In this article we present the results of research into quality control systems in Dutch mental health care (GGZ). So far, little is known about the efficacy of quality control systems in this sector. A mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods has been applied (interviews, focus groups, questionnaires and document analysis) to find out how these systems were applied in mental health care and how their use could be explained.
The findings show that the implementation of quality control systems was limited and highly selective. The system appears to be permanently failing, a fact recognized by most parties, yet mistrust prevents change. This confirms the assumption from institutional theory that some parts of organizations can have a symbolic rather than a real effect. In this case, it seems that the presence of quality control systems is valued over the actual improvement of quality.

What happens in the case of massive deregulation in the local public domain? Despite the widespread call for ‘less regulation’, the effects of large-scale deregulation have received surprisingly little academic attention. In this article, we present the results of a longitudinal study on the effects of deregulation in the Dutch municipality of Hollands Kroon. The municipality abolished a vast number of regulations on public order offences in a radical two-year policy experiment, encouraging citizens to exercise more social control. In contrast, criticasters expected that the experiment would lead to more public offenses and conflict. Based on our data collected over three survey rounds; focus groups with citizens, politicians and civil servants; and several secondary data sources, we conclude that there was little effect: neither an increase in public order offences, nor an increase in social control. Our research shows that, in the short term, deregulation did not significantly affect the behavior of citizens.

Discussions of public service motivation tend to emphasize the idealistic side of civil servants, stressing how they are led by self-sacrifice and a commitment to the public good. This article adopts a different perspective by linking the personality trait of narcissism to public service motivation. This notion was tested through a survey among employees of three public organizations. The statistical analysis shows that personalities with narcissistic elements tend to be more attracted to the world of policy and politics. This is accompanied by diminished feelings of compassion. Although the significance of this correlation should not be overstated, it does show that the link between public service motivation and commitment to the public interest is more complex than is sometimes suggested. Given the growth of narcissistic tendencies in contemporary society, it may be effective to take account of them in recruiting and managing civil service personnel.

Recent developments shed a new light on the role of Lipsky's classic analysis of the street-level bureaucrat. A growing number of social services is provided as a product of cooperation between different actors: government agencies, societal organizations, private businesses, citizens. As a result of this development, the street-level bureaucrat now increasingly operates in an interorganizational network, rather than within one single organization. This (partly) changes the dilemmas he has to deal with. The authors demonstrate this by analyzing the so-called ‘Achter de Voordeur’ projects, whereby house-calls of street-level bureaucrats are linked with full cooperation between local authorities.

Dutch housing policy has been reformed dramatically over the last fifteen years. The reforms were preceded by an equally dramatic policy crisis during the 1970s and 1980s. This article attempts to explain the development of both the crisis and the subsequent reforms. An important explanatory variable is the logic of provision, relating to the fact that housing comes in the shape of stock and capital. However, the institutional logic of Dutch housing policy, notably the fact that most social housing providers are traditionally private nonprofits, has also proved of vital significance in determining the outcome of the reform process. Distinguishing the effects of the logic of provision and the institutional logic enables an analysis of how policy feedback, the inheritance from previous policies, may cause both policy crisis and policy reform.

The European Commission has attempted to incorporate non-state actors in European decision-making through the so-called 'social dialogue' and 'civil dialogue'. The actors involved in the two dialogues are, respectively, social partners and civil society organisations. In this article we compare the two dialogues in terms of theories on the development of corporatist governmental arrangements. Our analysis shows that, whereas the social dialogue can now be characterised as corporatist, the civil dialogue remains pluralist in nature. We account for this difference by considering the interests of the actors involved, windows of opportunity and internal responsiveness.

Onderzoek naar het maatschappelijk middenveld bevindt zich in een permanente identiteitscrisis, omdat het een vaag afgebakend en veranderlijk tussendomein in de samenleving betreft. Juist door deze eigenschappen kan het middenveld, nu hybridisering een steeds wijder verbreid fenomeen is, een inspiratiebron voor de bestuurskunde worden. Op termijn zal het proces van hybridisering de in beleid en bestuur nog veelvuldig gehanteerde traditionele ideaaltypen van markt, overheid en middenveld en daarmee verbonden coördinatiemechanismen steeds minder bruikbaar maken. Hybridisering dwingt de bestuurskunde uiteindelijk tot conceptuele vernieuwing.

‘Sehr selten ist Handeln, insbesondere soziales Handeln, nur in der einen oder der andren Art orientiert. Ebenso sind diese Arten der Orientierung natürlich in gar keiner Weise erschöpfende Klassifikationen der Arten der Orientierung des Handelns, sondern für sociologische Zwecke geschaffene, begrifflich reine Typen, denen sich das reale Handeln mehr oder minder annähert oder aus denen es -noch häufiger- gemischt ist’ (Max Weber).

Een vergelijking tussen ontwikkelingen in het bedrijfsleven en de publieke sector leert dat maatschappelijke verantwoording in het bedrijfsleven prominenter op de agenda staat dan in de publieke sector. De positie van de interne toezichthouders en de aandeelhouders is in het bedrijfsleven sterker. Jaarverslagen en websites van het bedrijven in het algemeen scoren beter dan die van de publieke sector. Daarnaast worstelen beide sectoren met vergelijkbare vragen: de betrouwbaarheid en de relevantie van nietfinanciële verantwoordingsinformatie vormen een probleem en de interactie met stakeholders is voor beide sectoren van toenemend belang.