| Abstract [eng] |
The subject of this thesis "Life on Mars?" A Qualitative Case Study of Space Agencies‘ Responses to the Artemis Accords“ is the 2020 Artemis Accords announced by the US State Department and NASA. The research seeks to understand how the theory of political institutionalism can explain the reactions of private and national actors to the Artemis Accords by analyzing the motives of SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, the European Space Agency, Roscosmos, and China's National Space Administration. The chosen method of comparative case analysis helped to understand how the variables "interest", "technological capabilities" and "political ideology" contributed to the reactions of actors to these agreements. In order to achieve this goal, the main tasks of the thesis were: to analyze the existing literature on political institutionalism and its relevance to the Artemis Accords; understand and analyze the reactions of private actors SpaceX and Blue Origin to the Artemis Accords; to understand and analyze the reactions of space agencies such as the European Space Agency, Roscosmos, China National Space Administration and NASA to the Artemis Accords; explore the role of interests, technological capabilities, and political ideology in shaping these reactions; analyze the results of the research, present conclusions and recommendations and evaluate the theoretical and empirical significance of the research work; identify possible directions of new research. The research revealed that institutions‘ choices in responding positively or negatively to the Artemis Accords are best understood through a rational choice approach to political institutionalism. States and private actors are guided by their own interests – be it national security, the development of their international influence, or the increase of profits – in deciding whether or not to support these agreements. The study also revealed the weakening of Russia's space industry and the need for the country to choose a new international partner. In addition, it is noted that the Artemis Accords need to be explained and analyzed in more detail due to the different interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty by the states. In order to reduce such legal uncertainty, there is a great need for additional legal acts or acts accompanying the current Artemis Accords. The theoretical significance of this work is related to the application of rational political institutionalism in explaining actions related to space initiatives. This work has shown that the theory of political institutionalism is widely applicable, and states and private actors, when cooperating in space, behave rationally, mostly guided by their own interests. The empirical significance of this work contributes to a deeper understanding of the actors' motives and, in certain cases, reveals the existing difference between their official policy and real actions when making decisions. The prospect for future research in this field is extremely broad – researchers could analyze how historical or sociological institutionalism can explain the reactions of different actors to the Artemis Accords, which propose a renewed institutional order for international space activities. |
