Society; Culture - De serie 'Voorstudies en achtergronden' omvat werkstukken die in het kader van de werkzaamheden van de WRR tot stand zijn gekomen en naar zijn oordeel van zodanige kwaliteit en betekenis zijn, dat publicatie gewenst is. De verantwoordelijkheid voor de inhoud en de ingenomen standpunten berust bij de auteurs.
Economics; Society - In vergelijking met andere landen is de inzet van de nationale overheid ter versterking van de stedelijke structuur in ons land beperkt gebleven. De grote steden, Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam en Utrecht, dienen meer financiële en bestuurlijke bevoegdheden te krijgen. Ook dienen zij zelf meer verantwoordelijkheden te dragen voor de ontwikkelingen in de stad op economisch en sociaal gebied.
"Historical research into disasters and disaster processing has expanded enormously in recent years. The threat of climate disasters and pandemics is raising awareness that disasters have a major impact on community development. The period 1755-1918 also saw numerous disasters that affected Dutch society, such as the Leiden gunpowder disaster of 1807, several cholera outbreaks and large-scale river floods. Volcanic eruptions and flooding were recurring phenomena in the colonies. And then there were major international disasters, such as the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Spanish flu in 1918. Crisis and Catastrophe examines the influence of these catastrophes on belief in God, solidarity and charity, and local and national identity formation. Attention is also paid to the cultural representation of disasters in literature, paintings and memorial books."
Voorwoord Préface Les nouveaux concepts du Code des sociétés et des associations et leurs incidences pour les institutions financières (D. Szafran) Impact van het WVV op de beleidsstructuur van kredietinstellingen, verzekeringsondernemingen en beleggingsondernemingen (S. Kierszenbaum en N. De Waele) L'impact du CSA sur la structure de gouvernance des sociétés de gestion d'OPC et d'OPCA, des établissements de paiement, des établissements de monnaie électronique et de certaines autres institutions financières (V. Marquette et S. Delwaide) Het WVV en de governance van financiële instellingen: continuïteit als uitgangspunt. Het statuut van de bestuurder, de onafhankelijke bestuurder en de werking van de comités - Wat is de concrete impact van het WVV? (M. Wyckaert en S. Declercq) Het Wetboek Vennootschappen en Verenigingen vanuit toezichtsperspectief (A. Rombouts) De kapitaalloze BV en haar schuldeisers (L. Thijs) Augmentations de capital dans les sociétés cotées, clauses de changement de contrôle et assistance financière (T. L'Homme, Ch.-A. Leunen et J. Filbiche) Le financement des sociétés non-cotées via capital/capitaux propres : points d'attention et questions pratiques (B. Feron et A. Pasdermadjian) De impact van het WVV op de financiering van ondernemingen via obligaties (I. Peeters en S. Jonckheere) La société cotée dans le CSA (M. Fyon et V. Pokorny)
A review of the literature -- both empirical & theoretical -- on modernization as defined by the classical Western model, which assumes that a uniform world of political democracies with free market economies will be the natural result of economic development. It is suggested that this model is too deterministic for non-Western countries because it does not distinguish between the demands of modernization & the preconditions for democratization. Many studies have found that there is no direct relationship between economic growth & political democratization. Modern political entities develop common characteristics, including the design of participatory structures & processes, but there is no evidence that the Western economic model should be adopted by all modernizing societies. 5 Figures. Adapted from the source document.
Political Society; Public Administration - De werkzaamheden van de WRR kunnen worden onderscheiden in vijfjaarlijkse zittingsperioden. Op 31 december 1992 liep de vierde raadsperiode af. Net als aan het einde van de vorige zittingsperioden wil de raad inzicht geven in de wijze waarop hij zijn wettelijke taak heeft uitgevoerd. Daarom beoogt hij de werkzaamheden in een samenvattend overzicht openbaar te maken. In hoofdstuk 1 zal worden ingegaan op de taak en inrichting van de WRR. In hoofdstuk 2 wordt de werkwijze toegelicht, terwijl in hoofdstuk 3 de uitgebrachte rapporten en hun politieke en maatschappelijke doorwerking zullen worden besproken. Een evaluerende beschouwing van het functioneren van de raad is opgenomen in hoofdstuk 4. Daarmee voldoet de raad aan de verplichting een periodiek evaluatierapport uit te brengen overeenkomstig de Aanwijzingen inzake externe adviesorganen die de minister-president op 11 maart 1987 heeft vastgesteld.
