The process of agenda setting is fundamental to politics, yet there is surprisingly little research about this process in parliamentary systems. The reason for this lacuna is that agenda setting... Show moreThe process of agenda setting is fundamental to politics, yet there is surprisingly little research about this process in parliamentary systems. The reason for this lacuna is that agenda setting tends to occur behind closed doors. The Dutch Tweede Kamer is an exception to this rule: decisions about the parliamentary agenda are made in public. This study examines agenda setting in the Dutch parliament from an issue-competition perspective. It looks at a sample of more than 400 agenda-setting meetings of the Dutch parliament between 1998 and 2017. It finds that opposition parties which stand far from the government make proposals on issues that they ‘own’; these proposals are supported by other opposition parties, parties that stand close to them and focus on the same issue. Coalition parties and parties that stand far away sabotage these proposals. Show less
To what extent is scientific research related to societal needs? To answer this crucial question systematically we need to contrast indicators of research priorities with indicators of societal... Show moreTo what extent is scientific research related to societal needs? To answer this crucial question systematically we need to contrast indicators of research priorities with indicators of societal needs. We focus on rice research and technology between 1983 and 2012. We combine quantitative methods that allow investigation of the relation between ‘revealed’ research priorities and ‘revealed’ societal demands, measured respectively by research output (publications) and national accounts of rice use and farmers’ and consumers’ rice-related needs. We employ new bibliometric data, methods and indicators to identify countries’ main rice research topics (priorities) from publications. For a panel of countries, we estimate the relation between revealed research priorities and revealed demands. We find that, across countries and time, societal demands explain a country's research trajectory to a limited extent. Some research priorities are nicely aligned to societal demands, confirming that science is partly related to societal needs. However, we find a relevant number of misalignments between the focus of rice research and revealed demands, crucially related to human consumption and nutrition. We discuss some implications for research policy. Show less
Research on media and politics often conveys an impression that all politics is mediatized. The concept ‘politics’ however delineates many things and not all types of political processes have... Show moreResearch on media and politics often conveys an impression that all politics is mediatized. The concept ‘politics’ however delineates many things and not all types of political processes have been studied to the same extent. The aim of this study is to explore the media’s role in lawmaking. A preliminary investigation suggests that media attention affects the behavior of political actors during legislative processes. To study how that dynamic works three in-depth case studies are conducted in the Netherlands. The comparative analysis of the cases shows that media coverage played a role in the legislative processes, but that it had limited, if any, influence on the final outcomes. Political actors referred to media coverage or asked questions inspired by media attention during the process, and in very exceptional cases introduced an amendment or motion partly because of media reports. The effect of media attention on support for amendments, motions and bills was however negligible. The media’s influence on lawmaking seems to mainly be an emphasizing effect: as a source of information media coverage puts emphasis on issues, arguments or actors, and as a rhetorical instrument it is used by MPs to emphasize the correctness, topicality, or importance of one’s position. Show less
The European Council, the institution bringing together the Heads of State and Government of the European Union member states, has played an important role in steering the European integration... Show moreThe European Council, the institution bringing together the Heads of State and Government of the European Union member states, has played an important role in steering the European integration process. This dissertation analyses the nature of the European Council’s agenda in relation to the institution’s standing in the EU policy-making framework, focusing on the magnitude and level of attention changes. The studies then delve into on specific aspects which could potentially act as agenda determinants and critically evaluate their role in analyses covering long-term periods. Factors belonging to three broad categories are considered – institutional conditions (the Presidency), external stakeholders’ effect (public opinion) and the ‘problem stream’ (economic indicators and focusing events). Show less
