In 2019, the world witnessed an exceptional wave of climate protests. In this case study, we scrutinise who participated in the protests staged in Belgium. We ask: did the exceptional mobilising context of the 2019 protest wave also bring exceptional protesters to the streets? Were thanks to the unique momentum standard barriers to protest participation overcome? We answer these questions by comparing three surveys of participants in the 2019 protest wave with three surveys of relevant reference publics. Our findings show that while the Belgian 2019 protest was in many ways exceptional, its participants were less so. Although participants – especially in the early phase of the protest wave – were less protest experienced, younger and unaffiliated to organisations, our findings simultaneously confirm the persistence of a great many well-known socio-demographic and political inequalities. Our conclusion centres on the implications of these findings. |
Zoekresultaat: 15 artikelen
Article |
Truly Exceptional? Participants in the Belgian 2019 Youth for Climate Protest Wave |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering Online First 2022 |
Trefwoorden | protest, participation, inequality, climate change, Fridays For Future |
Auteurs | Ruud Wouters, Michiel De Vydt en Luna Staes |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Lokaal internationaal |
Internationale tijdschriften en boeken |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2022 |
Auteurs | Rik Reussing |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
The Impact of VAAs on Vote Switching at the 2019 Belgian Legislative ElectionsMore Switchers, but Making Their Own Choices |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2021 |
Trefwoorden | voting advice applications, vote switching, vote choice, elections and electoral behaviour, voters/citizens in Belgium, VAA |
Auteurs | David Talukder, Laura Uyttendaele, Isaïa Jennart e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
During electoral campaigns, the use of voting advice applications (VAAs) has become increasingly widespread. Consequently, scholars have examined both the patterns of usage and their effects on voting behaviour. However, existing studies lead to conflicting findings. In this article, we take a closer look at the effect of De Stemtest/Test électoral (a VAA developed by academics from the University of Louvain and the University of Antwerp, in partnership with Belgian media partners) on vote switching. More specifically, we divide this latter question into two sub-questions: (1) What is the impact of a (dis)confirming advice from the VAA on vote switching? (2) Do VAA users follow the voting advice provided by the VAA? Our study shows that receiving a disconfirming advice from the VAA increases the probability of users to switch their vote choice. |
Vrij artikel |
Duwtjes of druk?De percepties van zorgprofessionals aangaande ‘nudging’ in ziekenhuizen |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2020 |
Trefwoorden | nudging, ethics, autonomy, healthcare, professionals |
Auteurs | Nienke Maria Huis in ’t Veld MSc, Rosanna Nagtegaal MSc en Prof. dr. Mirko Noordegraaf |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
‘Nudging’ has been introduced as a policy and management tool as a way to influence behaviour without limiting choice. Nudging is mainly used to influence citizens’ behaviour but can also be used to influence the behavior of healthcare professionals. Examples include posters used to improve hand-hygiene compliance, or ‘default’ options in systems to reduce excessive prescriptions of specific medication. However, using nudges raises major worries and ethical issues, also in relation to the independence of healthcare professionals. While the scientific discussion about the desirability of nudges is extensive, the voices of healthcare professionals, who are the subjects of nudges, remain unheard. In this qualitative research we explore the perceptions of nudging held by various healthcare professionals. The interviews reveal that healthcare professionals are generally unfamiliar with the concept of nudging, but they do recognize nudges in their own field of practice. Furthermore, while they are predominantly positive about nudging, they also express concerns about the pressure on their autonomy. These concerns are related to changing professionalism and regulatory pressures in healthcare. |
Dossier |
Wat is rechtvaardige AI?Een kader voor het ontwikkelen en toepassen van algoritmes voor automatische besluitvorming |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 4 2020 |
Auteurs | Dr. Tjerk Timan en Dr. Francisca Grommé |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
Populism as a Visual Communication StyleAn Exploratory Study of Populist Image Usage of Flemish Block/Interest in Belgium (1991-2018) |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Populism, image use, visual style, campaign, posters, visual, Flanders, populist right, Belgium |
