Suchergebnisse

It is noted that Holland provides an interesting laboratory for exploring the operation of party attachments. The vigorous multi-party system, the segmentation of society, the apparent weakening in the traditional pol of accommodation, the abolition of mandatory voting all combine to form a far diff matrix than that found in the Anglo-Amer or in the developing countries. At the same time, the dynamics of the party system--with the rise of minor & major new parties encroaching upon the hegemony of the traditional 'big 5' -offered a fine opportunity to catch the play of partisan commitment in a milieu far diff than for example, the US of the 1950's & 1960's. Despite what might seem to be impediments, the principle of partisan intensity functions admirably in Holland when applied to the conventional subject areas. Thus voting turnout & other forms of electoral participation varied directly with the degree of adherence to party. By the same token, consistency of voting, decisiveness of making electoral choices, & correctness of fit between self-image & party profile also reflected in very faithful fashion the varying levels of party attachment. The customary affinity between advancing age & rising partisanship also appeared. What is esp remarkable about virtually all of these findings is that they match or exceed in magnitude those found in the country wherein party identification has been most frequently used as an explanatory variable, viz, the US. The rather surprising strength of party adherence in the Dutch context can perhaps be best explained in terms of the lack of other powerful incentives governing participation & choices. Modified Author's Summary.

An analysis is presented of the background of the very dense & highly institutionalized network of interest groups in the Netherlands. This well-integrated system has recently come under some strain, as a large number of new action groups have sprung up next to the political parties & the older, more established interest groups. On the basis of surveys among members of the Dutch Parliaments in 1968 & 1972 & with a cross-section of the population in 1972, the relative influence-both actual & desired--which members of Parliament & the population ascribe to cabinet ministers, expert members of Parliament, civil servants, & party executives; to the more important economic interest groups of employers, workers, farmers, & retailers; to the churches, & to voters, action groups, newspapers, radio & TV & PO polls, is analyzed. 1 Table, 1 Figure. HA.

IN THE US PARTY IDENTIFICATION HAS PROVEN TO BE ONE OF THE MOST INVALUABLE CONCEPTS IN POLITICAL RESEARCH, & IS USED MORE & MORE AS AN INSTRUMENT IN COMPARATIVE POLITICAL RESEARCH. THERE ARE STRONG INDICATIONS THAT PARTY IDENTIFICATION DOES NOT MEAN THE SAME THING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. PARTY IDENTIFICATION IS NOT A USEFUL CONCEPT IN THE NETHERLANDS & DOES NOT HAVE SOME OF THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES THAT MADE IT HIGHLY USEFUL IN THE US: (1) PARTY IDENTIFICATION IS LESS STABLE THAN VOTE PREFERENCE, (2) THE LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT PARTY IDENTIFICATION & VOTE PREFERENCE CAN BE DISTINGUISHED CAN ALSO BE EXPLAINED AS UNRELIABILITY OF MEASUREMENT, & (3) THERE IS STRONG EVIDENCE THAT PARTY IDENTIFICATION IS NOT CAUSALLY PRIOR TO VOTE PREFERENCE. PARTY IDENTIFICATION HAS DEVELOPED IN THE US & NOT IN THE NETHERLANDS BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN LINKAGES OF POLITICAL PARTIES & THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN THE 2 COUNTRIES. IN THE NETHERLANDS THIS LINKAGE HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN VERY STRONG & IT IS LIKELY THAT PEOPLE DEVELOPED STRONG ATTACHMENTS WITH A SUBCULTURE RATHER THAN WITH THE POLITICAL PARTY ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 14 TABLES, 6 MODELS. HA.

