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As climate change progresses, empirical evidence of the consequences for human livelihoods is accumulating. In particular, droughts and their impact on migration have been receiving increased attention. Some researchers argue that droughts have produced millions of climate refugees around the developing world, while others dispute this connection. Sub-Saharan Africa has been identified as a region of high vulnerability to climate change and weather extremes, with the Sahel in particular being the most prone to droughts due to its aridity. In this thesis I examine the impact of insufficient moisture on international and internal migration in a panel of eight countries of the Sahel, using more recent origin-destination data on migration than have been used in previous studies. By estimating panel regression models with time- and country-specific fixed effects, I arrive at the conclusion that the impact of droughts on internal migration is strongly dependent on the level of GDP, and is present only in some countries. This result implies that previous studies may have overestimated the number of climate migrants by not accounting for interactive effects. The impact of droughts on international migration is more universal and robust to different model specifications, but still exhibits heterogeneous effects. An estimate of 2.5 million international drought migrants in the year 2020 is put forward. Projections indicate that this number could grow to around 100 million by the end of the century assuming the current level of population growth and an intermediate climate scenario.

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The Chinese luxury market is a very attractive market for international luxury brands. As the Chinese people's standard of living has risen tremendously in recent years, they are also wealthier and more willing to buy luxury goods. This paper researches the Chinese luxury market through two case studies on two small Belgian luxury fashion labels, namely Katerin Theys Belgium - Hong Kong and Jan-Jan Van Essche. In doing so, the research focuses on marketing strategy. Both the marketing strategy in general, as well as the use of social media in the campaigns and the choice of a target group are discussed in this paper. Already existing research describes several possible marketing strategies to enter the Chinese luxury market, however, there is a gap in the literature, namely the use of social media. Looking at the target groups, already existing articles differentiate based on generations, people's attitude towards luxury goods and people's reason of purchase. The research question of this study is as follows: "What are the marketing strategies of small Belgian luxury fashion labels in China?". This research question is further complemented by two subsidiary questions, namely, "Is advertising on social media effective or necessary for all products and brands?" and "How do small Belgian luxury fashion labels define their target group?" To answer these research questions, the paper uses the methodology of semi-structured interviews. An interview guide was prepared for the interviews, as a tool to guide the interview but to leave enough room for sub-questions and themes. The paper analyses and discusses the results that emerged from the interviews using a comparison. The answers of the two interviewees from the two different brands were compared both to each other and to pre-existing articles. The main findings are that a comprehensive marketing strategy is not necessary for all types of businesses. This thesis discusses two small Belgian luxury fashion labels, namely Katerin Theys Belgium - Hong Kong and Jan-Jan Van Essche. The study found that neither brand has a comprehensive marketing strategy to exploit the Chinese luxury market and does not urgently need one, although at Katerin Theys Belgium - Hong Kong it is expected to be useful soon. At Jan-Jan Van Essche, they question whether it is necessary, but remain sort of averse to marketing. In terms of social media, the study concludes that both brands make fairly little use of it. They both have an Instagram account and are open to creating an account on Little Red Book, but this is not yet in use. Other Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat and Douyin were not mentioned in the interviewees' answers. Also, both brands do not have a clearly defined target audience. Finally, this thesis mentions some limitations and opportunities for future research. The main limitation is that it was a small convenience sample. By expanding this sample in future research, the results may be more representative.

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In 2013 more than 3.5 million Chinese tourists visited Europe and the China Tourism Academy expects this number to double during 2014. This oncoming swarm of tourists will have an impact on the economy of visited tourist destinations. Unsurprisingly, China's oubound tourism is a much debated subject these days. Despite recent attention, the scope of existing research in this field is still limited. The focus is generally on social and microeconomic aspects, such as means to attract and please Chinese visitors. International optimization of the tourism industry, however, requires research on Chinese tourism from a broad and international economic perspective.The main research question of this dissertation is: how big is the economic impact of Chinese outbound tourism on destination countries such as Belgium? We approach this question throughout three chapters: Tourism Policy in China, the Chinese Outbound Tourist and the Economic Impact of Chinese Outbound Tourism on Belgium. In order to achieve the research purpose, several kinds of qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied on primary and secondary data.The first chapter commences with an explanation of the 'tourism policy paradigm of China'. This paradigm was introduced by Dabid Airey and King Chong. It is useful for the interpretation of tourism policies. For example, the Chinese government recently started encouraging outbound tourism, partly because it recognized the fit of the economic impact of outbound tourism as a means for diplomatic pressure. This chapter is mainly based on qualitative research of secondary data, but also of primary data such as media coverage on recent policy changes. The second chapter focuses on the Chinese outbound tourists themselves. Data from previous research of the China Tourism Academy and the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute are complemented with primary data from a survey research. According to research results, over 163,000 Chinese tourists will re...

