Political Science Master’s thesis prize 2025: the nominees
Every Political Science master’s student at Leiden University completes their degree with thesis. The thesis provides students with the opportunity to pursue a topic of their choosing in depth and conduct independent research. It is a demanding task that requires dedication, attention to detail, and proper guidance from instructors and feedback from peers. Every year, our students produce excellent theses that contribute to current scholarly debates, and we want to recognise the best of these with our prestigious Political Science Master’s thesis award. For 2024-2025, the jury is considering fifteen nominations, covering a broad range of topics—from US military interventions to populism and African diaspora communities. On 31 October 2025, we will know the winner.
The jury, consisting of Corinna Jentzsch, Diana Davila Gordillo, and Daniel Thomas, is currently examining the following theses. The winner will be announced during the Master’s Graduation Ceremony on 31 October 2025.
The shortlist
- Sophie Tas: (De-)escalation? The Impact of U.S. Military Interventions on Conflict Intensity in the Post-Cold War Era (supervised by Eda Kiriscioglu)
- Aisha Macdougall: The Mundane Matters: Sumud as a Visual ‘Weapon of the Weak’ (supervised by Nicolas Blarel)
- Emma Swaters: Harmony in Disagreement: Examining the Interplay of Deliberation and Agonism (supervised by Jesse Doornenbal)
- Julius Jönson: Graying Borders – The Impact of Aging on Immigration in Latin America (supervised by Katie Brown)
- Vera Heerwaarden: ‘More Harm than Help’: Perpetuation of Colonial Narratives about Cambodian Locals in Voluntourists’ Instagram Posts (supervised by Esra Nartok-van der Kist)
- Marta Pisk: Stuck in the Waiting Room: The Link Between Prolonged Asylum Procedures and Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors in Europe (supervised by Jeff Michaels)
- Ilse Toom: The Effects of Confessionalism on National Security Cooperation (supervised by Maria Spirova)
- Lisanne Linck: Politiek zonder pauzeknop: de positie van coalitie- en oppositiepartijen in de permanente campagne (supervised by Peter Castenmiller)
- Patrick Daamen: Caretaker Cabinets: between Cooperation and Competition (supervised by Ingrid van Biezen)
- Bernardo Reis Dos Santos: Private Power and Rightful Authority in Algorithmic Governance (supervised by Jelena Belic)
- Qianyu Liu: Pedagogies of Control: Ideological Education and Authoritarian Governance under the Chinese Communist Party (supervised by Aris Agoglossakis)
- Julia Röhrig: The Politics of Compliance: How Populism Shapes States’ Responses to ECtHR Judgements (supervised by Gisela Hirschmann)
- Borna Turalija: Blue Helmets as Legitimation Currency: Conditional Effect of Regime Change on UN Peacekeeping Contributions (supervised by Rutger Hagen)
- Bas Ouwerkerk: Institutional Design and Policy Implementation: Examining Western-Based International Organisations in Non-Western Contexts (supervised by Esra Nartok - van der Kist)
- Emilia Stark: ‘Speaking Back’ to Development Frames: The Positioning of the Sub-Saharan African Diaspora in Dutch Development (supervised by Francesco Ragazzi)