Scale is one of the classic themes in the study of Public Administration. Despite much research and debate, a lot of questions remain open. This special issue introduces scale sensitive governance as an alternative concept. It relates to taking into account the context, departing from dogma's or illusions about the ideal scale, and looking for new ways to deal with issues of scale. |
Zoekresultaat: 29 artikelen
Jaar 2011 xArtikel |
Inleiding themanummer schaalsensitief bestuur |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Trefwoorden | ideal scale, government, scale sensitive governance |
Auteurs | Catrien Termeer en Trui Steen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Boekbespreking |
De rechtsstaat: Terug op de bestuurskundige agenda |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Trefwoorden | rule of law, constitutionalism, administrative law |
Auteurs | Stavros Zouridis |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
There seems to be a contradiction between what is happening in public administration discipline and public administration practice. Whereas public administration discipline and law largely separated during the past decades public administration practice and law have converged. Recently three books have been published which emphasize the importance of the rule of law as an explanatory variable for public administration's design and behavior. In this review essay these books are discussed from a public administration theory perspective. The point of departure of the authors substantially differs. Beckett (‘Public Management and the Rule of Law’, 2010) focuses on the rule of law, Cooper (‘Public Law & Public Administration’, 2007) and Rosenbloom, O'Leary & Chanin (‘Public Administration and Law’, 2010) aim at constitutionalizing public administration. The rule of law and the constitution prove to be shaky grounds for a public administration theory. In general constitutional competence may be important for public managers and professionals, but what it means for everyday practices is not easy to establish. The authors therefore extensively describe American public law, emphasizing the constitutional constraints and general administrative law. With these books the authors provide excellent building blocks for a comparative approach of the rule of law from a public administration perspective. The aim of such an approach would be to discover patterns between legal and constitutional designs on the one hand and everyday administrative practices on the other hand. |
Artikel |
Schaaldenken is ‘schraal’ denkenIn netwerkbestuur is de schaal van het bestuur minder relevant |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Trefwoorden | scale, local government, performance, democratic legitimacy |
Auteurs | Linze Schaap |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In the Netherlands there is an ongoing discussion on the preferred or even necessary scale of government. Basic assumption in this decades-long discussion is that the mere seize of government affects the functioning and quality of government. This article questions that specific assumption, by applying two criteria; government performance and democratic legitimacy. It is concluded that the supposed relationship between seize and quality hardly exists, theoretically nor empirically. Recent government proposals for further up-scaling are being critically assessed. Main conclusion is that thinking in terms of scale and seize is no longer feasible in a modern network society. |
Artikel |
Besturen tussen globale en nationale schaalDe casus van de ronde tafel over duurzame palmolie |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Trefwoorden | governing, sustainability, scale, global partnerships, RSPO |
Auteurs | Otto Hospes |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
There is no world government for sustainability, whereas many of todays' sustainability issues are of a global scale. This paradox explains the rise of global, often private, partnerships to develop principles and criteria for sustainability. The central theme of this article is the relationship between global partnerships and national governments in governing sustainability. Are these global partnerships an excuse for governments not to take the lead in organizing sustainable palm oil, or do they activate governments to take up their public responsibilities? Is there synergy, coordination or rather competition between these different agents and scales of governance? The case is about the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and its relationship with the government of Indonesia, the largest producer and exporter of palm oil in the world. This relationship is dynamic and characterized by ‘boomerang-effects’: the Indonesian government left the initiative to international NGOs and multinational companies to develop principles and criteria for sustainable palm oil at the RSPO, but is then invited by the RSPO to participate in the national implementation of global principles and criteria. Triggered by the RSPO, the government of Indonesia develops an own, national standard for sustainable palm oil, gradually distancing itself from the RSPO and its global standard. |
Symposium |
Besturen zonder regering? |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Auteurs | Marc Hooghe, Koen Schoors en Derk-Jan Eppink |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
Samen naar de kiezerDe vorming van pre-electorale allianties tussen CD&V en N-VA en tussen SP.a en Groen! bij de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 2006 |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 4 2011 |
Trefwoorden | political parties, pre-electoral alliances, party strategies, local politics |
Auteurs | Tom Verthé en Kris Deschouwer |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Political parties normally compete in elections individually. Yet, sometimes they join forces and form pre-electoral alliances. This rather unusual strategy contains both costs and benefits. In this article we try to identify those costs and benefits by opening up the black box of internal party decision making in considering pre-electoral alliance formation. We start by assuming that parties of different electoral sizes could have different motives to face the voter as one electoral list. Through in-depth interviews at the local level in Flanders, we have studied pre-electoral alliance formation for the municipal elections in 2006. We find that the arguments of large parties mainly focus on becoming the leading formation and thus claiming the initiative in coalition formation. Small parties have more varied motives for forming or failing to form a pre-electoral alliance. |
Artikel |
De bestuurlijke gevolgen van web 2.0Conclusies en onderzoeksagenda |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2011 |
Trefwoorden | web 2.0, risks, chances, dilemmas, research agenda |
Auteurs | Vincent Homburg en Philip Marcel Karré |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this concluding article of the special issue on web 2.0 we critically discuss several of the effects of this trend. Is it always a good idea to let citizens participate in policy making through social media? Will Open Data only lead to positive effects? And will the co-creation possibilities of web 2.0 really dramatically alter the ways in which bureaucracies function, as its advocates believe? We also draw up an agenda for future research on the governmental effects of web 2.0. |
Artikel |
Open data en dynamische verantwoordingReflecties op een opkomende trend |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Open Data, dynamic accountability, armchair auditors |
Auteurs | Iris Vanhommerig en Philip Marcel Karré |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The co-production possibilities brought on by web 2.0 has meant that media are no longer a one-way stream, with citizens as passive consumers of information. This has also had an impact on the way public organizations account for their actions. In this article we describe Open Data and various other emerging forms of dynamic accountability which in recent years have cropped up alongside the more traditional horizontal and vertical accountability mechanisms. Dynamic accountability uses the technical possibilities of web 2.0 to put an end to accountability as a one-way stream: citizens now have the possibility to react and actively hold their government to account. We reflect on this emerging trend by exploring which questions this raises for Dutch governmental organizations. |
Artikel |
De bestuurlijke gevolgen van web 2.0 |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2011 |
Trefwoorden | web 2.0, responsive government, government-citizen interaction |
Auteurs | Vincent Homburg en Philip Marcel Karré |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
New means of communication, especially social media, dramatically alter the relationship between citizens and government. The internet is a platform for political discourse now in which citizens not only interact with governments but often play a leading role. This demands of government to learn how to act in a more responsive fashion. In this issue, we focus on the practical effects of web 2.0 for various governmental organizations and draw up a research agenda. |
Boekbespreking |
Het onaangename en het nuttige: Over nieuwsmedia en bestuur |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 3 2011 |
Trefwoorden | news media, government, mediatisation, monitory democracy, journalism |
Auteurs | Sandra Jacobs en Thomas Schillemans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Relations between government and news media are often complex and contradictory. In order to shed light on their interactions, this review essay discusses four recent books on the tensions between government and the media. Discussed are Schudson's Why Democracies Need an Unlovable Press, Prenger et al's Gevaarlijk spel, Cook's Governing with the News and Keane's Life and Death of Democracy. Three general issues are discussed: the ways in which journalists and policy actors behave towards each other; the implications for the daily practices of journalists and policy actors and, on a more abstract level, the implications for the democratic system. It is argued that critical and inconvenient news media fulfil a crucial role in a vital democracy, as essential checks for those in power. The news media facilitate the interaction between the fragmented parts of a monitory democracy and thus enhance a well-functioning government. In order to cope with media pressure, government pr-officials try to pacify journalists, but at the same time, government and public organizations should be wary of the incorporation of media rules in their own processes as this may lead to a mediatisation of politics. |
Article |
De verrassend effectieve interne coördinatie van het Belgisch Voorzitterschap van 2010Algemene analyse en toepassing op de casus Milieubeleid |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 3 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Belgium, EU environmental policy, rotating Presidency of the Council, Treaty of Lisbon |
Auteurs | Ferdi De Ville, David Criekemans en Tom Delreux |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The article analyses the internal coordination between the federal government, the Regions and the Communities in Belgium before and during the 2010 Belgian Presidency of the Council of Ministers. It starts from the observation that the absence of a federal government with full powers, the global financial-economic crisis as well as Belgium’s complex multi-level structure have, counterintuitively, not led to an ineffective internal coordination process. Based on interviews with people who were closely involved in the Belgian Presidency team, the article explains the effectiveness of the internal coordination by arguing that, on the one hand, the detailed and inclusive coordination before the Presidency semester has generated a culture of responsibility and joint ownership among the officials and diplomats and, on the other hand, the Belgian Presidency limited its role to being a facilitator of the European decision-making process in function of the rolling agenda of the Commission and the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Empirically illustrating these arguments with insights from the internal coordination in the environmental domain, this article demonstrates that an effective internal coordination, even in a difficult political context, can contribute to a successful Presidency. |
Artikel |
Botsende publieke waarden bij publiek-private samenwerkingDimensies en dilemma's van juridisch-bestuurskundige legitimiteit, in het bijzonder bij openbaar gezag |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Good governance, public-private partnerships, legitimacy |
Auteurs | Michiel Heldeweg en Maurits Sanders |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Public Private Partnerships (PPP), especially those geared to exercise public legal powers (‘Authoritative PPP’), are suggestive of tensions between private party involvement and public legitimacy. Hence, public legitimacy is analyzed primarily on the basis of work done by David Beetham, and complemented with Public Law legitimacy considerations concerning the exercise of legal powers and law on public organizations. The findings project that there is room to convincingly frame legitimate PPP involving public authority, but that the scope is restricted both in terms of legal constraints and of political sensitivity.As a result of this, truly wicked policy projects, which in theory stand to gain most by PPP, in practice seem to be considered less suited for Authoritative PPP (and probably more for Network PPP). |
Artikel |
Goed bestuur: Kiezen of delen? |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Good governance, public values, public management |
Auteurs | Leo Huberts en Eelco van Hout |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Good governance is a contested concept in public administration theory and practice. This concluding article builds on the presented contributions as well as on additional research. First, we summarize the diversity, leading to a sketch of two basic approaches towards good governance (organizational and value oriented). Additionally questions concerning the normativity, the pluralism of values and the object of good governance (process or policy) are addressed. Second, attention is paid to strategies to cope with values in governance, acknowledging the tensions between those values. Basic strategies aim at ‘choosing’ between values, ‘accommodating’ (in time, project, context) and ‘connecting’ values (through institutions or hybridization). |
Artikel |
Politieke ambtenaren?Formele en feitelijke rolverschillen tussen Nederlandse politiek assistenten en vlaamse kabinetsmedewerkers |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Political administrative relations, Flanders, The Netherlands, central government |
Auteurs | Diederik Vancoppenolle, Mirko Noordegraaf en Martijn van der Steen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
A surprising difference between the Netherlands and Flanders is that a Flemish minister may appoint more than 20 advisors, while Dutch ministers can appoint only one or two ‘political assistants’. However, this difference was hardly studied before, although it is a relevant and actual theme. This article analyzes the differences in role and position of Flemish ministerial advisors and Dutch political assistants. We show that there exist large differences between both types of advisors and we discuss the reasons for and consequences of this difference. The institutional context in which both actors work determines a lot their role. Differences in political culture and administrative organization in particular seem to be important explanatory factors. |
Artikel |
Goed bestuur als management van spanningen tussen verschillende publieke waarden |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Good governance, public values, principles of proper administration, principles of good administration, principles of good governance |
