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Choices with impact: Retrospection and reflection on the ethical dimension of a practice-oriented research project using the Most Significant Change Technique
In this publication, we reflect on our use of the Most Significant Change Technique (Davies & Dart, 2005) in a research project on the ethical impact of a training program for social professionals. This method had never before been used in the field of empirical ethics. We describe how we applied the method and account for some alterations we made to bring it in line with the goal of our research. We also illustrate how the analysis of stories, written by participants, as well as the analysis of discussions about these stories with relevant stakeholders (service users, colleagues and managers), led to a stimulating process during which new insights emerged. Reflecting on the results, we conclude that the MSC technique, slightly changed, could be very useful when doing research on the ethical impact of training programs. The narrative component in particular is valuable, in combination with the fact that all relevant stakeholders can contribute in an equivalent way.

The standard picture of public governance in the Dutch Republic (1579-1795) is one of consultation with multiple stakeholders, peaceful negotiations with representatives from a range of governmental institutions, and agreements and compromise. This picture has been the subject of much debate among historians and other scholars. One question concerns the extent to which this kind of governance evolved from the traditional practices of water authorities, as these institutions emerged very early, at the end of the thirteenth century. A further question is whether it is correct to assume that these peaceful negotiations did in fact involve participation by a wide range of societal stakeholders. This book contributes to this debate by presenting the results of new research into the development of governance by water authorities prior to 1800. In the late Middle Ages and Early Modern period, these institutions changed as a result of ecological, socio-economic and political developments. The central question is how these developments affected the evolution of and governance within the water authorities. The research focuses on two inter-local water authorities: first, the water authority of the Bunschoten Veen and Velden dikes in the Province of Utrecht; and second, the water authority of Mastenbroek polder in the Province of Overijssel. How were landholders represented in such authorities, and what was the relationship between developments in representation and participation in decision-making? The positions and backgrounds of the board members of these two water authorities were investigated, as well as the process of decision-making. The theoretical framework was provided by theories of consociationalism (Lijphart 1968 and Putnam 1993), in which peaceful governance is defined in terms of consensus politics or politics of accommodation. A set of criteria was formulated to assess the occurrence of participative decision-making by stakeholders. These criteria were tested against the discussions and decisions found in ...

The standard picture of public governance in the Dutch Republic (1579-1795) is one of consultation with multiple stakeholders, peaceful negotiations with representatives from a range of governmental institutions, and agreements and compromise. This picture has been the subject of much debate among historians and other scholars. One question concerns the extent to which this kind of governance evolved from the traditional practices of water authorities, as these institutions emerged very early, at the end of the thirteenth century. A further question is whether it is correct to assume that these peaceful negotiations did in fact involve participation by a wide range of societal stakeholders. This book contributes to this debate by presenting the results of new research into the development of governance by water authorities prior to 1800. In the late Middle Ages and Early Modern period, these institutions changed as a result of ecological, socio-economic and political developments. The central question is how these developments affected the evolution of and governance within the water authorities. The research focuses on two inter-local water authorities: first, the water authority of the Bunschoten Veen and Velden dikes in the Province of Utrecht; and second, the water authority of Mastenbroek polder in the Province of Overijssel. How were landholders represented in such authorities, and what was the relationship between developments in representation and participation in decision-making? The positions and backgrounds of the board members of these two water authorities were investigated, as well as the process of decision-making. The theoretical framework was provided by theories of consociationalism (Lijphart 1968 and Putnam 1993), in which peaceful governance is defined in terms of consensus politics or politics of accommodation. A set of criteria was formulated to assess the occurrence of participative decision-making by stakeholders. These criteria were tested against the discussions and decisions found in ...

