Hilde Spaan

Research

A working archive of theses and research papers, organised around the three interests that guide my work. Drafts circulate freely; please cite carefully and reach out before quoting unpublished material.

§ 01

Framing Theory

How media and political actors construct the lenses through which social issues are seen and debated.

  1. 2025
    Bachelor levelDutch

    Legitieme Zorg of Medisch Experiment? Framing van het Gebruik van Puberteitsremmers in de Transgenderzorg in de Nederlandse Media

    BSc Sociology Thesis · VU Amsterdam

    An interpretative study using inductive frame analysis to examine how Dutch media shapes the narrative surrounding gender-affirming care, with a focus on the use of puberty blockers at the Amsterdam UMC.

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  2. 2025
    Master levelEnglish

    Media Framing and the Migration Debate: A Case Study of the February 2024 Eritrean Riots in The Hague

    Research Master · Universiteit van Amsterdam

    Examines how Dutch news media framed the February 2024 Eritrean unrest in The Hague, and how those frames shape the broader public conversation about migration.

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  3. 2025
    Master levelEnglish

    Framing Punishment in the Digital Arena: Political Discourse and Public Support for Alternative Sanctions in the Netherlands

    Research Master · Universiteit van Amsterdam

    A mixed-methods content analysis of political social media (X) and public responses, investigating how 'law-and-order' rhetoric impacts support for non-carceral, alternative punishments.

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§ 02

Gender & Intimate Partner Violence

The systemic, cultural and institutional dynamics that shape gendered violence and access to care.

  1. 2025
    Bachelor levelEnglish

    Accessing Reproductive Healthcare: Challenges Faced by Undocumented Young Adults

    Research paper · NWA Basic for Resilience consortium

    An exploration of the cultural and societal stigmas that hinder healthcare access for undocumented young adults in the Netherlands.

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§ 03

Civic Responsibility & Accountability

How responsibility for safety, care and the common good is redistributed between states, citizens and civic initiatives.

  1. 2026 — present
    Work · VU AmsterdamEnglishOngoing

    Mapping Citizen Initiatives in the Netherlands

    VU Amsterdam · Centre for Philanthropic Studies

    Quantitative project commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, mapping the landscape of citizen initiatives across the Netherlands.