The current relationship between the state and civil society in Europe is a curious and historically unique one. This is no longer a situation in which participation and association prepare citizens for the offices of the state; rather, it is the state urging a sometimes-reluctant citizenry to engage actively in civil society. This phenomenon stems from a combination of changes in prevailing governance paradigms and of the more general process of social liquefaction. In the article, we analyse these two intertwining trends and discuss the new type of relationship between the state and civil society that may be emerging.
In this article, we aim to show that the treatment of wicked problems in the literature on public administration approaches is inadequate. We briefly discuss the literature on wicked problems and propose a conceptualization of wicked problems that, we think, shows the core of the problem of wicked problems. Wicked problems, we argue, are wicked because the factual and normative aspects of the issues are intertwined at actor-level. As a result, the phenomena that Rittel and Webber observed at problem level emerge. This has strong implications for public administration. Since actors are deciding on responses, a wicked problem evokes, what we call, a double governance challenge. The governance mechanisms provided in the literature on public administration approaches, also the new ones, do not provide responses to such double challenge. They either assume that actors do not build upon their own, actor-level factual and normative evaluations or that some compiled actor or supra-actor might overcome the limitations of the actors that together constitute the collective level of wicked problem response. Making such assumptions, they apparently conceptualize the wicked problem as non-wicked. Therefore, re-iterating, wicked problems are indeed wicked: solutions that implicitly conceptualize the wicked problem as non-wicked might be perfect, but seem unintelligent. A wicked problem, we argue, does not allow perfect, but instead requires imperfect, but intelligent responses. In this paper, we then discuss four such intelligently imperfect responses. They are necessarily imperfect in the sense that they cannot be considered to completely cover the problem, but intelligent in the sense that they truly acknowledge its wickedness.
Purpose -The managerialization of the police may be seen as an effort to restore the legitimacy of the police. This paper aims to show that the managerialist strategy presently occurring within police forces creates new pitfalls and unintended consequences. Design/methodology/approach -The paper concentrates on the managerialization of the police in The Netherlands. It is based on a study of large numbers of police policy documents over the last 20 years, on interviews with key persons and on long term survey data on citizens' views on the police. This analysis focuses on four elements of managerialization: creating the police as a businesslike organization, performance management, quality management, and the view on citizens as customers of the police. Each of these elements is analyzed as a police presentational strategy. Findings -The managerial strategies that police organizations use as endeavors to restore their legitimacy, are described. There are no clear empirical indications that the managerialization of the police restored citizens' trust in the police. On the contrary, it may even undermine the police legitimacy.Research limitations/implications -The analysis focuses on one country, The Netherlands. Because police organizations in many countries were confronted with similar managerial changes, it is expected that many of the findings and conclusions are more generally relevant. Practical implications -The paper presents a critical view on the common managerial assumption that police legitimacy may be restored by promoting police instrumental performances. Originality/value -This paper views managerialization as an endeavor to restore police legitimacy. It concentrates on managerial presentational strategies and image work as forms of legitimacy management of police organizations.
In this article the changes that have been implemented in the Dutch social security system are analyzed. The extensive changes are characterized as a form of "managed liberalization." This characterization points to the paradoxical nature of these changes. On the one hand a certain liberalization can be observed (an increase of social insurance and the administration of social security via the market) while on the other hand the control of the system by the state is also increasing. This process of managed liberalization, however, takes place under an umbrella of lasting universal social protection: entitlements are still determined by law and remain collective. In this article the changes in the Dutch social security are described extensively, interpreted theoretically and analyzed in their consequences for the level of social protection. By following the process of institutional change the system of social security has undergone, the authors also try to find out what the causes of the changes are and what determines the direction the process has taken.In this article we will discuss the restructuring of the Dutch welfare state that has taken place since the mid-1980's. We will concentrate on the heart of the welfare state: the system of social security. After discussing the characteristics of the Dutch welfare state, in particular the characteristics of the Dutch social security system in the next section, we will describe the actual problems that confronted the Dutch welfare state in the mid-1980s in a later section. These problems fueled a process of restructuring that has become increasingly more radical and fundamental. We will also discuss the political and ideological background of the process of restructuring and will characterize the main reforms that took place in the legal structure, the organization and the administration of the system of social insurance and social assistance. The actual consequences of these reforms for the system of social security and for the different interested parties will be analyzed, and in a concluding paragraph we will draw up the balance.
This is a case study of Vlisco, a Dutch textile printing company since 1846 that produces batik cloth for the West African consumer market. We focus on the changing status of batik cloth in West Africa and related shifts in the relations of Vlisco with its consumers and local trade partners over a period of almost two centuries. We conclude that in the long run, globalisation does not necessarily result in the transformation of authentic and locally conceived products into empty mass products, and even if it does, in time the process can change direction.globalisation, glocalisation, batik cloths, West Africa, Vlisco,
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