This article describes the main trends in refugee policies in sixteen Dutch cities, offering an overview of the local approaches to the reception, housing and integration of refugees that the cities rapidly had to develop in response to the increased refugee inflow in 2015. In contrast to other studies that often focus on capital and gateway cities, this article illustrates the variety of local approaches to migration diversity and refugee integration. By illustrating the different positions municipalities take, the article shows the local power to innovate. In this article clusters of cities with comparable approaches to refugee policies are identified to aid cooperation and knowledge exchange between cities, in which the big cities are not necessarily always the relevant partners. |
Zoekresultaat: 46 artikelen
Thema-artikel |
Van diversiteitsagenda’s tot participatietrajectenEen vergelijking van lokaal vluchtelingenbeleid in zestien Nederlandse gemeenten |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | local governance, decentralization, refugees, immigrant integration, mainstreaming |
Auteurs | Ilona van Breugel MSc |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Article |
Between Party Democracy and Citizen DemocracyExplaining Attitudes of Flemish Local Chairs Towards Democratic Innovations |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2020 |
Trefwoorden | democratic innovations, citizen participation, local politics, Flanders, Belgium |
Auteurs | Didier Caluwaerts, Anna Kern, Min Reuchamps e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
As a response to the perceived legitimacy crisis that threatens modern democracies, local government has increasingly become a laboratory for democratic renewal and citizen participation. This article studies whether and why local party chairs support democratic innovations fostering more citizen participation. More specifically, we analyse the relative weight of ideas, interests and institutions in explaining their support for citizen-centred democracy. Based on the Belgian Local Chairs Survey in 2018 (albeit restricting our analysis to Flanders), the central finding is that ideas matter more than interests and institutions. Ideology is alive and kicking with regard to democratic innovation, with socialist and ecologist parties and populist parties being most supportive of participatory arrangements. By contrast, interests and institutions play, at this stage, a minor role in explaining support for participatory innovations. |
Article |
Like Mother, Like Daughter?Linkage Between Local Branches and Their National Party Headquarters in Belgium |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2020 |
Trefwoorden | local branches, national party headquarters, linkage, integration, multilevel parties |
Auteurs | Kristof Steyvers |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article scrutinises local-national linkage in Belgium to better understand territorial power relations in multilevel parties. Drawing on a survey of local chairs of national parties, it adopts an innovative, informal and bottom-up approach. The descriptive analysis reveals two central axes in the morphology of linkage: scope (downward support and upward influence) and surplus (benefits versus costs). However, (the valuation of) this interdependence appears as a matter of degree. The explanatory analysis therefore probes into the effect of macro- (between environments), meso- (between parties) and micro- (within parties) level factors. It demonstrates that variance is explained by different parameters. For scope, differences between parties trump those within them. For surplus, specific differences between parties as well as within them matter. The answer to our guiding question is therefore variegated: it depends on for what and for whom. |
Article |
Interest Representation in BelgiumMapping the Size and Diversity of an Interest Group Population in a Multi-layered Neo-corporatist Polity |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering Online First 2020 |
Trefwoorden | interest groups, advocacy, access, advisory councils, media attention |
Auteurs | Evelien Willems, Jan Beyers en Frederik Heylen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article assesses the size and diversity of Belgium’s interest group population by triangulating four data sources. Combining various sources allows us to describe which societal interests get mobilised, which interest organisations become politically active and who gains access to the policy process and obtains news media attention. Unique about the project is the systematic data collection, enabling us to compare interest representation at the national, Flemish and Francophone-Walloon government levels. We find that: (1) the national government level remains an important venue for interest groups, despite the continuous transfer of competences to the subnational and European levels, (2) neo-corporatist mobilisation patterns are a persistent feature of interest representation, despite substantial interest group diversity and (3) interest mobilisation substantially varies across government levels and political-administrative arenas. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleidsonderzoek Online, juni 2020 |