Auteurs | Kevin Straetemans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article analyses the visual communication of the Flemish populist right-wing party Vlaams Blok/Vlaams Belang, and investigates whether or not the party uses a specific populist communication style in its campaign posters, whether or not its visual style evolves over time and how the party distinguishes itself from other (right-wing) parties in its use of images. To do this, the image use will be compared with the CVP/CD&V and the Volksunie/N-VA. This use of images will be investigated by analysing election posters from 1991 to 2018. The analysis shows that there is indeed a ‘populist visual style’. These items consist mainly of (negative) metaphors, false dilemmas, caricatures and the use of so-called ‘agonic’ visual techniques. |
Article |
How to Improve Local TurnoutThe Effect of Municipal Efforts to Improve Turnout in Dutch Local Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | turnout, local elections, get out the vote, campaign, the Netherlands |
Auteurs | Julien van Ostaaijen, Sabine van Zuydam en Martijn Epskamp |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Even though many municipalities use a variety of means to improve turnout in local elections, citizen participation in local elections is a point of concern in many Western countries, including the Netherlands. Our research question is therefore: How effective are municipal efforts to improve turnout in (Dutch) local elections? To this end, we collected data from three sources: (1) a survey sent to the municipal clerks of 389 Dutch municipalities to learn what they do to improve turnout; (2) data from Statistics Netherlands on municipalities’ socio-demographic characteristics; and (3) data on the turnout in local elections from the Dutch Electoral Council database. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we found that the direct impact of local governments’ efforts to improve turnout is low. Nevertheless, some measures seem to be able to make a difference. The relative number of polling stations was especially found to impact turnout. |
Serie |
Ambitieuze en ambivalente vernieuwing van de lokale democratie in Nederland |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Auteurs | Dr. Linze Schaap, Prof. dr. Frank Hendriks, Dr. Niels Karsten MA e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this article in the series on the local democratic audit, the authors argue that municipal democracy in the Netherlands has become a multiple democracy. Within the formal framework of representative democracy, numerous democratic arrangements have emerged that may be referred to as participatory, direct and also what the authors call ‘do-democracy’. Additions to representative democracy did not come without reason: representative democracy is not a perfect system, either in theory or in practice. Efforts have been made to improve the functioning of representative democracy in a number of ways. Three of these are discussed in this article. The authors note that these three reforms do not solve the problems in representative democracy. So the Dutch municipalities have started looking for additions to representative democracy. In this article various forms of participatory, do-it-yourself and direct democracy are discussed. Many effects of these reforms are still unknown and knowledge about them has crumbled, but one conclusion can be drawn: people with a low education are not inclined to take part, even with arrangements that are easily accessible. Striving for a more vital local democracy seems meaningful; the authors formulate a number of ways of thinking about this. |
Reflectie & debat |
|
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 1 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Voter turnout, Turnout, Elections, Politics, Local (getting out the vote) |
Auteurs | Dr. Julien van Ostaaijen, Daan Jacobs MSc en Sabine van Zuydam |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Reflection and debate initiates academically inspired discussions on issues that are on the current policy agenda. |
Artikel |
Verantwoordelijkheid en voorzorg bij ‘de overgewichtepidemie’Onzekerheid en transparantie bij preventief leefstijlbeleid |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2018 |
Trefwoorden | prevention, precaution, lifestyle policy, obesogenic society, obesity epidemic |
Auteurs | Dr. Roel Pieterman |
Samenvatting |
Since the start of the 21st century, most nations have followed the lead of the World Health Organization and developed specific policies to tackle the ‘global obesity epidemic’. The medical reasoning is that non-contagious diseases are the most important causes of mortality and morbidity, especially in prosperous nations. As these diseases are conceptualized as ‘caused’ by ‘unhealthy lifestyle choices’, there is dire need for preventive lifestyle policies that help people make ‘the healthy choice’. Seen from this perspective the distribution of responsibilities between governments and their citizens is made in accordance to the ‘intervention ladder’, which has been developed from a stewardship model. |
Artikel |
Campagneactiviteiten en -financiering van lokale partijen in Nederland |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2017 |
