This article presents a normative framework for good local governance in the digital society. We build on the five principles of Frank Hendriks (laid down in an article in Urban Affairs Review in 2014): participation, effectiveness, learning ability, procedural justice and accountability. An analysis of these five principles leads to the refinement of these principles for the digital society. The overarching points are that attention is needed for the possibility of human contact, that avoiding discrimination must be central, that higher demands are made with regard to speed of action, that the principles increasingly apply to networks of organizations, and that the principles increasingly apply to the design of systems. This overview thus provides concrete tools for organizations that want to reflect with citizens and stakeholders on the extent to which they are able to achieve good local governance in the digital society. |
Zoekresultaat: 32 artikelen
Jaar 2019 xThema |
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Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 4 2019 |
Auteurs | Prof. dr. Albert Meijer, Dr. Mirko Tobias Schäfer en Dr. Martiene Branderhorst |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Vrij artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2019 |
Trefwoorden | citizen participation, democratic legitimacy, street-level interactions, informal citizenship, contestation |
Auteurs | Dr. Nanke Verloo |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The goal of citizens participation increases the moments of contact between politicians, policy makers, welfare professionals and citizens. The shared responsibility for local decision making is not an easy task. Often conflicts emerge between parties with opposing needs and interests. Citizens oppose decisions or organize protest. These moments do not only challenge the goal of participation, they also jeopardize the quality of democracy. The democratic value of contentious moments, however, is often neglected. How can public professionals deal with the dilemma’s and chances that emerge during interactions that happen unexpectedly at the street-level? I answer that question by applying the agonistic approach to democracy to the action repertoire of public professionals dealing with conflict. A dramaturgical analysis of contentious interactions provides insights in how we can recognize and acknowledge contentious citizenship. |
Artikel |
Over zelfredzame burgers gesprokenHoe ambtenaren een buigzaam burgerschapsideaal vormgeven |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 4 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Interactional framing, Self reliance, Silent ideologies, Micro frames, Self referentiality |
Auteurs | Drs. Harrie van Rooij, Dr. Margit van Wessel en Prof. dr. Noelle Aarts |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The concept of self-reliant citizens reflects an ideology of citizenship that is multiple and flexible. It could be regarded as a ‘plastic’ word, malleable and adjustable according to convictions, needs and purposes. This study shows the importance of considering the way in which ideological views on citizenship are transferred, adjusted and enacted in an organizational context. On the basis of a case study at the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (DTCA), we contribute to knowledge on the way processes of framing interrelate on micro, meso and macro levels. We found that frames on self-reliance are enacted in a way that tensions and dilemmas are neutralized or reduced. In a dynamic context of conflicting goals and limited resources, DTCA-employees create meanings of self-reliance which legitimate practices and policies. By doing this they reproduce both organizational and social perspectives. Accounts of citizenship play an important role in this process. Self-reliant citizens are presented as active and responsible. The need of help is imagined as a normal and yet an atypical situation. This study promotes attention to the possibility that organizational systems reproduce perspectives in a way that alternative views remain unnoticed, whereas organizational choices are silently accepted as natural facts. |
Research Notes |
Paid Digital Campaigning During the 2018 Local Elections in FlandersWhich Candidates Jumped on the Bandwagon? |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | local elections, candidates, campaign spending, digital campaigning |
Auteurs | Gunther Vanden Eynde, Gert-Jan Put, Bart Maddens e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This research note investigates the role of paid digital campaigning in the 2018 local elections in Flanders. We make use of the official declarations which candidates are legally required to submit. In these declarations, candidates indicate whether and how much they invested in online campaigning tools during the four months preceding the elections. We collected data on a sample of 3,588 individual candidates running in the 30 municipalities of the Leuven Arrondissement. A multilevel logistic regression model shows that the odds of spending on digital campaigning increases among incumbent aldermen and local councillors. The latter finding supports the normalization thesis of digital campaigning. The results also show that scale is important – the more potential voters a candidate has, the higher the odds that the candidate invests in digital tools. |
Article |
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Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | voting, elections, blank vote, invalid vote, abstention |
Auteurs | Jean-Benoit Pilet, Maria Jimena Sanhuza, David Talukder e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this article, we propose an in-depth exploration of blank and null ballots in the recent 2018 local elections in Wallonia (Belgium). In the official results, both blank and null ballots are merged together and are classified as invalid votes. After obtaining the authorization to access genuine electoral ballots, we study the votes which were not considered for the composition of local councils in detail. The dataset is a representative sample of 13,243 invalidated ballots from 49 Walloon municipalities. We first describe how many of these invalidated ballots are blank and how many are null votes, as well as the nature of the nulled votes (unintended errors or intentionally spoiled ballots). Second, we dig deeper into the differences between ballots that have been intentionally invalidated by voters (blank votes and intentional null votes) and ballots non-intentionally invalidated. Our results show that most of the ballots (two-thirds) are null ballots and that among them, half are unintentional null ballots. Finally, we show that contextual (socio-demographic and political) factors explain the variations in intentional and unintentional null votes across municipalities. |