Political Science - De invoering van de l-EPD was een van de beleidsdoelen van het kabinet Balkenende IV. Standpunten van belanghebbenden over de gevolgen voor o.a. de kwaliteit van zorg, efficiëntie, privacy en aansprakelijkeid verschillen sterk. In de de studie staan drie vragen centraal: Hoe zag het proces van beleids- en besluitvorming van het landelijk EPD eruit? Wat zijn de visies van de diverse actoren op het EPD vraagstuk? Hoe hebben de belangrijkste stakeholders zich in het EPD-vraagstuk gepositioneerd? De beantwoording van deze vragen maken duidelijk dat het om een complex en veelzijdig vraagstuk gaat. De serie WRR-webpublicaties omvat studies die in het kader van de werkzaamheden van de WRR tot stand zijn gekomen. De verantwoordelijkheid voor de inhoud en de ingenomen standpunten berust bij de auteurs.

Bedrijven tonen steeds meer interesse in duurzamere bedrijfsactiviteiten en het reduceren van hun milieu-impact. De redenen hiervoor zijn veelzijdig. Zo functioneert het wettelijk kader op verschillende vlakken als een limiterende factor. Daarnaast zorgt de verschuiving van de maatschappelijke belangen ervoor dat de stakeholders meer en meer die bedrijven steunen met een overeenkomstig gedachtegoed. Bovendien daalt de voorraad fossiele brandstoffen en splijtstoffen die op dit moment dienst doen als hoofdbron voor de energieopwekking. Doordat vele brandstoffen ontgonnen worden in politiek minder stabiele regio's bestaat er tevens onzekerheid over de aanbodzijde. De vraag naar energie kent echter onder invloed van enkele sterk groeiende landen wereldwijd een sterke stijging. Deze ontwikkelingen van vraag en aanbod resulteren in een volatiele evolutie van de energieprijzen op korte termijn en een hoge energieprijsstijging op lage termijn. Geen van deze ontwikkelingen is ideaal voor bedrij

If we want to share data, the long-term storage of those data in a trustworthy digital archive is an essential condition. Trust is the basis of storing and sharing data. That trust must be present in the various stakeholders involved. Certification of digital archives can make an important contribution to the confidence of these stakeholders in the digital archives. Ten years ago DANS was assigned the task of developing a Seal of Approval for digital data to ensure that archived data can still be found, understood and used in the future. In 2009 this Data Seal of Approval (DSA) was transferred to an international body, the DSA Board, which has managed and further developed the guidelines and the peer review process ever since. The objectives of the DSA are to safeguard data, ensure high quality and guide reliable management of data for the future without requiring implementation of new standards, regulations or heavy investments. The DSA contains 16 guidelines for applying and verifying quality aspects concerning the creation, storage, use and reuse of digital data. Based on feedback from data archives that applied for a DSA and different case studies we have gained some insight into the benefits of DSA. Still, the impact of having the Seal is not easy to measure. Seal holders usually refer to qualitative benefits in the form of increased awareness of the value of their repositories to their communities, funders and publishers. Ten years down the line we can safely state that the Data Seal of Approval has proven its added value. If we try to look five years into the future, what can we expect? There are different developments: a growing interest in DSA among European research infrastructures, the collaboration between DSA and the ISCU World Data System under the umbrella of the RDA (Research Data Alliance) and the European Commission is showing a growing interest in certification services. The success of DSA also provides the challenge to further professionalize the DSA organization in the coming years, this to enable its community to continue to grow.

Appreciative inquiry – an alternative way to represent quality
Internal audits in education and research are means to detect possible risks and to judge their quality based on a number of quality standards. Up to now this has been a successful way to evaluate education and research. However, being accreditable or not seems to be not how educational programmes or research units handle possible risks (from hindsight). Instead, they focus on the ambitions, successes and the impact on stakeholders in professional practices, education and research. Gerdien Vegter and Frank Vonk opt for reframing quality standards in terms of ambition, stakeholder satisfaction, learning and growing, mirroring different approaches, real dialogue, and collective and individual values. In her reaction Stoopendaal agrees that appreciation, stimulation, critical reflection and dialoguing may provide a way out of the dominating regime of quantitative quality assessments in the public sector.

