This work explores the notion of independence as it relates to international civil servants and secretariats. It identifies the fundamental characteristics of the term and examines how the... Show moreThis work explores the notion of independence as it relates to international civil servants and secretariats. It identifies the fundamental characteristics of the term and examines how the independence of international civil service can erode. It describes the acts and omissions of three main actors responsible for preserving this independence: member states, international organizations, and international civil servants. The work concludes by providing concrete recommendations for strengthening the independence of the international civil service. Show less
This thesis focuses on the duty of independence and impartiality for arbitrators. The starting point is unambiguous: an arbitrator should be independent and impartial. Less unambiguous is the... Show moreThis thesis focuses on the duty of independence and impartiality for arbitrators. The starting point is unambiguous: an arbitrator should be independent and impartial. Less unambiguous is the answer to the question of what this duty of arbitral independence and impartiality entails. This thesis aimed to shed light on this (general) research question.The objective of this doctoral research was twofold. On the one hand, the objective was to gain insight into the way in which the duty of arbitral independence and impartiality is interpreted judicially. To this end, it was examined how the duty is interpreted in arbitration legislation, institutional rules, and (arbitral) court rulings. On the other hand, the objective was to shed light on a number of (open) questions related to the scope of the duty. In this respect, it was examined, among other things, who exactly is subject to the duty, how the duty emerges in arbitration legislation and institutional rules, what the duty aims to achieve, the question from when and to when arbitrators must be independent and impartial, and whether the parties can waive the right to an independent and impartial arbitrator. Show less
This thesis explains the dynamics and nature of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s (KRI) de facto statehood since its inception in 1991, in particular the vicissitudes de facto independence since then.... Show moreThis thesis explains the dynamics and nature of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s (KRI) de facto statehood since its inception in 1991, in particular the vicissitudes de facto independence since then. This dissertation characterises de facto statehood in Kurdistan, and uncovers the dynamics of de facto statehood in Iraqi Kurdistan at internal, national and international levels. Kurdistan’s de facto statehood (such as territorial control, monopoly on the use of violence, and engagement with the international community) is shown to be inherently characterised by fluidity. In this thesis, fluidity is defined as a highly unstable nature of de facto statehood in the relational context of non-recognition. The dissertation reports on interviews with a number of high profile politicians and policy makers from the region to provide unique insights, among others the three main factors at play in the fluidity of the de facto state of Iraqi Kurdistan: the balance of power between the regional capital of Erbil and the Iraqi national capital of Baghdad; the level and form of internal fragmentation; and the change of strategies to gain international recognition. Show less
The dissertation compares the institutional forms of the five United Nations criminal tribunals and their oversight bodies to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these forms in terms of the... Show moreThe dissertation compares the institutional forms of the five United Nations criminal tribunals and their oversight bodies to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these forms in terms of the governance of the tribunals and the protections for their independent functioning. Show less
This dissertation highlights that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) generally have the ability and the desire to manage their affairs more independently, which can positively influence... Show moreThis dissertation highlights that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) generally have the ability and the desire to manage their affairs more independently, which can positively influence their lives. Promoting self-management in people with ID therefore deserves more attention. Whereas previous self-management interventions for people with ID mostly focused on teaching singular practical skills, we aimed to target the promotion of overall self-management. Several barriers are experienced when trying to promote this, such as a lack of time for support staff to guide people with ID, and staff and relatives taking over. What seems necessary is more time and support, next to a clear, tailored, and step-by-step approach. Fostering the transfer of learnt skills to daily life also needs to be considered in interventions, as well as involving the support network of relatives and support staff. Staff need to ensure good communication and coordination between all people involved, adopt a tailored approach, positively encourage people with ID during the learning process, and let them handle things as much as possible themselves. In our evaluations of self-management interventions for people with ID, we concluded that these are generally found to be effective. Show less
