Decision-makers rely extensively on expert groups and commissions for policy advice. Many see in this a growing technocracy or expertization of decision-making. Yet, we know little about the actual... Show moreDecision-makers rely extensively on expert groups and commissions for policy advice. Many see in this a growing technocracy or expertization of decision-making. Yet, we know little about the actual influence of these expert bodies in policy-making. When does expert group advice shape policy-making rather than being brushed aside? The article goes beyond existing research by measuring and explaining variation in expert group influence. Using the number of citations to expert group reports in government white papers and later expert group reports as measures of influence, the article analyzes citations to 1545 Norwegian advisory commission reports published 1972–2017. It concentrates on three dimensions of the organization of expert groups as potential determinants of influence: member composition, appointing ministry and resources. The results suggest that expert groups have greater influence when they include more politicians and have a bigger secretariat. The article contributes empirically and methodologically to research on expertise and policy-making. Show less
Intelligence is generally collected and used in secret to inform internal audiences. Before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the UK and US governments have deployed intelligence... Show moreIntelligence is generally collected and used in secret to inform internal audiences. Before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the UK and US governments have deployed intelligence extensively to influence external audiences, both publicly and privately, regarding Russian intentions, capabilities and practices, and the consequences of Russian actions. While the scale, manner and initially pre-emptive nature of these disclosures represent a significant evolutionary step in how liberal-democratic governments use their intelligence assets, current practice has built upon historical precedents. This article examines why states choose to use intelligence – including fabricated intelligence – for influencing external audiences; the different methods they deploy for doing so; the gains and costs of publicising intelligence; and how the use of intelligence during the Russia–Ukraine conflict should be understood within broader historical and contemporary trends. The authors conclude that while liberal democracies’ use of intelligence in public is to be welcomed for its greater transparency, careful risk management will be needed if this approach is to continue. Show less
Interest groups are often described as transmission belts that connect the preferences of their members with public officials in policymaking processes. Through this linkage, public officials can... Show moreInterest groups are often described as transmission belts that connect the preferences of their members with public officials in policymaking processes. Through this linkage, public officials can obtain relevant information and gain legitimacy from those affected by public policies. However, this important intermediary function is not a straightforward endeavor as interest groups often struggle to reconcile their dual function of representing their members while being politically active. This dissertation unpacks interest groups mobilized at the European Union level and examines how they are organized so as to function as transmission belts. Subsequently, it analyzes the effects of this transmissive role for the level of access and influence obtained by groups in policymaking processes. The findings shed light on the difficult task of groups in balancing member involvement while being politically active and the implications for the legitimacy of our governance systems. Show less
Varady, N.H.; Chandawarkar, A.A.; Kernkamp, W.A.; Gans, I. 2019
In dit proefschrift worden drie verschillende studies beschreven naar de socialisatie en selectie van leeftijdsgenoten. Hierbij is onderzocht op basis van welke kenmerken leerlingen elkaar... Show moreIn dit proefschrift worden drie verschillende studies beschreven naar de socialisatie en selectie van leeftijdsgenoten. Hierbij is onderzocht op basis van welke kenmerken leerlingen elkaar selecteren als vrienden of groepsgenoten, en op welke kenmerken ze elkaar socialiseren. Voor het onderzoek hebben we sociale netwerk technieken (ERGM en SIENA) gebruikt. Uit de resultaten van de eerste studie (bij 296 basisschoolleerlingen uit groep 8) bleek dat etnische achtergrond van leerlingen een rol speelt bij de selectie van zowel vrienden als 'sociale interactie partners', die niet per sé tot de vrienden horen. Uit de andere twee studies (bij 542 middelbare schoolleerlingen uit 2e klassen ) bleek dat leerlingen elkaar niet selecteren als vrienden op basis van schoolprestaties. Ze bleken elkaar daarentegen wel te beïnvloeden, als het gaat om prestaties op de vakken Engels en Nederlands, en niet als het gaat om prestaties voor wiskunde. Vrienden werden tevens niet geselecteerd op basis van internaliserend probleemgedrag, maar wel op basis van externaliserend probleemgedrag: leerlingen met vergelijkbaar probleemgedrag zochten elkaar op als vrienden. Leerlingen trokken zich niet terug en werden niet vermeden op basis van hun probleemgedrag, en socialiserden elkaar niet m.b.t. internaliserend probleemgedrag. Wel bleken vrienden elkaar te socialiseren in termen van externaliserend probleemgedrag. Show less
Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) was the most popular foreign sculptor in Germany from 1905 to 1944. German art dealers and critics introduced Maillol’s sculptures. Till 1933 these sculptures evoked in... Show moreAristide Maillol (1861-1944) was the most popular foreign sculptor in Germany from 1905 to 1944. German art dealers and critics introduced Maillol’s sculptures. Till 1933 these sculptures evoked in the chaotic German society a desire for the balanced and peaceful society of ancient Greece. Many German sculptors went to Paris to study there at one of the “free academies”. Barlach, Lehmbruck, Hoetger, Klimsch, Marcks, Enseling and Stadler, came for Rodin, but after a while a number of them became more interested in Maillol. Returned to their homeland they designed, for a while, sculptures inspired by Maillol. Many of them held a professorship at an academy, where they passed on their experiences to rising young sculptors like Abel, Breker, Lehmann, Werner, Agricola and Zimmermann In generally there were four categories who were influenced by Maillol. The first group, including Arp, Wotruba and Mataré, took the work of the French sculptor as a source of inspiration for developing their own abstracting or abstract image-language. The second more expressionistically oriented group, including Lehmbruck, Steger, Markcs, Kasper, Seitz and Blumenthal, took Maillol’s simplification of form as a new startingpoint The works of both groups were branded by the nazi leaders as entartet. A third group, including Hoetger, Albiker, Scheibe and Gerstel, were inspired by Maillol’s ideas of the human body. Initially the nazi’s accepted a number of their sculptures in their vision. The fourth group, including Klimsch, Grauel, Breker, Bronisch and Agricola, copied Maillol’s compositions and motifs quite directly and not achieve much more than cliché, nazi propaganda sculptures. This dissertation aims to show that the view of Maillol’s work as a continuer of a classical tradition and as a pivotal figure towards modernism, needs some modification. He was also, unintentionally, an artist who influenced the nazi propaganda. Show less