Klep, Christ, Somalië, Rwanda, Srebrenica. De nasleep van drie ontspoorde vredesmissies (Dissertatie Utrecht 2008; Amsterdam: Boom, 2008, 385 blz., ISBN 978 90 8506 668 2).ResponseThe validity of my comparative approach (Somalia-Rwanda-Srebrenica) still stands, in my opinion. At the level of political responsibility and the process of coming to terms with events, the similarities are stronger than the differences. My estimation that the Inquiry reports were 'hijacked' by almost all of the stakeholders involved (especially the Canadian, Belgian and Dutch governments) is more of a matter of fact and a political reality than a reproach that ought to have legal implications. Finally, the question of how far the three governments that were involved learned lessons from the three affairs is difficult to answer. Was it not also the wider developments (for example, the switch from the 'blue' missions to the more robust 'green' missions) that compelled the lessons to be drawn out?

Participatief onderzoek is empirisch onderzoek waarin betrokkenen (stakeholders), zoals onderzochten, opdrachtgevers, initiatiefnemers, benutters, implementeerders, degenen die voor- of nadeel van het onderzoek kunnen ondervinden, deelnemen als medeonderzoekers (co-researchers). Soms worden alle deelnemers, dus inclusief de professionele of primaire onderzoekers (primary researchers), als medeonderzoekers aangemerkt om te benadrukken dat het in dit onderzoek om samenwerking (participation, co-operation of collaboration) gaat. Ik duid hier gemakshalve alleen de niet-professionele onderzoekers aan als medeonderzoekers. Iedereen, elke deelnemer, neemt in meerdere of mindere mate deel aan de formulering van de probleemstelling (vraag- en doelstelling), de opzet waarmee die probleemstelling wordt aangepakt, en de uitvoering van het onderzoek, met name het verzamelen van gegevens, het analyseren ervan en de rapportage. De medeonderzoekers hebben hun eigen expertise op het terrein van het onderzoek, nemen deel aan de diverse beslissingsprocessen en dragen daarvoor ook samen met alle andere onderzoekers verantwoordelijkheid. Juist hierin verschilt 'participatief onderzoek' van 'participerende observatie'. Bij dat laatste neemt de onderzoeker, de participerende observeerder, weliswaar in zekere mate deel aan het leven of de alledaagse gang van zaken bij onderzochten, openlijk of onder geheimhouding, maar de onderzochten doen niet mee als medeonderzoekers; de onderzochte formuleert niet mee en is ook niet verantwoordelijk voor dat wat onderzocht wordt of hoe het onderzoek opgezet en uitgevoerd wordt. Dat doet alleen de professionele onderzoeker.

In August 2013, a committee of peers visited the Waddenacademie to evaluate its performance according to a standard protocol. The Waddenacademie was established in 2008 to coordinate and reinforce research towards understanding geobio- physical and socio-economic processes in the Wadden sea area, and to attune research that is done to the needs for knowledge in the area. The review committee was impressed by the quality of the work of the Waddenacademy. That work is unique because it integrates knowledge from many disciplines. The quality of the work was rated as 'very good'. Productivity was 'very good to excellent': many publications were produced that had a very high impact. Societal relevance was rated as 'very good', because publications, symposia etc were highly appreciated by many parties, such as the trilateral Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, and because many stakeholders rely on the Waddenacademie for help to get access to research. On this moment, the position of the Waddenacademie is critical. Current financing ends on July 1st 2014, and on the same date the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), of which the Waddenacademie is part, will give up its responsibility as part of her strategy towards her affiliated but non research organisations. A decision for new financing will be made at the end of 2013. The committee is concerned about these circumstances. The committee states that the Waddenacademie deserves her right to exist beyond doubt, and formulated some considerations and recommendations about additional tasks and organization.

