The background to this study lies in the discrepancy between the special economic and
foreign-political importance of the EU for New Zealand and New Zealand’s low foreignpolitical
interaction and visibility in the 12 new EU Member States. This explorative study
is the first of its kind to investigate from New Zealand’s viewpoint whether any potential
connection points or areas of common interest may exist between New Zealand and
Hungary as one of the new EU Member States which might foster directly or indirectly
New Zealand’s national interests in the European Union (EU). Owing to the broad nature
of such an inquiry, the study encompasses the political, diplomatic, commercial, scientific,
and cultural interactions of the two countries from the 1970s until 2007.
The theoretical framework of the study builds on Small State Theory, its limitations for the
special setting of the thesis topic, however, suggested a necessity to incorporate the Theory
on the Role of Ethnic Networks in International Trade. The explorative nature of the
research topic required a qualitative research design, based on interviews, questionnaires,
and case studies in New Zealand and Hungary in the years 2005 and 2007. Research results
were compared with macro-level statistics and official analyses where available to support
and enhance analytic validity.
The thesis concludes that a solely trade focused foreign policy would not bring the
advantages desired by New Zealand. Instead, the research suggests various alternative
areas and ways to serve cost effectively New Zealand’s foreign political goals not just in
Hungary but also in the Central and Eastern European region in general.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/1567 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Ember, Adrienna |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Adrienna Ember, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
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