Suchergebnisse

Interpretive Political Science has been seen as one of the major critiques against Rational Choice Theory. This review article touches upon the main cleavage between both approaches. It goes beyond the question of rationality as such and asks, instead, what makes actions being understood as 'rational', highlighting by that the socio-cultural context of rationality and its linkage to power. These two elements can be seen as the core of interpretive approaches and they lead us, at the same time, to divergent understandings of the scientific practice that Rational Choice Theory and Interpretive Political Science respectively have. These understandings can be seen as the major difference between both paradigms. Adapted from the source document.

The thesis is a qualitative social scientific study of the Dutch political discourse on multi-ethnic society between 1977 and 1995. The central questions are: 1. Have the Dutch political parties' views on minority policy generally changed between 1977 and 1995, and, if so, in what direction? 2. Was in the first half of the nineties more disagreement on this topic than in the eighties? 3. What exactly are the differences of opinion between the parties on the topic of integration of minorities? The research proceeds upon the theoretical assumption that three concepts - including their counterparts - play a central role in the political discourse on the multi-ethnic society: socio-cultural diversity (or homogeneity), socio-economic equality (or inequality), and political-juridical unity (or fragmentation). It is assumed that the perspectives on multi-ethnic society will be seen to differ in the political parties' interpretation and application of these concepts. The object of the research is approached in two ways. First the attitudes towards multi-ethnic society and minority policy are investigated for each political party separately. Next, the viewpoints of the parties are contextualized by examining the standpoints of the parliamentary groups of the parties in parliamentary debates on important government documents concerning minority policy. In addition the reactions of major minority organisations on these government documents are analyzed. A short answer to the first question is, that in general the viewpoints of the major political parties has shifted from a preference for a multicultural and group-oriented policy of emancipation in the eighties, to a preference for a more obligatory and individual-oriented policy of socio-economic integration in the nineties. An reply to the second question is, that in the political discourse under scrutiny, the consensus between the main political parties about the minority policy has increased rather than decreased. In order to answer the third question, in the conclusion a classification is made of the political parties' perspectives on integration that stresses the socio-economic, the socio-cultural and the political-juridical dimensions.

Belgium,, een utopie voor de XXIste eeuw`/Philippe Van Parijs --Infectieziekten: terug van (nooit) weggeweest /Marc Van Ranst --Acculturatie is meer dan 'willen' alleen: de rol van emotionele acculturatie /Batja Mesquita --Wanneer worden avances in juridisch opzicht transgressies? /Liesbet Stevens --Asbestos: mineralen met een apart verhaal /Jan Elsen --Over tijd, geld en de huwelijksmarkt /Frederic Vermeulen --De impact van migratie op taal: historische overwegingen /Freek Van de Velde --Geluk, mindfulness en bijbelse wijsheid /Bénédicte Lemmelijn --Het menselijk antwoord op buitenaards leven /Leen Decin --Het gelaat tussen beeld en werkelijkheid: maatschappelijke uitdagingen /Constantinus Politis & Hilde Peeters --On the move: migratie als maatschappelijke uitdaging /Johan Wets --Iedereen supporter! het groepsvirus in ons brein /Filip Boen --Uitgewoonde woorden: over literatuur en dementie /Pieter Vermeulen --Het democratisch surplus van de Europese Unie /Steven Van Hecke & Wouter Wolfs.

The present article presents an actual discussion of topics concerning the use of language in academic (Flemish and Dutch-speaking) social- and political education, treating impact factor and web of science indexes motivating publishing in English, and the weight of cultural and scientific heritage influencing Dutch-language publications to continue to inform the public better. The article states that only by continuing to publish in English, Anglo-Saxon "dominance" in political publications can be countered, and challenge the ideas, concepts and practices expressed by the US and the UK. An article that goes right to the core of this particular revue, Res Publica being the only Dutch-language double blind peer reviewed journal in Dutch/Flemish political science. References. O. van Zijl

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

Philosophy; Political science; Culture and institutions; Anthropology - De geesteswetenschappen nemen in hoog tempo afscheid van het postmodernisme. Filosofen, historici, sociologen en antropologen staan opnieuw voor een intellectueel draaimoment. Na de linguistic turn en de cultural turn is er nu een ethische wende. In tal van cultuurwetenschappen probeert men om oudere tradities en concepten weer zinvol in te zetten. De geesteswetenschappelijke carrousel brengt deze heroriëntering in kaart. Deze nieuwe ronde in het debat over de verhouding van wetenschap, politiek en cultuur wordt eerst gevolgd op wetenschapsfilosofisch niveau. Vervolgens komt de huidige politieke discussie over identiteit, tolerantie en solidariteit aan bod. Het leggen van een geloofwaardig verband tussen moraal, politiek en wetenschap blijkt een oefening in intellectuele evenwichtskunst.

