Ideas as close as possible to power: Belgian political parties and their study centres

Understanding the Political Party Think Tank Landscape: A Categorization of Their Functions and Audiences

“…Hence, although the concept of the PPTT has been widely adopted in the literature to describe the diverse population of research institutes and foundations that are active in the party political landscape (e.g. Miragliotta 2018Miragliotta , 2021Pattyn et al 2017aPattyn et al , 2017bWeaver and McGann 2006), our research suggests a different label might perhaps be more appropriate to identify some of them.…”

“…While Flanders and the Netherlands share similar party and political systems, they differ notably when it comes to the legal framework and formal position of PPTTs. In Flanders, PPTTs are fully incorporated in the political party (Pattyn et al 2017a(Pattyn et al , 2017b and are recognized as a component of the party in Article 1 of the Law on the Limitation and Control of Electoral Expenditure, the Financing and the Open Accounting of Political Parties. They are considered as a department (much like a communication or HR department) within the political party.…”

“…2 E.g. Mohr (2010), Pautz (2010Pautz ( , 2020a and Weilemann (2006) on Germany; Pattyn et al (2014Pattyn et al ( , 2017b on Belgium; Timmermans et al (2015) and Voerman (2018) on the Netherlands; and Miragliotta (2021) on Australia.…”

Mechanisms of Political Responsiveness: The Information Sources Shaping Elected Representatives' Policy Actions

“…In contrast to civil servants, these advisers are temporary servants appointed to provide partisan advice and are thus exempt from impartiality requirements (Shaw & Eichbaum, 2018). These advisers are selected to bring in additional expertise and foster a relationship built on personal trust between the expertise delivered and the minister using it (Brans et al, 2017). In many Western democracies, these ministerial advisers prepare and initiate most policy output, while the role of parliaments in drafting legislation and budgets has been circumscribed.…”

“…However, apart from information on where the public stands, elected representatives also need specialized knowledge on the matter at hand; they need information about technicalities, legal aspects, and the societal and economic consequences of various policy alternatives. Although elected officials can specialize in a particular issue area and consult their colleagues and own staff when conceiving and elaborating policy actions (e.g., Curry 2019;Salisbury and Shepsle 1981), they are increasingly inhibited from acquiring background information, advice, and draft documents via their staff because labor has been relocated to the central party apparatus (Crosson et al 2021;Flinders and Kelso 2011;Pattyn et al 2017). This means elected representatives are often not only confronted with an "informational deficit" concerning the public's concerns and wishes but may also lack the necessary expertise to develop efficient and effective policies.…”