De facto autonomy, the actual potential of regulatory agencies to go about their daily work, is often conceived to be more important to explain regulatory capacity than its formal autonomy and responsibilities. In this article we investigate whether external context factors, such as the financial and economic crisis have an impact on de facto autonomy. More specifically, we investigate whether the de facto autonomy varies after the crisis and distinctively so for specific subsets of employees within regulatory agencies. According to literature, mid-level managers of agencies are key to de facto autonomy and building a secure reputation for the agency in question. We test these external and internal effects on de facto autonomy with a survey among employees of the Dutch Financial Market Authority (N = 248). The findings show that the perceived influence of stakeholders is relatively constant, but that it is more dynamic for European stakeholders. Both middle managers and employees working at strategic and policy departments of the agency conceive the impact of European stakeholders as increasing in nature. The findings have important implications for our studies of de facto autonomy of regulatory agencies as well as reform potential after major institutional crises. |
Artikel |
Laveren tussen belanghebbendenReële autonomie en financieel toezicht |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 4 2012 |
Trefwoorden | regulatory governance, de facto autonomy, financial supervision, bureaucracy, institutional reform |
Auteurs | Dr. Caelesta Braun |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Artikel |
De sociaaldemocratische worsteling met EuropaNaar een onderscheidend Europees sociaaleconomisch model |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2012 |
Auteurs | Drs. Monika Sie Dhian Ho |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this feature authors discuss recent research findings that are of interest to readers of Beleid en Maatschappij. |
Artikel |
Herziening van sociale zekerheid: het perspectief van flexwerkers en zelfstandigen |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2012 |
Trefwoorden | social security, labour flexibility, policy preferences, risk, solidarity |
Auteurs | Dr. Fabian Dekker, Prof. dr. Romke van der Veen en Dr. Bram Peper |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The social security system provides some form of protection for its citizens. The social security system depends on public support in society. Support is crucial for legitimacy of the social system. To date, it remains unclear whether social policy preferences will be affected by changes on the labour market. In this article we aim to increase our understanding of individual reactions to increasing labour flexibility and the impact on social policy preferences. From the results of our study, we draw the general conclusion that employees with flexible labour contracts as well as the self-employed do not reject the idea of social security. |
Artikel |
It doesn’t always go according to planEen reactie op het Rob-rapport In gesprek of verkeerd verbonden? |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2012 |
Auteurs | Dr. Kristof Jacobs |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this feature authors discuss recent research findings that are of interest to readers of Beleid en Maatschappij. |
Artikel |
Gevangen in een te smal doel |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2012 |
Auteurs | Prof. dr. Anton Hemerijck en Dr. Frank Vandenbroucke |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this feature authors discuss recent research findings that are of interest to readers of Beleid en Maatschappij. |
Artikel |
Elite ethiekHoe politici en topambtenaren invulling geven aan publieke waarden |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2012 |
Trefwoorden | public values, government elites, political-administrative relations, elite interviewing, ethics, elites |
Auteurs | Dr. Zeger van der Wal |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This paper reports on a qualitative interview study into the prioritization and interpretation of public values government elites in the Netherlands, comparing value preferences between political and administrative elites. Based on 65 in-depth interviews with MPs, ministers and senior civil servants, statements on four public values (responsiveness, expertise, lawfulness, transparency) that have been deducted through a substantive literature review, are coded and categorized. Overall, political and administrative value preferences in the Netherlands turn out to be more similar than they are different. However, mutual perceptions emphasize differences and contrasts. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are offered and hypotheses are formulated for future studies. |
Artikel |
Politiek en samenleving in het post-Fortuyn tijdperk |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2012 |
Auteurs | Sarah de Lange |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The assassination of Pim Fortuyn and the electoral breakthrough of his Lijst Pim Fortuyn sent shockwaves through the Netherlands in May 2002. This article assesses the influence Fortuyn has had on Dutch politics and society. It provides an overview of the research that has been conducted on this topic over the past decade and relates the findings of previous studies to research on the consequences of the emergence of radical right-wing populist parties on West European party systems. |
Artikel |
De wedergeboorte van de fact-free politicsPim Fortuyn en de nieuwe tegencultuur (2002-2012) |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2012 |
Trefwoorden | politieke cultuur, Pim Fortuyn, fact-free politics, personalisering, anti-establishment ressentiment |