For the Benefit of the Common Good? A Historical View on the Flemish Provinces as an Intermediary at the Level of AdministrationThe nation state of Belgium saw its provinces chiefly as intermediary administrative entities from which political dispute had to be excluded. Nevertheless, they disposed of elected provincial councils and enjoyed fiscal autonomy. Although the provincial governments underwent a slow process of politicisation, the effects of the broad socio-political developments over the course of the last two centuries on this level remained far less tangible, due above all to the slow democratisation of the provincial suffrage. The provinces only had a modicum of public visibility and a very limited scope for policymaking. To argue their relevance, the provincial governments referred occasionally to the shared history of their respective inhabitants or to their cultural coherence(s). But this discourse was not powerful enough to shape a common provincial cultural identity. Moreover, it clashed on the artificial borders of the provinces and with the much stronger feelings of local and regional coherence. By clustering these expressions of (sub)regionalism, the provincial governments may have provided building stones for the creation of identity-structures on a higher level. However, this role too remained very modest and can hardly be used to substantiate the institutional tenacity of this level of government.

The ethical distress of the (post)modern world stimulates and directs us to reflect our ethical and cultural grounds. Man is a transcendent being. He cannot reach or put in order immediate goods he needs if he is not prepared to acknowledge the grounds of his person and develop the virtues of prudence, love, hope, faith, wisdom, justice, courage, temperance etc. These are ethical questions concerning different worldviews and cannot be solved only by scientific methods. Many people who in the past did not care for religion as such, now take seriously religious personal and societal aspects of humane life. The fundamental crucial questions of man are ethical questions. They are in various ways related or perplexed with the question of faith and of science.

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.

This book is about the role and impact of future explorations
in the Dutch government landscape. It presents
a diverse range of future explorations and thus shows the broad
instruments that advisory councils and public knowledge institutions
have developed to deliver future-proof information.
The contributions in this publication are from eleven public knowledge institutes
and advisory boards that carry out future research themselves
and publishing: the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and
Innovation (awti), the Central Bureau for Statistics (cbs),
the Genetic Modification Committee (cogem), the Central
Planning Bureau (cpb), the Royal Dutch Meteorological
Institute (knmi), the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL),
the Rathenau Institute, the National Institute for Public Health
and Environment (rivm), the Social and Cultural Planning Office (scp), the
Foundation for the Future of Technology (stt) 1 and the Scientific
Council for Government Policy (wrr). On the basis of
recent explorations of the future, per chapter as a case
be elaborated will be different methods and techniques
are presented that they use to get a grip on the
future. Here insight is given into the way in which
future explorations find their way to the Dutch
political decision-making and the impact they have. - Dit boek gaat over de rol en de impact van toekomstverkenningen
in het Nederlandse overheidslandschap. Het presenteert
een divers palet aan toekomstverkenningen en toont zo het brede
instrumentarium dat adviesraden en publieke kennisinstellingen
hebben ontwikkeld om toekomstbestendige informatie te leveren.
De bijdragen in deze publicatie zijn van elf publieke kennisinstellingen
en adviesraden die zelf toekomstonderzoek uitvoeren
en publiceren: de Adviesraad voor Wetenschap, Technologie en
Innovatie (awti), het Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (cbs),
de Commissie Genetische Modificatie (cogem), het Centraal
Planbureau (cpb), het Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch
Instituut (knmi), het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (pbl),
het Rathenau Instituut, het Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid
en Milieu (rivm), het Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (scp), de
Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek (stt)1 en de Wetenschappelijke
Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (wrr). Aan de hand van
recente toekomstverkenningen, die per hoofdstuk als casus
worden uitgewerkt, zullen verschillende methoden en technieken
worden gepresenteerd die men inzet om grip te krijgen op de
toekomst. Er wordt hierbij inzicht gegeven in de wijze waarop
toekomstverkenningen hun weg vinden naar de Nederlandse
politieke besluitvorming en de impact die ze hebben.