Ten The Dutch policy research industry
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Peter van Hoesel
Abstract
The main duties of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands are co-legislation and scrutinizing the work of the government. The House sets great store by the proper availability of information. Several departments within the House’s administration work closely together to ensure this. One of these departments is the Parliamentary Bureau for Research and Public Expenditure. The House of Representatives has developed various instruments to gain relevant expertise, varying from compiling an information file on a certain issue to conducting a parliamentary inquiry, which is done by a committee set up for that purpose. This chapter sets out how MPs and officials of the House’s administration deal with policy analysis and which tools are available, or are being developed, in order to render the political debate as evidence-based as possible. Eventually, the activities the House of Representatives undertakes in cooperation with a couple of scientific organizations to introduce scientific knowledge into the political debate are discussed.
Abstract
The main duties of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands are co-legislation and scrutinizing the work of the government. The House sets great store by the proper availability of information. Several departments within the House’s administration work closely together to ensure this. One of these departments is the Parliamentary Bureau for Research and Public Expenditure. The House of Representatives has developed various instruments to gain relevant expertise, varying from compiling an information file on a certain issue to conducting a parliamentary inquiry, which is done by a committee set up for that purpose. This chapter sets out how MPs and officials of the House’s administration deal with policy analysis and which tools are available, or are being developed, in order to render the political debate as evidence-based as possible. Eventually, the activities the House of Representatives undertakes in cooperation with a couple of scientific organizations to introduce scientific knowledge into the political debate are discussed.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables ix
- List of acronyms x
- Notes on contributors xiv
- Editors’ introduction to the series xx
- Preface and acknowledgements xxii
- Policy analysis in the Netherlands: an introduction 1
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Styles and modes of policy analysis
- Policy analysis in practice: reinterpreting the quest for evidence-based policy 17
- Policy analysis in networks: the battle of analysis and the potentials of joint fact-finding 33
- Patterns of science–policy interaction 49
- Interpretive policy analysis in the Netherlands 69
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Policy analysis in government
- Policy analysis and evaluation in national government 89
- Policy analysis at the local government level 107
- Policy analysis and performance audit at the ‘highest level’: looking for evidence and responsiveness 121
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Advisory bodies, consultancy firms, research institutes and think tanks
- Advisory boards and planning bureaus 139
- The Dutch policy research industry 155
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Policy analysis in politics and by interest groups in society
- Policy analysis in the Dutch Parliament 171
- Policy analysis and political party think tanks 187
- Policy analysis by negotiation: trade unions, employers’ organisations and the Social and Economic Council 203
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Policy analysis in the academic world
- Policy analysis as instruction 217
- Contested knowledge in theory-driven policy analysis: setting the Dutch stage 231
- Institutionalisation and performance of policy analysis and evaluation in the Netherlands 247
- Index 255
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables ix
- List of acronyms x
- Notes on contributors xiv
- Editors’ introduction to the series xx
- Preface and acknowledgements xxii
- Policy analysis in the Netherlands: an introduction 1
-
Styles and modes of policy analysis
- Policy analysis in practice: reinterpreting the quest for evidence-based policy 17
- Policy analysis in networks: the battle of analysis and the potentials of joint fact-finding 33
- Patterns of science–policy interaction 49
- Interpretive policy analysis in the Netherlands 69
-
Policy analysis in government
- Policy analysis and evaluation in national government 89
- Policy analysis at the local government level 107
- Policy analysis and performance audit at the ‘highest level’: looking for evidence and responsiveness 121
-
Advisory bodies, consultancy firms, research institutes and think tanks
- Advisory boards and planning bureaus 139
- The Dutch policy research industry 155
-
Policy analysis in politics and by interest groups in society
- Policy analysis in the Dutch Parliament 171
- Policy analysis and political party think tanks 187
- Policy analysis by negotiation: trade unions, employers’ organisations and the Social and Economic Council 203
-
Policy analysis in the academic world
- Policy analysis as instruction 217
- Contested knowledge in theory-driven policy analysis: setting the Dutch stage 231
- Institutionalisation and performance of policy analysis and evaluation in the Netherlands 247
- Index 255