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. |
Introduction |
Local Elections in the Low Countries: Evolutions and Reforms |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Auteurs | Sofie Hennau en Johan Ackaert |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
Split-Ticket Voting in BelgiumAn Analysis of the Presence and Determinants of Differentiated Voting in the Municipal and Provincial Elections of 2018 |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | split-ticket voting, local elections, voting motives, Belgium, PR-system |
Auteurs | Tony Valcke en Tom Verhelst |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article tackles the particular issue of split-ticket voting, which has been largely overlooked in Belgian election studies thus far. We contribute to the literature by answering two particular research questions: (1) to what extent and (2) why do voters cast a different vote in the elections for the provincial council as compared to their vote in the elections for the municipal council? |
Vrij artikel |
Burgerparticipatie: ontwikkelingstypen van bewonersverbandenInteractie tussen participatieprofessionals en bewonersverbanden in beeld |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | citizen participation, self-organisation, public participation professionals, community enterprises, Amsterdam |
Auteurs | Dr. ir. Anna de Zeeuw, Eelco van Wijk MSc en Dr. Alex Straathof |
Samenvatting |
Local authorities expect citizens to fulfil an increasing number of public services. In that context, citizen-based networks are emerging as means to fulfil a variety of public tasks, varying from supporting young entrepreneurs and strengthening social cohesion, to providing local care. In this article, we address the following questions: Which phases do community enterprises pass through in their efforts towards realising a sustainable contribution and how do participation professionals support these phases? To respond to this question, researchers followed seven community enterprises based in Amsterdam over a two-year period. We identified a typology of four development phases, with particular attention to the interaction between external participation professionals and the key persons of community enterprises. The study has practical relevance for governance of citizen participation and also raises important follow-up questions about the role of the local government. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Gentrification, Bridging capital, Bonding capital, Amsterdam North, Public familiarity |
Auteurs | Dr. Linda van de Kamp en Dr. Saskia Welschen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
We analyze how ‘original’ residents in different gentrifying working class areas in Amsterdam North experience and evaluate the changes in their neighborhood in terms of social cohesion – in other words, whether they feel at home in their changing neighborhood and whether they feel connected to other residents. Policy interventions often focus on establishing connections between residents with different socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds, in order to stimulate mutual understanding. An underlying policy aim is to uplift vulnerable original residents through contact with higher income groups. Based on our empirical data, we critically assess the concept of ‘bridging capital’ (Putnam, 2000) that underpins several of the social activities that are organized in areas such as the ones in our study. Subsequently, we discuss the importance of ‘bonding capital’ or the sense of interconnectedness and strong ties amongst original residents. Our empirical data – based on both interviews and participatory observation – suggest that activities within the ‘own’ community contribute importantly to feelings of belonging in the neighborhood. In the final section of the article, we discuss how different types of local meeting places offer opportunities for ‘lighter’ forms of interactions without aiming directly at strong connections between differently positioned neighborhood residents. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Perception of neighbourhood change, Diversity, Belonging, Social mix, Social housing |
Auteurs | Dr. ir. André Ouwehand |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This paper investigates the effects of neighbourhood change caused by the inflow of new residents in the still existing social rental stock in a post-World War II district next to the effects of the changing population as the result of urban restructuring. All residents, native Dutch and residents that belong to an ethnic minority, are critical about the occurring concentration of the latter in the existing rental housing stock. Loss of respectability and of shared norms and values of how to live in the neighbourhood play an important role in the critical stance of mostly older Dutch native residents. Residents with a migrant background criticize the concentration as a negative influence for their integration in Dutch society. Most residents support the idea of a mixed neighbourhood based on income and ethnicity. Restructuring by demolition of old social rental dwellings and new housing development for owner-occupiers is supported by most residents, based on the positive impact on the liveability. Urban restructuring has however not decreased the share of non-Dutch-native residents but it did bring more middle-class households. In the view of the residents these are ‘decent people’ as they have to work in daytime and do not linger at night in the streets. |
Artikel |
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Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2019 |
Trefwoorden | Residualisering, Stedelijk sociaal werk, Concentratie van sociale problematiek, Link work, Geuzenveld |
Auteurs | Dr. Saskia Welschen en Dr. Lex Veldboer |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The impact of residualisation on social work has so far hardly been explored. Based on existing literature and recently started empirical research in Amsterdam we analyze several consequences. Residualisation refers to the process whereby urban social housing is strictly allocated to the lowest income groups. What does this concentration of disadvantaged households mean for the role of social workers? Firstly, for community workers residualisation mostly implies a renewed role as instigators of residents’ participation in urban renewal trajectories for social mix. Furthermore community activities are increasingly used to offer safe havens for new and old groups of residents and also to prevent expensive treatments for several residential groups. For social workers focusing on individual support or casework residualisation results in an increasingly complex caseload. Residualisation does not imply extra formation for social work, but rather extra attention for the effortful coproduction of welfare between formal and informal actors. Within this playing field, we distinguish link work as vital for both formal and informal social work. Link work is about establishing vertical and horizontal connections between different worlds, across sectoral, professional or trust gaps. We expect that in areas of residualisation successful urban social work is dependent on strong linking skills. |