Auteurs | Pieter Raymaekers en Marleen Brans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Theorieën en methoden uit de gedragswetenschappen betreden steeds nadrukkelijker de beleidsscene. Gedragsinzichten en nudging beloven beleid te verrijken en te versterken. Het begin van deze gedragswetenschappelijke omslag of behavioural turn laat men doorgaans samenvallen met de publicatie van het boek Nudge van Richard Thaler en Cass Sunstein in 2008. In dit artikel plaatsen we nudging in perspectief en argumenteren we dat het concept zowel een zegen als een vloek betekent, en zowel een katalysator als een rem is voor de bredere toepassing en verankering van gedragsinzichten in beleid. Ondanks het aantrekkelijke narratief botst nudging op functionele limieten en ethische bezwaren. Om de gedragswetenschappelijke, experimentele en evidence-based beleidsbeloften alsnog in te lossen, zien we een strategie van steeds verdere verbreding. Het programma van de Behavioural Insights-beweging op basis van vijf pijlers leek in eerste instantie een oplossing te bieden, maar kampt door een eendimensionale interpretatie met interne spanningen. De nog bredere en ambitieuzere Behavioural Public Policy-agenda biedt nieuwe perspectieven, maar moet op functioneel en ethisch vlak nog verder onderbouwd worden. |
Thema-artikel |
Een kritisch-pragmatische bestuurskundeOxymoron of gelukkig huwelijk? |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | critical pragmatism, public administration, energy justice, governance arrangements, regional energy strategies |
Auteurs | Dr. Tamara Metze |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
A pragmatic criticaster or a critical pragmatist is considered a schizophrenic in daily life: it seems impossible to be solution oriented and critical at the same time. You are either an optimist or a pessimist. This schism also seems to run between public administration and political scientists. Public administration is focused on (positive) problem solving, whereas political scientists – especially in a tradition of critical theory – examine the exertion of power. This essay proposes a combination of the two extremes: a critical-pragmatist approach for public administration. |
Vrij artikel |
Ontwerpprincipes voor betere burgerparticipatie |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | citizen participation, equality, law-making, local policy |
Auteurs | Dr. Menno Hurenkamp en Prof. dr. Evelien Tonkens |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Citizen participation is a regular feature of recent legislation and policymaking. However, more often than not, the goals of participation remain implicit. As a consequence, exclusion mechanisms well known from the literature keep coming back. A current example is the Dutch Environment and Planning Act, which is expected to enter into force in 2021. In this article we use this Act to identify the exclusion mechanisms at work and suggest an alternative wording. |
Article |
Deliberation Out of the Laboratory into DemocracyQuasi-Experimental Research on Deliberative Opinions in Antwerp’s Participatory Budgeting |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Deliberative democracy, mini-publics, participatory budget, social learning, deliberative opinions |
Auteurs | Thibaut Renson |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The theoretical assumptions of deliberative democracy are increasingly embraced by policymakers investing in local practices, while the empirical verifications are often not on an equal footing. One such assertion concerns the stimulus of social learning among participants of civic democratic deliberation. Through the use of pre-test/post-test panel data, it is tested whether participation in mini-publics stimulates the cognitive and attitudinal indicators of social learning. The main contribution of this work lies in the choice of matching this quasi-experimental set-up with a natural design. This study explores social learning across deliberation through which local policymakers invite their citizens to participate in actual policymaking. This analysis on the District of Antwerp’s participatory budgeting demonstrates stronger social learning in real-world policymaking. These results inform a richer theory on the impacts of deliberation, as well as better use of limited resources for local (participatory) policymaking. |
Reflectie & debat |
Nieuwe instituties voor het Antropoceen |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 4 2019 |
Auteurs | Albert Faber en Anne van Leeuwen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The Anthropocene offers a narrative to rethink the full range of present-day institutions. The urgency, complexity and scope of the ecological challenges that are upon us provide important challenges. Traditional institutions may be up to the task or be able to adapt to the new challenges, but likely new institutional perspectives will be required. The idea of ‘ecological reflexivity’ is helpful to critically explore some new and important institutional features for the Antropocene: recognition of the non-human world and its voices, reflection upon what works and upon what can be imagined, and response in terms of new practices and functions. We explore these features and offer some examples of new institutions. |
Research Notes |
Sub-Constituency Campaigning in PR SystemsEvidence from the 2014 General Elections in Belgium |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Sub-constituency campaigning, PR system, political advertisements, election campaign, content analysis |
