When it comes to voting in parliament, party group unity is the rule rather than the exception in most (European) parliamentary democracies. But how do individual MPs come to their decision to vote... Show moreWhen it comes to voting in parliament, party group unity is the rule rather than the exception in most (European) parliamentary democracies. But how do individual MPs come to their decision to vote according to the party group line? This book introduces a theoretical model of MP decision making in which the main decision-making mechanisms, derived from the existing literature on the pathways to party group unity __ cue-taking, agreement, loyalty and obedience __, are placed in a particular sequential order. The three empirical studies in this book assess the relative role of each of the mechanisms, both independent and when possible as a part of the sequential model, in getting MPs to toe the party group line and contribute to party group unity, and explore whether this varies not only between parliaments (chapter 4), but also by levels of government (chapter 5), and through time (chapter 6). Show less
Bexkens, A.; Jansen, B.R.J.; Van der Molen, M.W.; Huizenga, H.M. 2016
Individuals who work in the public sector see themselves confronted with conflicting values, contradictory demands, and the need to serve an at times difficult to define __public interest__. This... Show moreIndividuals who work in the public sector see themselves confronted with conflicting values, contradictory demands, and the need to serve an at times difficult to define __public interest__. This book contributes to our understanding of what drives public service professionals__ decision-making in real-life dilemma situations by looking into the combined effect of public service motivation (PSM) and professionalism. Because there are persistent knowledge gaps about the meaning and behavioural consequences of these concepts when it comes to the context of dilemma situations, this book presents new approaches to the study of PSM and professionalism. Another important contribution of this study is related to the discussion about the stability of PSM. Several hypotheses and propositions are put to the test within a mixed-method research design based on data from research on Dutch veterinary inspectors. The results show that in order to clarify the meaning and behavioural consequences of PSM and professionalism in the context of dilemmas it is useful to combine our understanding of these two concepts with insights from identity theory. Mixed findings regarding the relationship between PSM and professionalism highlight our incomplete conceptual understanding of the topics studied, and call for future research that is sensitive to role perceptions. Show less
Consistentie in de straftoemeting bekeken vanuit een analyse van de constitutionele en institutionele context waarbinnen de strafbeslissing wordt genomen, alsmede een systenatische analyse van het... Show moreConsistentie in de straftoemeting bekeken vanuit een analyse van de constitutionele en institutionele context waarbinnen de strafbeslissing wordt genomen, alsmede een systenatische analyse van het wettelijk kader van de straftoemeting. In dat verband wordt een visie geboden op het straftoemetingsrecht en de wijze waarop die beslissing totstandkomt: de strafvorming. Show less
