A theoretical exploration towards the undemocratic nature of national borders.
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2025-12-31
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en
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This thesis examines the democratic legitimacy of border governance in the Dutch-German border region. While contemporary border scholarship has shifted from viewing borders as fixed territorial barriers toward understanding them as dynamic borderscapes, governance practices within the European Union remain largely state-centred. Drawing on border theory, democratic theory, and insights from an internship at the Euregio, the thesis analyses how this disconnect produces structural inequalities for borderlanders. Through illustrative cases such as cross-border healthcare access and environmental governance, the study demonstrates how policies with cross-border effects often lack inclusivity, accountability, transparency, and non-discrimination. To assess these dynamics, the thesis develops and applies five democratic indicators grounded in democratic theory and human rights frameworks. The analysis shows that democratic shortcomings in border regions are systemic rather than incidental. Building on borderscaping literature, the thesis explores the potential of participatory, cross-border governance arrangements as a normative pathway toward enhancing democratic legitimacy. By reframing borders as lived political spaces rather than jurisdictional endpoints, this research contributes to debates on border governance, democracy, and European integration.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen