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A seminar comparing bachelor's & master's programs in politology (political science) offered by universities in the Netherlands & Flanders, Belgium. Peter Bursens (U of Antwerp) & Eelke Heemskerk (U of Amsterdam) introduce the topic & present participants, recognizing their qualifications to speak on the subject. Kris Deschouwer (Free U of Brussels) identifies the differences & parallels in politological education offered at Dutch & Flemish institutions; he stresses the similarities in program content, teaching materials, & focus on research, while noting differences in organization & cultural context. Peter Van Aelst (U of Leiden) discusses the quality of political science programs & rebuts views that students do not receive quality education because their professors are more preoccupied with publication of research papers than teaching. Sophie Vanhoonacker & Maarten Vink (U of Maastricht) present the English-language bachelor's & master's programs in European Studies offered since 2002 & 2006, respectively, at the U of Maastricht; quantitative data comparing enrollment by German & Dutch students are tabulated, graduates' prospects of employment are assessed, & the use of English as an instruction language is discussed. In their conclusion, Peter Bursens (U of Antwerp) & Eelke Heemskerk (U of Amsterdam) summarize & comment on the contributions delivered at this seminar. Z. Dubiel

Communication between political elites & the general public is suffering from information overload. The best way to remedy the problem is to improve political language. Ideology is the most 'rational' political language available: it carries information about elite decision making at a relatively modest cost. Three questions are considered: (1) Do the decisionmakers have an ideology? (2) If 'yes,' is it instrumental in the decision-making process? (3) If 'yes,' why does this ideological factor rarely reach the public? The last two questions are considered from a formal viewpoint. It is shown that ideology can be important in the private decision-making forum & disappear when the elites address the public. The private forum is dominated by the need for policy output & by the necessity for coalition formation. The adaptation of ideology to this situation depends on its articulation degree & on the coalition-formation type. Generally, the salience aspect of ideology is less likely to suffer than its position aspect. The public forum is dominated by the needs for recruiting support & legitimizing proposals. Ideology is generally too costly a device to be used for these purposes. HA.

Toen The SAGE handbook of the philosophy of the social sciences uitkwam, wist ik niet hoe snel ik een exemplaar te pakken moest krijgen. Omdat ik wel eens op dit gebied publiceer, was ik bang dat mijn kennis achterliep bij de internationale 'voorhoede'. Na lezing van het handboek kan ik gerust ademhalen. Dit is een conservatief handboek waarin weliswaar een aantal interessante ideeën staat, maar weinig nieuwe inzichten te vinden zijn. Daarnaast zijn er twee hoofdstukken die tot diepere inzichten kunnen leiden, zoals ik hieronder zal aangeven. Het handboek bestaat uit een inleiding, vier omvangrijke delen over respectievelijk de ontwikkeling van de wetenschapsfilosofie, sociale ontologie, paradigma's en methodologie, en een epiloog. In totaal bevat het handboek 39 hoofdstukken.

Analysis of the distribution of political power in Brussels, Belgium, in terms of regional SES reveals that political power, assessed through residence of office-holders, is disproportionately concentrated in high SES areas; the few office-holders in lower SES districts appear to be among the least influential. Power distribution variances between French- & Dutch-language parties are examined, noting the r of the former with high SES & the latter with lower SES areas. Representation of the Brussels Wc has been restricted since WWII, despite attempted "democratization" of the Belgian political process. 7 Tables, 2 Figures. Modified HA.

An article on how the Flemish government has used the new legislation to found its own international cultural policy and if its aims were solely cultural, or mixed with political and/or economic gains. Up till now cultural policies have been mainly policies of subvention and not enough autonomous, since political and economical aims were found too important. Regarding autonomy, the results have not been brilliant; international subventions, regulated by external factors, have been mainly of a political and economical nature, which diminishes the structural practices, leaving a tight budget for an autonomous, authentic policy. However, compared with Holland and the Walloon provinces, the results seem better. The functionality in Walloon remains highly influenced by international merchandising goals, and Holland has accepted the existing and hard to avoid co-relation with other domains, but their idea of an autonomous policy seems rather individualistic. As regards the EU: its nature is too economical to make for a successful autonomy. Future aims seem worthwhile however in a cooperation of a Dutch language union, an international cooperation thus, between the Netherlands and Flemish cultural strategies. It is a costly business, but promoting Dutch language contributions to the international scene provide some good basics for an internationalized policy, to which the Flemish-Dutch Cultural Policy Committee (Commissie Cultureel Verdrag Vlaanderen-Nederland) has given its approval. References. O. van Zijl

Modelling Shared Reality
Modelling Shared Reality
This article introduces 'Modelling Shared Reality', a new qualitative research methodology which has its roots in Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling. Using the protocol explained in this article, undesired influence of the researcher is minimized during all phases of the research: the interviews, the analysis and the reporting phase. The methodology is action-oriented: both the process and the results function as a catalyst for actions or behavioral change. It is frequently used in the context of organizational change or development processes, as well as policy decisions, policy evaluations, and participative processes.

Using online communities as a market research tool
Using online communities as a market research tool
This article describes the methodological advantages and disadvantages regarding the use of online communities as a market research tool.The advantages include the facilitation of an ethnographic approach due to the use of multiple research methods, the anonymity of a virtual environment, and the effect of unconscious thought processing. This allows for greater insights into the life worlds of consumers. Nonetheless, there are also disadvantages. The lack of body language makes the interpretation process more difficult. In addition, there is also loss of respondent interaction, especially in comparison to traditional focus group discussions.

Public debates tend to see social inequality as resulting from individual decisions people make, for instance with respect to their education or lifestyle. Solutions are often sought in supporting individuals to make better choices. This neglects the importance of social groups and communities in determining individual outcomes. A moral perspective on social inequality questions the fairness of insisting on individual responsibilities, when members of some groups systematically receive fewer opportunities than others. The essays in this book have been prepared by experts from different disciplines, ranging from philosophy to engineering, and from economics to epidemiology. On the basis of recent scientific insights, World of Difference examines how group memberships impact on individual outcomes in four key domains: health, education and work, migration, and the environment. This offers a new moral perspective on social inequality, which policy makers tend to neglect.

Goffman, frames and framing research
Fred Wester
Somewhere in the last 15 years the English word 'framing' came to be used in the Dutch language, mostly in the context of politics or media, to define a communication strategy. It refers to the use of specific phrases, words, or images that focus on specific characteristics and connect positive or negative connotations to a subject in discussion. The frames we may find in management reports and media are related but different from the general term 'frame' that Goffman used in his book Frame Analysis (1974). In this article, Goffman's perspective is presented using his study Gender Advertisements as an example and the differences are discussed with the media framing perspective.

The text is in the form of a letter addressed to the author by a friend, signed at the end (p. 91): Q.N. Rotterdam 23 Jan. 1781. In the preface the author states that it is a commentary, written at his suggestion, in response to a pamphlet entitled "Het politieck systema van de regeering van Amsterdam," attributed to Hendrik Calkoen. The subject in part is the unauthorized negotiations for a commercial treaty between the burgomasters of Amsterdam and the United States. Attributed to Elie Luzac by Knuttel. Date of publication from preface, page [4], signed Middelburg, 1 February 1781. ; Florida Atlantic University Libraries' Marvin and Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection, Pamphlets: Foreign Language B8F17 ; Florida Atlantic Digital Library Collections