Winner Thesis Award
EUROPEAN MEDIA FREEDOM ACT: ECONOMIC AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF ARTICLES 4, 5 AND 19.
Adam Lybaert (University of Antwerp)
Every year, the Fund for Cultural Management of the University of Antwerp alternately awards a prize to a thesis or doctorate in cultural management. This year it is the turn of a master's thesis. The Fund aims to stimulate research into and the quality of management in the cultural and creative sectors and also provide opportunities to young researchers.
This year, the jury for the Thesis Prize consisted of nine specialists from both the academic world and the art and culture sector at home and abroad: Johan Kolsteeg (professor of Cultural Entrepreneurship). and Cultural Leadership at the University of Groningen), Tom Ruette (Head of knowledge management at Kunstenpunt), Avril Joffe (Unesco Chair at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa), Olga Van Oost (director at FARO); Bart Temmerman (Secretary General of the Flemish Department of Culture, Youth and Media), Dirk De Corte (professor of Financial Management within the Master Cultural Management at the University of Antwerp), Bruno Verbergt (professor Strategic management within the Master Cultural management, Walter van Andel (Professor cultureel entrepreneurship and innovation from the UA and the HKU in Utrecht) and Annick Schramme Academic Director of the Master Cultural Management from the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School.
This year the harvest was very rich. We have received a significant number of high-quality theses: 22 master theses from 4 different countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and France). For example, a study was conducted into what strategy museums can develop to support inclusive youth activities, another study on the international cultural diplomacy of Burkina Faso in their cooperation with the European Union, a study of the entrepreneurial capacity of craft collectives, a study to the Art Basel Effect on the careers and success of emerging artists, and so much more.
The jury is very pleased with the large number of submissions and the great diversity of themes; However, it does not make it easier to evaluate the submitted theses from a comparative perspective. In the final selection, the jury took the following criteria into account:
- the originality and innovative character of the subject
- the strength of the theoretical and conceptual framework
- the quality of the chosen methodology
- the depth of the analysis
- the relevance of the conclusions and the creativity of the recommendations
After a second round, the jury was left with a shortlist of three candidates. Our congratulations to the 3 selected candidates! After the final deliberation, the jury ultimately selected one winner. In particular Adam Lybaert from the University of Antwerp with his thesis “EUROPEAN MEDIA FREEDOM ACT: ECONOMIC AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF ARTICLES 4, 5 AND 19.” In his thesis he conducts research into the dynamics of media freedom, focusing on the establishment of the EMFA (European Media Freedom Act) in response to increasing challenges within this domain. It provides an in-depth analysis of the potential economic and policy implications of specific articles related to media freedom, focusing on different stakeholders, and identifies both existing obstacles and possible solutions to ensure the effectiveness of the EMFA.
The jury would also like to give an honorable mention to Clara Raquel Mealha Antunes from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (PROSPECTING OTHERWISE: STIRRING CULTURE'S ROLE IN TACKLING THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY) and Marianna Lörincz (ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH IMPROVISATIONAL THEATER PRACTICES: ARTS-BASED METHOD USAGE FOR IMPROVING ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES) from Erasmus University Rotterdam for the quality and originality of their theses.