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English summary Since the Reform and Opening up, China has known unprecedented economic growth. However, this economic development has been at the expense of the environment. China is now facing high levels of pollution and environmental deterioration. In order to better cope with these environmental problems, the Communist Party of China promoted the development of a new environmental multi-level governance model during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party in 2017. In this new model, the government plays a leading role, enterprises form the main body, while social organizations and the public have a participatory role. This thesis focuses on the role enterprises play in this new model by answering the research question: “What role do Chinese private technology companies play in China’s environmental governance?” This thesis is composed of two main parts. The first part provides a review of the existing literature on China’s environmental governance and the place private enterprises take in this governance. This literature review shows that the poor environmental outcomes obtained by China’s fragmented authoritarian environmentalism led the Xi administration to develop a new environmental multi-level governance system. This part further analyses the literature on the role of the public, social organizations and enterprises in this new system. The second part of this thesis consists of an original research. This research uses Alibaba Group as case study to answer the research question. This research conducted a content analysis of secondary sources. The main data sources are ESG reports published by Alibaba Group and annual reports released by Alibaba Foundation. The results of this research shows that Chinese private technology companies play various roles in China’s environmental governance. First, they play a role in the field of environmental data disclosure. The case study shows that Alibaba Group works with governmental institutions and external audit firms to improve the quality and transparency of its own environmental data. In addition, it also encourages other companies to improve their environmental transparency. Secondly, technology companies encourage enterprises to reduce their impact on the environment. Not only did Alibaba Group take actions to reduce its impact on the environment, thanks to its financial and technological resources, the Group can also offer more effective technologies to other companies. This enables these companies to reduce their impact on the environment. Thirdly, Chinese private technology companies encourage and make it easier for the public to participate in environmental actions. The position of technology companies in the Chinese society and economy allows them to reach hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens. Since a few years, technology companies have started using this position to encourage people to participate in China’s environmental governance. Fourthly, Alibaba Group works with other environmental organizations on projects and initiatives to improve environmental knowledge and awareness among Chinese citizens through its philanthropic foundation, the Alibaba Foundation. Nevertheless, it is important to note that although technology companies are beginning to play a role in China’s environmental governance, their position in the Chinese economy and society gives them the ability to do more. Future research should focus on the evolution of their role in China’s environmenta

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The Legal Strategies of China in the South China Sea: A Comparative Legal Analysis of the Chinese and International Law of the Sea The South China Sea is a strategically important seafaring route, with over a third of global trade passing through it annually. Additionally, it is rich with fishing grounds, oil and gas reserves. Add to this mix the frayed relationships between the Asian nations of the region, and one has the ingredients for a complex geopolitical struggle. The conflict in the South China Sea is a territorial and maritime dispute involving several nations that has been making headlines worldwide for over a decade. The focus of the media attention is often on China, an economic powerhouse that is increasingly starting to take centre stage on matters of world politics. China has long stated it was the rightful ruler of a series of contested islands in the region, and in recent years it has started to build artificial islands and military facilities near them in order to strengthen its claims, as well as regularly patrol the South China Sea. In response, affected South-East-Asian nations claimed China was violating the international law of the sea, and in particular UNCLOS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As tensions rose, the Philippines eventually brought its case before an international arbitral tribunal in January 2013. China, however, refused to participate in the arbitration, and did not adhere to its verdict when the tribunal ruled mostly in favour of the Philippines in 2016. As of today, there is still no end to the conflict in sight. Although western media often cover China’s apparent infringements of UNCLOS, western audiences never really find out about China’s actual legal policy concerning the law of the sea, nor do they ever learn about the Chinese perspective on the South China Sea Conflict and international law. This paper aims to remedy that knowledge gap by trying to analyse China’s law of the sea, as well as the historical and cultural context behind it, in order to finally answer the following research question: Which legal strategies does China use to achieve its goals in the South China Sea? The first part of the paper explains the methodology and elaborates further on the research question. The second part features a thorough analysis of both UNCLOS and the relevant Chinese legislation regarding the law of the sea, after which a detailed comparison takes place according to the principles of comparative law. Also included in this part is the examination of the Chinese legal doctrine of historic rights, as well as the meaning and legality of the well-known nine-dash line, before concluding with a case study of the 2016 arbitration. The third and final part of the paper looks at what the future might bring for the conflict in the South China Sea. The conclusion of the paper is that China uses an array of legal strategies to achieve its goals in the South China Sea, of which the most important one is the use of the doctrine of the nine-dash line. This line allows China to extend its territorial claims in the region, while still being ambiguous enough in its meaning to prevent China from being seen as obviously violating international law. Through the use of this strategy, China erodes the legal power of the UNCLOS treaty, and as a result risks to weaken the established international legal order.