Interest groups play an important role within a democratic society. Less is known about their role within the legal system. Meanwhile, interest groups are the driving force behind many high-profile... Show moreInterest groups play an important role within a democratic society. Less is known about their role within the legal system. Meanwhile, interest groups are the driving force behind many high-profile lawsuits against the Dutch government, such as the lawsuits concerning climate change, the quality of asylum facilities, and the Dutch nitrogen policy. This research focuses on the access of interest groups to the courts. How extensive is their access? Does it threaten or protect a democratic society under the rule of law? The access of interest groups to Dutch administrative and civil courts is evaluated in terms of legitimacy and effectiveness. Since interest group litigation is at the intersection of politics and law, the research adopts an interdisciplinary approach. Beyond the boundaries of Dutch legal scholarship, it seeks insights from social sciences regarding the role of interest groups within the political decision-making process. Additionally, it examines, from a legal sociological perspective, the role that interest groups play in public interest litigation in the United States. As a result, the research explores approaches, concepts, and arguments that have largely remained outside of the Dutch legal legal discourse. Ultimately, this leads to a reassessment of both the legitimacy and effectiveness of interest groups' access to the courts. Show less
In this dissertation I investigate how individuals respond to collective disadvantage from the perspective of regulatory focus theory. Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between two motivational... Show moreIn this dissertation I investigate how individuals respond to collective disadvantage from the perspective of regulatory focus theory. Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between two motivational systems: promotion focus, the system in charge of the approach of positive end-states, and prevention focus, the system in charge of the avoidance of negative end-states. In 7 studies I investigate the effects of promotion and prevention focus on 1) low status group members’ choice between seeking individual or group status improvement, 2) their level of commitment to collective status improvement and 3) the extent to which they see hostile forms of collective action (e.g. riots, sabotage) as justified. The results showed that activation of the prevention system (compared to activation of the promotion system) causes members of low status groups 1) to prefer collective status improvement over individual status improvement, 2) to commit to collective action when they value its goal, even when the likelihood of achieving this goal is low and 3) to come to see hostile forms of collective action as justified in order to reach group status improvement. I conclude that activation of the prevention system is more conducive to collective action than activation of the promotion focus. Show less