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 |
Split Offer and Homogeneous Response in BelgiumThe Conceptual and Empirical Limitations of (De)Nationalization |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | (de-)nationalization, voting behaviour, party offer, voter response, methodological nationalism |
Auteurs | Luana Russo, Kris Deschouwer en Tom Verthé |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
By examining the Belgian case, this article aims to show that methodological nationalism is strongly present in the literature on nationalization of party offer and voting behaviour. In nationalization studies, Belgium is often presented as a typical example of a denationalized country. This is true for the party offer, as it is de facto split between the two language groups since the 1980s, and therefore also voter response at the national level. However, voter response within each separate subnational party system is very homogeneous and shows interesting differences between these party systems that inform us about important electoral dynamics. We argue, on the basis of our results, that rather than stretching the concept of nationalization, it is preferable and justified to treat the concepts of nationalization of the party offer and homogenization of voter response as analytically distinct and not as two sides of the same coin. |
Article |
Fiscal Consolidation in Federal BelgiumCollective Action Problem and Solutions |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | fiscal consolidation, fiscal policy, federalism, intergovernmental relations, High Council of Finance |
Auteurs | Johanna Schnabel |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Fiscal consolidation confronts federal states with a collective action problem, especially in federations with a tightly coupled fiscal regime such as Belgium. However, the Belgian federation has successfully solved this collective action problem even though it lacks the political institutions that the literature on dynamic federalism has identified as the main mechanisms through which federal states achieve cooperation across levels of government. This article argues that the regionalization of the party system, on the one hand, and the rationalization of the deficit problem by the High Council of Finance, on the other, are crucial to understand how Belgium was able to solve the collective action problem despite its tightly coupled fiscal regime and particularly high levels of deficits and debts. The article thus emphasizes the importance of compromise and consensus in reducing deficits and debts in federal states. |
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. |
PhD Review |
‘The Internal Legitimacy of European Interest Groups. Analyses of National Intrest Groups Perspectives’PhD by Samuel Defacqz (Université catholique de Louvain), supervisors: Virginie Van Ingelgom, Benoît Rihoux & Theodoros Koutroubas. |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Auteurs | Stéphanie Yates Ph.D. |
Auteursinformatie |
Thema-artikel ‘Uitgesproken Bestuurskunde’ |
Van wie is de verzorgingsstaat?Bestuurskunde als zelfbestuurskunde |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | institutional analysis, common-pool resources, welfare state, self-governance |
Auteurs | Prof. dr. Menno Fenger |
Samenvatting |
The work of Elinor Ostrom suggests that under certain conditions local communities are better able to sustainably manage so-called common pool resources than an external party such as government. In this article I explore whether and to what extent those conditions also apply to the governance of the Dutch welfare state. I show that in the current participation society there are numerous examples in which self-governance seems to be successful and in which Ostrom’s conditions seem to play an important role. On that basis, I come to the conclusion that citizens – under certain institutional conditions – may be better able to resolve social problems among themselves than through external interventions. This requires a shift from public administration to self-administration. |
Thema |
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Tijdschrift | Bestuurs­wetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Auteurs | Dr. Els van der Pool en Dr. Guido Rijnja |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Governance is a human activity and is therefore unquestionably about relationships. Relationships between public and private parties. Relationships in existing steering-oriented structures (the political administrator as guardian, magistrate) and also relationships in new forms of cooperation that are often focused on good relationships (government participation). Public-private partnerships are inevitably accompanied by conflicting interests that place different demands on interactions. One-size-fits-all does not fit there, but customization is required, with constant alignment with what is – and what is not (yet). And so the ability to make contact requires much more attention, and from there to explore and grasp perspectives. How do you work on the tensions that you find on your way? It is there that the method of communication influences how the process of cooperation and steering proceeds. This is not a matter of whether-or, but and-and. Both perspectives are characterized by a different relationship with those involved and a different way of contact and interaction. This article focuses on contact from a collaborative perspective. The classical administrative side already has a rich history, while the cooperation side is often still an unknown and unexplored territory. The central question is: how can you, as a director and public professional, deliver tailor-made solutions and therefore adapt to complex tasks? The authors look at complex situations from a communicative perspective and they introduce ‘appreciative communication’ as the art of aligning with what really moves people, as a frame of view of the inconvenience caused by the differences present. They highlight a number of generic tensions that can arise in cooperation situations. A case study into the approach to regional innovation in the field of mobility serves as an illustration. |
Vanuit de VB |
Juryrapport Van Poelje Jaarprijs 2017 |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2019 |