Trefwoorden | electoral campaigns, campaign financing, independent local lists, party subsidies, local elections |
Auteurs | Justin Bergwerff MSc en Dr. Hans Vollaard |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Electoral campaigning and its financing at the local level have been hardly studied in spite of the growing political significance of municipalities in the Netherlands. Local parties have been barely studied either, even though they gained more than 30 percent of the seats in the local elections of 2014. They have done so without any public subsidy, whereas subsidized national parties can and do support their local branches. This article examines which campaign activities local parties used to attract voters, how these activities were funded, and whether local parties perceived subsidies necessary and desirable. A survey among local parties held just after the local elections of 2014, indicates that their campaigns are by and large a traditional, low-cost affair. They are often not labor-intensive nor technology-intensive, despite the electoral effectiveness of micro-targeting and canvassing. Contributions from local councilors constitute the main source of finance. The survey also shows that transparency of campaign financing can count on widespread support among local parties. They also prefer a level playing field between local parties and local branches of national parties by providing both public subsidies or none, which is an important contribution to the discussion on the current legislative proposals on party financing at the local level. |
Artikel |
Hoe divers, invloedrijk en deliberatief is een G1000?Het ontwerp van een burgertop en de verwezenlijking van democratische waarden |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 1 2016 |
Auteurs | Dr. Ank Michels en Dr. Harmen Binnema |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In imitation of the G1000 in Belgium in the Netherlands G1000-meetings were held in Amersfoort, Kruiskamp, Uden and Groningen and a citizens summit in Amsterdam with a similar design. In this article the authors investigate the design of these citizens summits and their contribution to a number of important democratic values. What is the diversity of the participants, the influence on policies and the quality of the discussions during the citizen summit? Their research shows that the diversity of the group of participants is rather limited. The selection method that is chosen, whether a lottery selection or an open invitation, doesn’t make much difference for the diversity of the group of participants. In addition the influence of citizens summits on policies and politics is nearly absent. The subjects that come forward at citizens summits hardly ever come back in the local policies, not even at the citizens summit in Uden, where the municipal council has taken the initiative to organize a G1000. Finally, in general the participants qualify the discussions at the table during citizens summits as constructive and inspiring. The specific form of the dialogue has only little influence on the extent to which the participants feel themselves heard and feel free to say whatever they want. |
Artikel |
Bevlogen en begrensdDe rol van lokale politici achter de schermen van de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2015 |
Trefwoorden | local politics, municipal elections, Campaign, Politicians |
Auteurs | Dr. Julien van Ostaaijen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The Dutch voters have little interest in local politics and are not aware of the political activities that take place behind the screens of the local elections. However, compared to the many people with little interest in local elections, there is a small group of people, the local politicians, that is very much involved in it. The central research question in this article is: How do the local (political) processes and activities related to the municipal elections of 2014, from the campaign to the coalition negotiations, look like and develop? The question is answered by systematically looking at the local election programmes, the local candidates, the local election campaign, the electoral results and coalition formation, and the role of non-local actors. The conclusion is presented in five images of the local/municipal elections: the local election as a quest for attention, the local election as a search for differences, the local election as the national election’s little brother, the local election as an interference in coalition negotiations, and the local election as a spectacle provided by local enthusiasts. |
Discussie |
Inkomensongelijkheid: een klassiek ideaal opnieuw op de agenda |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 4 2012 |
Auteurs | Monique Kremer |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Reflection and Debate initiates academically inspired discussions on issues that are on the current policy agenda. |
Essay |
Het is stil waar het nooit waaitOnline politieke fora als bakermat van publieke opinie |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 2 2008 |
Auteurs | Peter Thijssen |
Auteursinformatie |