People with intellectual disabilities (ID) commonly struggle with managing their affairs, while they consider it important to beindependent. This study aimed to gain insight into the perspectives... Show morePeople with intellectual disabilities (ID) commonly struggle with managing their affairs, while they consider it important to beindependent. This study aimed to gain insight into the perspectives of people with ID, legal representatives, and support staff onpromoting independence in this population. Two focus groups were conducted with people with ID (n= 7), two with legal repre-sentatives (n= 13), and three with support staff (n= 17). Topics included the meaning of independence, the current level andneeds of people with ID regarding their independence, and what they perceived as barriers and requirements when wanting to pro-mote independence in this group. Possible outcomes of a greater independence of people with ID were also discussed. Verbatimtranscripts were analyzed qualitatively with a general inductive approach. According to the respondents, people with ID requiresupport from others, but most want to be more independent. Various barriers are experienced when trying to promote indepen-dence. These concern barriers at the level of support staff (e.g., lack of time), family (e.g., taking over tasks), and of the persons withID themselves (e.g., emotional difficulties). When promoting independence in this population, more support and time seem neces-sary, as well as a clear, step-by-step tailored approach and good communication between all parties involved. Last, several advan-tages (e.g., greater self-worth) and risks (e.g., overestimation by others, greater exposure to hazards) were proposed that couldresult from a greater independence of people with ID. As this study showed that people with ID generally want to become moreindependent. This stresses the need for the development of interventions, which could benefit from thefindings from this study. Show less
BackgroundPeople with intellectual disabilities have increasing difficulties managing their daily affairs. This study examined the effectiveness of a staff training, which teaches staff to promote... Show moreBackgroundPeople with intellectual disabilities have increasing difficulties managing their daily affairs. This study examined the effectiveness of a staff training, which teaches staff to promote self-management in people with intellectual disabilities.MethodEffectiveness was assessed with questionnaires addressing clients' (n=26) independence and self-reliance, support needs and challenging behaviour, using a pre-posttest control group design. Additionally, focus groups were conducted with trained staff members 6months after the training.ResultsIn the long term, the intervention group showed a significant increase in independence and self-reliance, in contrast to the comparison group. No effect was found on support needs and challenging behaviour. Trained staff members reported limited benefits of the training, but had noticed changes in their attitude and method of working afterwards.ConclusionsFurther self-management research is required to investigate how independence and self-reliance can be promoted more effectively in this population. Future trainings should carefully consider their content, format, and implementation. Show less
The integration of Latin America has been a complex process. It has been characterized as a journey of improvements and setbacks, of sewing and then tearing apart. The main issue has been how to... Show moreThe integration of Latin America has been a complex process. It has been characterized as a journey of improvements and setbacks, of sewing and then tearing apart. The main issue has been how to build a strong and cohesive region in a context of strong nation states. The process of independence in the 19th century led to a debate concerning the creation of the Bolivarian inspired __Patria Grande__ (__Great Nation__) or the construction of separate states. While the Westphalian model of nation state ultimately triumphed, the yearning for regional integration remained encoded in Latin America__s aspirations. The pull towards integration was dormant following independence, as most countries rejected the goal of institutionalized and supranational associations. This pull regained strength after the turbulent period of both World Wars and the Great Depression, events that led countries to rethink their international insertion strategies. Show less
he creation of European Union agencies is arguably one of the most prominent institutional innovations at the EU level in recent history. Especially since the early 1990s, the EU and its member... Show morehe creation of European Union agencies is arguably one of the most prominent institutional innovations at the EU level in recent history. Especially since the early 1990s, the EU and its member states delegated a wide range of (semi-)regulatory, monitoring, and coordination tasks to a quickly growing number of agencies. Most existing research focuses on the creation of these agencies. As a result, we do not know much about how agencies develop after their creation. EU agencies are formally independent, but do they also behave autonomously in practice? How does actual autonomy vary across EU agencies and how does this affect the role these agencies play in the multi-level system of European governance? This study addresses these questions theoretically and empirically by comparing six EU agencies – the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Environm ent Agency (EEA), the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), Europol and Eurojust. It shows how some of these agencies develop into relatively autonomous entities by acquiring a distinct organisational character and by generating support from actors in their environment, whereas other agencies do so to a much lesser extent or not at all. Show less