The South Moluccas existed for a short time as the Republic of South Molucca following the relinquishment of Dutch control. They were forcibly conjoined with Indonesia late in 1950 after significant military skirmishes. Many of the 8,000 Moluccans in the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army opted to move to the Netherlands & be transferred to the Royal Dutch Army, rather than face possible recriminations under Indonesian rule. These immigrants have resisted assimilation into Dutch society. The younger generation has turned to more radical means for pressing for restoration of Moluccan independence, & has transferred the blame for the political situation from Indonesia to the Netherlands. Discussed are a series of terrorist acts (arson, hostage taking) by Moluccans directed against Indonesian interests in the Netherlands. Emphasized are: the reaction of successive Dutch governments to the terrorism, its effect on national & international PO & on the South Moluccans still in the Moluccas, & the probability of the Moluccan terrorists moving toward increased association with other terrorist groups. Modified HA.

Problems concerning the subsidization of pol'al parties are discussed. 1st the situation in countries other than the Netherlands is considered. Public funds are used for direct support of pol'al parties in Argentina, Germany, Israel, Turkey & Sweden. Indirect support (tax facilities, air time, etc) is given in many more countries. Arguments against subsidization are: (1) it makes parties dependent on the gov; (2) it freezes the pol'al pattern; & (3) it is contrary to the private character of pol'al parties. The form of subsidization is seen to be an important consideration: a form must be sought which guarantees equality of opportunity between the parties. There are no principle objections to subsidization, however, direct support is rejected for the present because it is difficult to find a system of allocation which is perfect & equitable from all points of view, & because subsidization would serve to increase the psychol'al distance between the parties & the electorate. If subvention is desired, the best system is seen to be one in which allocation depends on the amount contributed by the party members & the number of seats in parliament. This amount would be limited, & the subsidization regulated by law. The parties would be obliged to publish their income & expenditures. Modified HA.

Political science as an independent science was born in the Netherlands in 1948 when J. Barents was appointed the first Dutch political science professor. Political science departments exist now in 5 Dutch universities. About 900 political scientists got their BAs & 50 their doctorates in the Netherlands. Eighteen hundred students are currently majoring in political science. The 200 books published by Dutch political scientists since 1948 are surveyed. It is concluded that there has been a major advance in knowledge & insight & that much is still to be desired. From a political science viewpoint the Dutch map is a mostly blank area. Political science knowledge is fragmented. There is more analysis than synthesis. A policy of work accumulation is missing. Manpower & research funds are short. Government financial support of teaching & research is extremely limited compared to the natural sciences. 2 Tables. Modified AA.

Der vorliegende Artikel ist Teil und Fortsetzung des Forschungsprojekts "Säkularisierung und Entsäulung in den Niederlanden", das vom soziologischen Institut der Universität Nijmegen durchgeführt wurde. Anlaß, die Erkundung der nationalen Identität der Niederländer fortzusetzen und sich nicht mit dem bisherigen Ergebnis "der geistig-politischen Polarisierung als hervorragendem Merkmal der niederländischen Identität" zufriedenzugeben, war der 1983 entbrannte Medienstreit, der die strengere Handhabung des Richtungsparagraphen des Rundfunks- und Fernsehgesetzes vorsah. Die Ergebnisse, die hier präsentiert werden, sind aus der Anwendung der nicht-metrischen multidimensionalen Entfaltungstechnik (Young-Lewyckyi) hervorgegangen (Stichprobe 601 Personen). Die nationale Identität stellt sich als keineswegs einheitlich dar, sondern wird durch drei getrennte kulturelle Kräfte charakterisiert: protestantisch-calvinistisch, politisch-engagiert und die sogenannte "graue Masse", die sich nicht sonderlich profiliert. Katholiken und Sozialdemokraten bilden zwischen den drei Kreisen eine Brückenfunktion. Dieses pluralistische Merkmal paßt zur Zersplitterung des gesamten Lebens in den Niederlanden. Diese Form von Pluralität ist aber keine Besonderheit der Niederlande, sondern auch in anderen Ländern zu finden. In unserem Kulturkreis würde demnach die Frage nach der nationalen Identität "nicht mehr als marginale Differenzierungen eines allgemein westlichen Standards bilden", die jedoch auch weiter untersuchungswürdig ist. (HM)