Auteurs | Jonas Lefevere, Knut De Swert en Artemis Tsoulou-Malakoudi |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Sub-constituency campaigning occurs when parties focus their campaign resources on specific geographical areas within an electoral district. This behaviour was traditionally thought to occur only in single-member plurality elections, but recent research demonstrates that proportional systems with multi-member districts can also elicit sub-constituency campaigning. However, most studies of sub-constituency campaigning rely on self-reported measures of campaigning, not direct measures of campaign intensity in different regions and communities. We present novel data on geographical variations in the intensity of Flemish parties’ campaign advertising during the 2014 general elections in Belgium, which provides a direct measure of sub-constituency campaigning. Our findings show clear evidence of sub-constituency campaigning: parties campaign more intensely in municipalities where they have stronger electoral support and in municipalities with greater population density. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Neoliberalism, The Netherlands, Intellectual history, Political history, Essentially contested concepts |
Auteurs | Dr. Merijn Oudenampsen en Dr. Bram Mellink |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The word neoliberalism has often been the object of fierce controversy in the Dutch public debate. Prominent intellectuals have equated neoliberalism with extremism and fundamentalism, with some going as far as calling it a ‘totalitarian faith’. The opposite camp in the debate has argued that neoliberalism is largely a self-invented bogeyman of the left, a swearword used by critics to engage in an intellectual witch-hunt. Of course, neoliberalism is not the only social science term suffering from a polemical status. Common concepts such as populism, socialism, nationalism or conservatism have given rise to similar lasting disagreements and comparable accusations of their derogatory use. What does appear to be exceptional about neoliberalism in the Dutch debate, is that very few conceptual and historical studies have been published on the subject. While the word neoliberalism is commonly employed in Dutch mainstream social science, many scholars seem to use the term without much further qualification. This paper explores the controversy and looks for ways to proceed beyond it. Drawing on a recent wave of international scholarship, it outlines an ideational approach to neoliberalism. After tracing the origins of the term neoliberalism, it closes with a preliminary example of an ideational analysis of Dutch neoliberalism. |
PhD Review |
‘Romani Women in European Politics: Exploring Multi-Layered Political Spaces for Intersectional Policies and Mobilizations’PhD by Serena D’Agostino (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), supervisors: Karen Celis, Ilke Adam. |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Auteurs | Peter Vermeersch |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
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Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | radical right-wing populist parties, economic policies, welfare chauvinism, populism, deserving poor |
Auteurs | Simon Otjes |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article examines the economic agenda of the Dutch Freedom Party. It finds that this party mixes left-wing and right-wing policy positions. This inconsistency can be understood through the group-based account of Ennser-Jedenastik (2016), which proposes that the welfare state agenda of radical right-wing populist parties can be understood in terms of populism, nativism and authoritarianism. Each of these elements is linked to a particular economic policy: economic nativism, which sees the economic interest of natives and foreigners as opposed; economic populism, which seeks to limit economic privileges for the elite; and economic authoritarianism, which sees the interests of deserving and undeserving poor as opposed. By using these different oppositions, radical right-wing populist parties can reconcile left-wing and right-wing positions. |
Article |
Consensus Democracy and Bureaucracy in the Low Countries |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2019 |
Trefwoorden | consensus democracy, bureaucracy, governance system, Lijphart, policymaking |
Auteurs | Frits van der Meer, Caspar van den Berg, Charlotte van Dijck e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Taking Lijphart’s work on consensus democracies as our point of departure, we signal a major shortcoming in Lijphart’s focus being almost exclusively on the political hardware of the state structure, leaving little attention for the administrative and bureaucratic characteristics of governance systems. We propose to expand the Lijphart’s model which overviews structural aspects of the executive and the state with seven additional features of the bureaucratic system. We argue that these features are critical for understanding the processes of policymaking and service delivery. Next, in order to better understand the functioning of the Netherlands and Belgium as consensus democracies, we provide a short analysis of the historical context and current characteristics of the political-administrative systems in both countries. |
Rubrieken |
Internationale tijdschriften en boeken |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 4 2018 |
Auteurs | Dr. Rik Reussing |
Auteursinformatie |
Artikel |
