framework. The primary objective was to assess whether the weaponisation of energy by Russia following the invasion of Ukraine has elevated the transition to clean energy from a climate sustainability issue to a security imperative for the European Union. Through a comprehensive analysis of European Commission’s policy proposals, this paper determined that the European Commission has successfully securitised the issue by framing Russian weaponisation of energy supply as an existential threat to be resolved with extraordinary measures aimed at expansion of clean energy transition initiatives in the EU. The continued securitisation of the European Green Deal may thus be crucial to ensuring the success of the clean energy transition in the European Union.
Green parties in the globalization divide: economic policy positions as predictors of electoral results
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Haapanen, Ville; Talving, Liisa, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Can policy positions predict the electoral results of Green parties? By placing European Green parties in Western and Eastern Europe in a framework of globalized politics and conducting a large-N statistical analysis, this thesis shows that economic policy positions of Green parties are significant predictors of electoral results for Green parties, and that the comparatively weaker electoral results of Green parties in post-communist Europe can be explained through these policy positions. The results also show nuance in Green parties’ positioning within globalized political conflicts and contributes to the literature on the globalization divide.
Impact of being in the government for populist parties: the comparison of EKRE and the Finns Party
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Pulk, Meinhard; Talving, Liisa, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
In this thesis I use comparative process-tracing to compare how two far-right populist parties EKRE and the Finns Party behaved in their respective two years in the government, if and how their strategies differed from being in the opposition and what was the aftermath for both those parties. Using categorization from Katsanidou and Reinl (2020, 353), I compared parties on the axis of responsiveness and responsibility: which strategy the party chose while being in the government. I concluded that EKRE opted for more responsive strategy by continuing in its rhetoric and actions in the similar mood as they behaved in the opposition. The Finns Party, on the other hand, was much more modest in its positions, in rhetoric and actual policy but it ignited internal contradictions in the party, caused its split in 2017 and dropped back to the opposition. In the end, their fate was similar to EKRE, as more radical wing seized the domination in party and turned the Finns Party much more radical. In addition, neither EKRE’s nor the Finns Party’s ratings experienced significant decrease in the long run and thus the mainstream parties’ hope, that including populist parties in the government coalition can restrain them (Kuisma and Nygard 2017, ERR 2019) was short-sighted. I stated that the main reason why parties opted for different strategies lies in parties’ different history: the Finns Party as an older party had to solve differences between more traditional party elite and the radical wing of the party, which particularly on the grassroots level was influenced by some newer populism trends. This was not the case in EKRE, which has through years enjoyed relatively homogeneous internal life and whose agenda has been dominated by small circle of politicians.
The impact of education policy on human capital development; a case of Nigeria
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Adeniran, Titilade Philip; Talving, Liisa, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
One dividing line that has edged the developed countries above the developing countries is the calibre of human capital stock developed for national productivity. This study examines the impact of education policy on human capital development in Nigeria. Government expenditure on education (GEE) and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF) were used to measure education policy in Nigeria, while Human Development Index (HDI) was used to measure Human Capital Development. Secondary time series data on the employed variables sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin, World Bank Data bank, and Federal Inland Revenue Service annual reports for 2011 to 2021 were employed in the study. With the aid of an Econometric View, descriptive statistics, stationarity test, and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) techniques were used as data analysis methods. The findings reveal that GEE and TETF positively impact HDI, although the influence is not statistically significant. This implies that an increase in GEE and TETF promotes the stock of human capital in Nigeria, although at a nominal rate. The study concludes that education policy enhances human capital development positively. Therefore, for a significant impact of education policy on human capital development, the study recommends, among others, that education policy actors at various strata should increase the quantum of funds allocated to tertiary education. The government should also be committed to improving the quality of education by providing adequate financial resources to educational institutions and encouraging research and development.
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 impact of social media use on voter turnout and voting mode preferences: analysis of Estonian Parliament elections in 2019 and 2023
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Jurkov, Kirill; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis examines the influence of social media exposure on voter turnout and voting mode preferences during the 2019 and 2023 Estonian Parliament elections. Employing cross-sectional post-election survey data, the study evaluates how exposure to political content on social media platforms correlates with voter participation and the choice of voting methods, particularly Internet voting. The research employs multinomial and logistic regression analysis to ascertain the extent to which social media exposure fosters electoral participation and influences decisions to vote online rather than at traditional polling stations. Findings suggest that social media exposure can affect voter turnout numbers. Moreover, this study provides little evidence that this influence depends on the age of the voting-age population. The analysis of social media’s impact on voting mode preferences shows that social media exposure plays a marginal role in voters’ choice of voting mode regardless of their party affiliation. These results indicate that social media has a moderate effect on voting behaviour in Estonia. However, more research is needed to ensure the generalisability of the results.

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