Auteurs | Prof. dr. Dick Houtman, Dr. Peter Achterberg en Roy Kemmers Msc. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this paper we analyze Fortuyn’s political inheritance in the Netherlands. Going beyond the mere electoral popularity of his neo-rightist successors, we analyze the changing political culture since Fortuyn entered the political stage. More specifically we show that his ideological beliefs – Fortuyn voiced an unprecedented combination of liberal views towards homosexuals and gender equality with critical views pertaining to immigration, and he was critical of political and administrative elites – caught on in current Dutch politics. Moreover, his highly personal communicative style, placing him outside the inner circle of Dutch politics underscoring his adversity to these political elites, also caught on in mainstream political campaigning. This new personal style, however, did not mean a demise of ideology. On the contrary, Fortuyn actively tried to appeal to the electorate with ideals and ideology – hence marking the rebirth of the so-called ‘fact-free politics’ after the de-ideologized purple governments in the Netherlands. Since Fortuyn, mainly parties on the right side of the political spectrum have followed this path of re-ideologization. The paper ends with a comparison of the counterculture originating in the 1960s and post-Fortuyn right-wing politics, which surprisingly shows great continuity. We therefore argue that we are currently witnessing a veritable counterculture 2.0. |
Artikel |
Voor en na Fortuyn. Veranderingen en continuïteiten in het burgeroordeel over het democratisch bestuur in Nederland |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2012 |
Trefwoorden | Fortuyn, democratic governance, legitimacy, support, satisfaction |
Auteurs | Prof. dr. Frank Hendriks, Dr. Julien van Ostaaijen en Marcel Boogers |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
For several years, Dutch and international survey research programmes, such as the European Values Studies, the Eurobarometer, and the Dutch Parliamentary Elections Studies, have registered the judgements of (Dutch) citizens regarding a wide variety of topics. The Legitimacy-monitor Democratic Governance (Hendriks, Van Ostaaijen & Boogers, 2011) assembles those statistics that together present a layered picture of the legitimacy of democratic governance in the eyes of Dutch citizens. For this article, we review those statistics and take the ‘Fortuyn-year 2002’, the year in which Fortuyn shook up Dutch politics, as a demarcation point. Among the many continuities in pre- and post-Fortuyn statistics, we register a number of marked changes in the judgements of citizens regarding democratic governance in the Netherlands. The most salient, we conclude, is the growing thirst for vigorous ‘leadership’, which not only breaks with the trend of several decades (ever weaker preference for strong leadership), but also the logic of Dutch consensus democracy (many hands and not one head). |
Artikel |
Kieskeurige kiezersEen panelstudie naar de veranderlijkheid van partijvoorkeuren |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2012 |
Trefwoorden | electoral volatility, party preference, voters, party system, consistency |
Auteurs | Dr. Tom van der Meer, E.J. Erika van Elsas MA MSc, Rozemarijn Lubbe BA e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The Dutch electorate is the most volatile of Western Europe. At its height in 2002 more than 30 percent of the seats in the Dutch Lower House changed to another party. But what does the increased electoral volatility mean? Are volatile voters whimsical, behaving randomly like drift-sand? Or are volatile voters emancipated, no longer committed to a single political party but still loyal to their own preferences?We answer these questions by analysing the 1VOP panel data set, which covers 55.847 adult respondents who participated in at least 2 of the 58 waves between November 2006 and June 2010.First, we assess the presence, frequency, and direction of changes in voters’ party preferences. More than half of the respondents (52 percent) changed party preference at least once. However, they mostly stick to one of two ideologically coherent party blocks.Second, we explain why some voters are more likely to change party preference than others. Especially middle groups are volatile: people with modal income and average levels of education, and people who position themselves in the political center. However, the lower educated are more likely to switch between dissimilar parties. These findings support the view that increased volatility reflects voter emancipation. |
Artikel |
Politiek-ambtelijke verhoudingen in de 2.0-wereldNieuwe uitdagingen en overzeese lessen |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Auteurs | Paul 't Hart en Martijn van der Steen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This paper reviews developments in political-administrative relations in Dutch central government from 2002-2012. It highlights the strengths/weaknesses of Dutch structures and processes in managing the interface between ministers and the public service. It signals a number of key trends in the political context of executive government that are going to put pressure on the status quo, and examines the much more centralised and politically orchestrated Australian system for pointers towards possible ways in which these contextual changes are going to be. |
Artikel |