Auteurs | Gjalt de Graaf, Veerle van Doeveren, Anne-Marie Reynaers e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In this literature review we present and discuss the key concepts of this symposium issue: (good) governance, (public) values, and the management of tensions between public values. The article concludes with an overview of strategies on how to deal with public values as a prelude to the remainder of the symposium, and discusses the implications of the distinguished strategies for public administration practice. |
Boekbespreking |
Vier keer verandermanagement in publieke organisaties: Een essay |
Tijdschrift | Bestuurskunde, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | Management of change, public organizations |
Auteurs | Joris van der Voet |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The literature on the management of organizational change is mostly based on private sector research. Research on the management of change in public sector organizations is relatively scarce. Because of the specific characteristics of public sector organizations, insights in the management of change may not be translated from one sector to the other. In this essay, four recent books about organizational change in public sector organizations are reviewed. Based on these books and other literature, an overview of the contemporary insights in the management of change of public sector organizations is presented.The essay concludes with an agenda for future research. |
Artikel |
Verantwoordelijke vrijheid: responsabilisering van burgers op voorwaarden van de staat |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Trefwoorden | governance, responsibilisation, political discourse, politics, public administration |
Auteurs | Rik Peeters en Gerard Drosterij |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Behind many notions of ‘governance’, there lies the image of a ‘modest’ or ‘retreating’ state. The assumption is that local and national authorities can only perform effectively if in cooperation with other public and private actors. Generally, it is said, governments increasingly lack the legitimacy for top-down interventions and hence the need of including participative citizen involvement in policy making and implementation. In recent years this democratic image has been disputed in scientific debates because of its lack of attention for new forms of interventionism by the state in societal processes, e.g. crime, youth care, immigration and integration. In this article, we aim to contribute to this other understanding of modern governance by analysing Dutch political discourse between 2001 and 2010 on (implicit) notions of the role and responsibility of the state. We show how the idea of ‘responsibilisation’ of citizens is turned into an argument for more instead of less state involvement in societal processes and citizens’ lives. By emphasizing ‘shared responsibilities’ between government and society, a tricky picture of parity is sketched of this relation. Dutch government presents itself as ‘an ally’ of citizens in fighting pressing social problems, but in the meantime an ideal of ‘responsible behaviour’ is constructed, namely, citizen behaviour in concordance with government’s policy ambitions. Within this political discourse, the socio-liberal idea of ‘responsibility’ turns into ‘responsibilisation on government’s terms’ and ‘irresponsible’ behaviour becomes a legitimate focal point for deep state interventions through techniques of governance. |
Boekbespreking |
Riemens schaduwtheorie |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 1 2011 |
Trefwoorden | review, Rob Riemen, fascism |
Auteurs | Albert Jan Kruiter |
Auteursinformatie |
Artikel |
Privaat beheerde woondomeinen: beloftevol of beangstigend fenomeen? |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 1 2011 |
Trefwoorden | housing enclave, gated community, Netherlands, local government |
Auteurs | Jasper Eshuis, Erik-Hans Klijn en Mark van Twist |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In recent years the Netherlands have seen an upsurge of housing enclaves. The enclaves are often built as courtyards, castles, estates or apartment complexes. The growing number of people living in housing enclaves indicates a demand for this kind of living areas. However, the motivations behind the increasing popularity of housing enclaves are unclear. Is this a reflection of a long standing tradition of people staying in their own social group, seeking for belonging and sociability? Or does it fit in a global trend of searching for security in gated communities? This paper presents empirical research in the Netherlands that addresses peoples’ motives for living in housing enclaves, as well as the role of the local government in relation to housing enclaves. The research shows that residents of housing enclaves seek a pleasant living environment in the first place, while security is a less important motive. The study gives reason for planners and developers outside the US not to assume that fear of crime and a wish for security are the main reasons for moving to housing enclaves. Further, the study shows that housing enclaves are not completely privatized areas. Local government still has an important role to play. |
Essay |
De permanente crisis van de democratie |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 2 2011 |
Auteurs | Jacques Thomassen |
Auteursinformatie |