Anthropology - De Nederlandse samenleving wordt al sinds eeuwen gekenmerkt door een grote mate van openheid en pluriformiteit. De laatste decennia lijkt de aard van deze pluriformiteit gewijzigd. Nu spreekt men van een multiculturele samenleving. Nu kan men zich afvragen waaruit die multiculturele samenleving bestaat, onder welke condities en in welke situaties wordt de grote verscheidenheid in de samenleving als problematisch ervaren, onder welke voorwaarden heeft de huidige vorm van pluriformiteit en multiculturaliteit negatieve effecten op de sociale cohesie van de samenleving? Deze diepgaande, historisch-vergelijkende en interdisciplinaire bundel geeft het overzicht van het hedendaagse onderzoek in Nederland op dit terrein. De medewerkers aan deze publicatie zijn: J. Lucassen, H. Vermeulen, J. Koenis, S. Griffioen, J. Tennekes, F. Kortmann, H. Vroom, F. Bovenkerk, R. Penninx, M. Schrover & J. van Amersfoort. Deze bundel maakt deel uit van het NWO-onderzoeksproject naar 'Sociale Cohesie in Nederland'. Dit project heeft als doel de vele vragen ten aanzien van de multiculturele en pluriforme samenleving in een nieuw perspectief te plaatsen en een beantwoording ervan naderbij te brengen.
This book deals with community-building as it manifested itself in early modern 's-Hertogenbosch. Citizenship and autonomous collective organisations were phenomena that were present in all West-European cities. Mostly men organised themselves in among others civic militias, craft-guilds and the reformed congregation: corporations that may be considered the most important institutions of the middling sort. The members of the corporate institutions rendered their services to a great extent to the master-corporation, their domicile. On the basis of the situation in 's-Hertogenbosch the following questions will be answered: 1. how was civil society formed in Dutch cities in the seventeenth and eighteenth century; 2. in what way did the corporate institutions contribute to the local community-building; 3. how did these social connections develop in time. Craft-guilds, civic militias and the church created a bond between the people. By their regulations members of these corporations took up a juridically clearly defined position towards the inhabitants who did not belong, and especially towards foreigners. In the corporations individual freedom was not sought as its highest goal, but the welfare of the collective. The corporations offered their members dignity, social acceptance, participation, sociability and protection in times of distress, and they bore responsibility for the organization of the city. In this book there is definitely a place for conflict as well. A harmonious and prosperous society is in the view of communautarists like Robert Putnam's almost the natural outcome from citizens cooperating in unions. Conflict forms an essential part of the interaction between people. In spite of the conflicts corporations did not collapse. Corporations underlined the importance of the social bond for the individual as well as the community. The main obstacle was religion. The policy of the town council was directed towards a fair and just treatment of the different confessions within the framework of the Capitulation Treaty of 1629 and the "laws of The Hague". The town council was the guardian of the common interest and it corrected the corporations that were inclined to serve their own ends. Skipping the details Robert Putnam draws attention to the corporations in North-Italian city-states that caused civil communities to bloom. Putnam relates this to the present American society. He just like Amitai Etzioni, another important community-thinker, recognizes the importance of social connections in which members cooperate, have discussions and in doing so keep democracy alive. Communautarists pay attention to the transmitting of norms and values. Corporations in early modern times also were emphatically engaged in this. What applied to Putnam's city-states in the late Middle Ages also applies to the corporations in early modern 's-Hertogenbosch. Members of the corporations created a lively culture of discussion, a necessary condition for a community on its way to democracy. (Jonathan Israel states that 'the democratic republic [started] in the Republiek') In order to deliberate with one another it is important that the partners in deliberation trust one another. Cooperating within social connections and delegating responsibilities is only possible, as Fukuyama points out, if there is trust. Both within the guilds and the militias this trust could grow because quite soon after the Reduction of 1629 the catholic and reformed members started to work on the ecumenicity of everyday life. Schilling and Blickle both ascertain, ignoring details, that changes into a democratic direction in early modern times were initiated bottom-up in small connections. The discussion that Tönnies started on Gesellschaft und Gemeinschaft is still very much alive especially when we take into account the 'golden rules' of Etzioni. He draws attention to the smaller connections - intermediary institutions - that a democratic communitarian society, a 'community of communities' needs if it is to stay alive.
Following some general observations on the growing secularization of Western societies & after producing statistical data documenting the percentages of Muslim populations in Belgium & the Netherlands, three major issues are addressed from a Belgian perspective: (1) Islam bashing in the context of the recognition of freedom of religions & worldviews in a modern democratic society, (2) policies & attitudes toward visible religious symbols worn in public places; the banning of the hijab (the headscarf worn by Muslim females) in Antwerp public schools, & (3) the degree of separation between state & religion in Belgium. It is argued that the Islamic religion should not be associated with violence, terrorism, or oppression of women; Islam should be integrated on equal rights with other religions into the Belgian society, while emancipative & liberal movements within it should be actively supported. The banning of head scarves for Muslim teachers & students in Flanders is assessed from the broader perspective of similar policies, either implemented or planned, in France, Germany, & other European countries. Articles from the Belgian constitution are quoted to illustrate that the separation between state & religion in this country is incomplete; although the government adopts a neutral stance toward all worldviews, the state recognizes six official religions whose practice is partially supported with tax-payer's money & their clergy receive state pension; the favoring of the Catholic Church in this arrangement is pointed out. It is concluded on a general note that despite the secularization of the society, religious issues figure prominently in the public sphere. Z. Dubiel