Stadsbestuur met veerkracht: Goede argumenten voor meer experimenten |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Auteurs | Frank Hendriks |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Urban government is expected to contribute to the solution of major urban problems. At the same time, urban government is riddled with problems itself, often denoted in terms of governing and democratic deficits. In this article, options for governance reform in the urban realm are being explored along five lines, following up on recent research in the Netherlands and abroad. Both more aggregative arrangements (electronic ‘straw polls’, knowledge polls, prediction markets, ‘dot gov’ competitions for ‘best solutions’) and more collaborative arrangements (electronic co-creation, wiki governance, vital coalitions, urban regimes) are being assessed. The conclusions is that there are good arguments for, at least, more experimentation along these lines - not only from a functionalistic, but also from a democratic and social-psychological point of view. |
Artikel |
De wet werken naar vermogen: De stedelijke uitdaging voor creatieve destructie |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Trefwoorden | job provision, disabled workers, welfare state, creative destruction, local government |
Auteurs | Marco Wilke |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The Dutch government is preparing a major new law on social security. Among other things, this law fundamentally addresses the current system of job provision for disabled workers. The article describes the proposed system change from the Schumpeterian perspective of creative destruction. The national government effectively tears up the current system but fails to offer a workable and effective alternative. The creative part of the process is left to the municipalities. The municipalities have to develop strategies for integrating disabled workers in the labour market, acknowledging the fact that demand for these workers is very low. The author presents two of those strategies that might effectively integrate disabled workers in the economy and society. |
Artikel |
Het falen van deliberatie |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Auteurs | Sonja van der Arend en Jelle Behagel |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Deliberative democracy is a topic of fierce debate in political philosophy, democratic theory and other disciplines. Over the last two decades, the notion of deliberation - or dialogue - as a key democratic asset has also pervaded practices and empirical studies of public policy and governance. Although avid advocates and critics of deliberative governing and policy making may be found, the majority of scholars and professionals in this field take on a pragmatic, agnostic stance, and a public debate between them remains largely absent. Thus, deliberation is hardly contested or questioned, while in practice, it regularly leads to failure and disappointment. The article introduces and transcribes a dialogue on the failing of deliberation that was performed at a symposium on ‘Contested democracy’ by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (Jan. 2011, The Hague). An optimist and a cynic deliberate the role of deliberation, accompanied by a chorus of administration scientists. |
Artikel |
De energieke stad |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Auteurs | Maarten Hajer en Hiddo Huitzing |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Sustainability, the question of how our system of prosperity could be maintained, is one of the main issues of the coming decades. To combine economic growth and a pleasant environment, society needs to scale back its resource use and the ensuing pressures on the environment, by a factor of five. The challenge is to do more with less; something for which there is no instant solution. The city is the place where this change will begin, not by ‘big’ government with ‘big’ plans, but by the energetic society. Citizens and the business community are motivated by their wish for a clean economy and a pleasant living environment. The rise of the information society has increased their ability to exchange knowledge and ideas, releasing creativity and creating new solutions. If city governments are to tap into the strength of society, they must embrace the initiatives and join citizens and business in the empowered deliberative search for sustainable solutions. The goal of a clean economy is within reach, but it demands comprehensive physical and cultural change, in which local initiatives may lead the cultural change towards a broad vision of a strong, sustainable society. A large role for government remains, but high quality, low carbon cities may be the winners of the future. |
Artikel |
Overlappende waarden, wederzijdse vooroordelenEmpirisch onderzoek naar de mores van politieagenten en particuliere beveiligers |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 1 2012 |
Trefwoorden | policing, security, public-private values, professional motivation |
Auteurs | Dr. Zeger van der Wal, Dr. Ronald van Steden en Dr. Karin Lasthuizen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The private security sector is rapidly growing and their operations more and more comprise policing and public order maintenance, tasks which to date have been government’s primary responsibility. Some fear this development because the private sector is characterized by market values as profitability and efficiency instead of public sector values such as lawfulness and impartiality, putting the quality of public safety at risk. In this article the professional values, norms and motivations of police officers and private security employees in the Netherlands are compared on the basis of a standardized survey. The main conclusion is that there are large differences in how both groups perceive each other, however the underlying professional morale is actually more similar than different. |