De interactielogica van verzet: een dramaturgische analyse van escalatie tijdens een informatieavond |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2018 |
Trefwoorden | Protest, Governance, Participation, Dramaturgy, Interaction logic |
Auteurs | Sander van Haperen MSc |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Theory about participation has long moved beyond merely informing citizens, arguing for more influential and effective instruments. Nevertheless, ‘inspraak’ remains widely implemented in Dutch practice, with mixed results. This article argues that the deliberative quality of the instrument is closely related to the performance of power. Dramaturgical concepts are employed to analyze resistance against the siting of a homeless facility in an Amsterdam neighborhood. One particular evening sets the stage for escalation, which ultimately frustrates the policy process. The analysis shows how the performance of the meeting invokes specific kinds of resistance. A different performance of ‘informing’ could potentially improve the quality of the public sphere. |
Artikel |
Crisis? What crisis?!Verhalende betekenisgeving aan de economische crisis door gemeenten en hun maatschappelijke partners |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2018 |
Auteurs | Dr. Mark van Dam |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In 2008 a global economic crisis broke out. Now we can look back at the crisis as a clearly ordered sequence of events. But at the time these events were experienced as unexpected, unordered and unpredictable: a shock situation. How did municipalities respond to this shock situation, to this economic crisis? This article describes how two Dutch municipalities, together with their societal partners, made sense of the economic crisis. This concerns the question of how they interpreted the crisis themselves, but also which actions ensued. From a constructivist position, the article considers how the two municipalities together with their partners made sense of the situation and this enabled them to implement measures that could mitigate the consequences of the crisis for their communities. Based on epistemological and methodological assumptions discourse analysis, the author investigates the role of language in this process of sense-making. This approach offers municipalities insight in the role of stories in policymaking and in determining new practical solutions. The article closes with some guidance on how this perspective can help to people and institutions to cope with comparable situations, specifically in the cooperation between municipalities and other organizations. |
Artikel |
Specifieke of generieke institutionalisering van beleid voor de lange termijn |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2017 |
Trefwoorden | future, Policy, short term, long term |
Auteurs | Albert Faber MSc, Dylan van Dijk en Dr. Peter de Goede |
Samenvatting |
Policy decisions taken now can determine the room for manoeuvre of future generations for a very long term. Politicians and civil servants often only seem to be interested in short-term implications, however. A major focus on the short term does not provide sufficient stability and impetus for long-term structural measures. This is primarily an institutional issue. In this article, the authors discuss how to instil a long-term focus in day-to-day processes of policymaking. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleidsonderzoek Online, november 2017 |
Auteurs | Leon Hermans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Er is de laatste tijd veel aandacht voor het omgaan met onzekerheid en dynamiek in beleid. Zo is er recent de roep om leren door doen, door een overheid die samen met de samenleving het experiment aan durft te gaan. Zo’n benadering van beleid als gezamenlijk experiment is veelbelovend, maar vergt ook passende methoden voor beleidsevaluaties. Adaptief beleid speelt hierop in. De laatste jaren is een belangrijke stap gezet in de ontwikkeling van methoden waarmee adaptief beleid ontwikkeld kan worden. Voor de evaluatie en de rol van evaluaties heeft dit belangrijke implicaties. In dit artikel wordt hierop verder ingegaan, op basis van ervaringen met adaptief beleid en beleidsevaluatie binnen het Nederlandse Deltaprogramma. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleidsonderzoek Online, juni 2017 |
Auteurs | Meyken Houppermans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Een gedegen beleidsvoorbereiding kan beleidsfalen voorkomen. Hoewel deze thematiek al jaren aandacht krijgt in de politiek, lukt het de rijksoverheid nog niet hieraan structureel succesvol invulling te geven. In het licht van de recente Tweede Kamer verkiezingen is er hernieuwde aandacht voor samenspraak bij beleid en beleidsexperimenten om te komen tot beter beleid. Het rendement daarvan is naar verwachting beperkt. Ten eerste omdat samenspraak vaak zodanig ingeperkt is, dat de invloed van kennis voor beleid beperkt blijft. Ten tweede omdat wetenschappelijke kennis prevaleert boven de voor beleidseffectiviteit noodzakelijke tacit knowledge. De rijksoverheid kan meer rendement halen uit investeringen in een betere beleidsvoorbereiding, door de structurele afweging tot de inzet van samenspraak en beleidsexperimenten bij nieuw of gewijzigd beleid; verantwoording van deze afweging, alsmede onafhankelijke toetsing van de te verwachten beleidseffectiviteit. Investeringen in handreikingen zijn weinig zinvol. De gemeente Rotterdam geeft een goed voorbeeld. |