Ondanks het feit dat het reeds decennia vaststaat dat de nationale rechtscolleges van de EU-lidstaten een cruciale rol (zouden moeten) spelen bij de handhaving van het EU-staatssteunrecht, is het vandaag onzeker of en hoe Belgische rechtscolleges deze rol (kunnen) vervullen. Dit doctoraatsonderzoek vult deze leemte en brengt verheldering en rechtszekerheid in een onderwerp dat vaak vergeten wordt in de rechtsleer én de praktijk. Aan de hand van een rechtspraakonderzoek van het Grondwettelijk Hof, de Raad van State én de gewone rechtscolleges wordt in dit werk onderzocht, beschreven en geëvalueerd in hoeverre Belgische rechtscolleges kunnen en zouden moeten optreden als Europese staatssteunrechters. Hierbij wordt gefocust op vier onderzoeksthema's: welke partijen kunnen een beroep doen op de Belgische staatssteunrechters; hoe kunnen en moeten de Belgische rechtscolleges optreden als staatssteunrechters; hoe kunnen en moeten de Belgische rechtscolleges optreden tegen schendingen van het EU-staatssteunrecht; en wat is de verhouding tussen de Belgische rechtscolleges en de Europese Commissie enerzijds, en het Hof van Justitie anderzijds. In het onderzoek worden tot slot ook oplossingen geformuleerd voor de verschillende onzekerheden en problemen in het Belgische recht wat betreft de rol van de Belgische staatssteunrechters. Ten uitgeleide en ter aanscherping van het onderzoek worden tot slot nog enkele algemene reflecties geformuleerd over het handhavingssysteem van de EU-staatssteunregels.0Dit is het eerste diepgaande werk over de rol van de Belgische rechtscolleges als Europese staatssteunrechters.0Deze uitgebreide studie van de Belgische staatssteunrechtspraak biedt, door te werken met afgebakende onderzoeksvragen een leidraad voor alle stakeholders die te maken krijgen met de naleving van de EU-staatssteunregels in België (magistraten, advocaten, ondernemingen, overheden, ngo's, burgers enz.)

In the Fourth National Spatial Policy Plan Extra (1990) the development areas were pointed out (the so-called "Vinex-areas"). This encouraged project developers to buy large and strategic situated properties. The key question is how to assure that also next generations of inhabitants, politicians and developers will still be prepared to invest in quality improvement. The concept of Sustainable Spatial Quality has been examined from the perspective chosen by the Brundtland Commission in its famous report 'Our Common Future' (1987). Quality Assurance is a concept made operational in Quality Management practices based on the ISO 9000 standards. The essential mechanism of Quality Assurance is the Deming-cycle In Vinex-area development in The Netherlands three types of PPP are fairly common: the so-called 'Development-Claim', the Joint Venture and the Concession. A basic assumption behind the effectiveness of Quality Assurance is the ability of controlling human behaviour and, in our case, spatial planning and development processes by means of institutional systems. Institutional governance is based on the idea that in a consistent institutional context different people will act more or less similar in a predictable way. Scott (2001) provides us with a theoretical framework based on an extensive and broad research of (neo)institutional literature. By combining the scientific work of economists, social and political scientists he creates a concept for the analysis of institutions. This concept consists of three types of institutional systems: Regulative, Normative and Cultural-cognitive. The Regulative system is typical for the Development-Claim model. The Joint Venture however is based on dialogue and negotiation on an equal level between public and private parties. The effectiveness of the Concession model for the public interest is determined by the way the government uses the willingness of private parties to go into competition. The empirical research was conducted in three different Vinex-areas: Leidsche Rijn near Utrecht, Vathorst near Amersfoort and Ypenburg near The HagueThe research included analysis of plans, contracts and documents followed by a series of interviews with stakeholders. Quality Assurance is failing on several critical points. Indifferent of the PPP-type the weakest elements in the process are the poorly developed interactive involvement of (potential) user groups in the planning process, the inability of both public and private parties to react adequately on changing circumstances and preferences of user groups and the lack of competition for area development. There is no 'best' PPP for assuring Sustainable Spatial Quality. Our recommendations to optimise the quality assurance function are partly generally applicable and partly specified for each type of PPP separately. Generally applicable is the recommendation for improving the interactivity of the planning process as well as enhancing a more proactive strategy of anticipation on changing user preferences. We need empowerment of the civil society, led by an independent process-manager and using a suitable framework for the debate. Anticipation on changing user-preferences can be improved by introducing periodic evaluations. The quality assurance function can also profit from introducing more competition, for example by awarding efforts of private parties to make their plans more sustainable.