WRR - Scientific council for government policy

2003-2007

• English Summary of report no. 80 Innovation Renewed

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• Innovation Renewed (r80 mei 2008)

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• Rediscovering Europe in the Netherlands (r78 jun 07)

  The result of the Dutch referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty on 1 June 2005 exposed the gulf between political and public opinion on EU policy. It also exposed the failure of national politicians and administrators to function as adequate links between ‘Europe’ and Dutch citizens. This report describes how the legitimacy of EU policy and of the EU as a system in the Netherlands can be strengthened. The Council analyses the existing legitimacy deficits of the EU in the Netherlands and uses this as a basis to suggest a number of options for reinforcing that legitimacy in a way which goes beyond the traditional institutional approach, taking the perspective of the (Dutch) citizen as the starting point. more

• Dynamism in Islamic Activism (r73 apr 2006)

  Manifestations of Islam as a political factor of some importance - Islamic activism - and the reactions to it have resulted in major international tensions and conflicts in recent decades. Confrontations such as these also have negative consequences for the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims within European countries. The idea has taken hold that Islam sits uneasily with democracy and human rights. In this report the WRR explores how Islamic activism has developed in the Muslim world since the 1970s. The emphasis is on intellectual developments, the changing stance of Islamic political movements and the importance of Sharia (Islamic law) for the legal system of Muslim countries. more

• Bewijzen van goede dienstverlening (r70 dec 04)

  Het belang van de maatschappelijke dienstverlening in het dagelijks leven valt nauwelijks te overschatten. Het rapport analyseert problemen rond de kwaliteit, toegankelijkheid en doelmatigheid van de maatschappelijke dienstverlening. Er wordt een toenemende spanning geconstateerd tussen het institutionele regime waarbinnen deze sectoren functioneren, de oriëntatie waarmee de dienstverlenende instellingen opereren en de vragen van cliënten. Deze spanning wordt versterkt door de strikte scheiding tussen beleid en uitvoering, tussen doelen en middelen en tussen overheid en markt. Het gevolg is een vorm van geïnstitutionaliseerd wantrouwen tussen overheden, burgers, instellingen en professionals met een eenzijdige nadruk op regelen, disciplineren, afrekenen en controleren. Het rapport pleit voor een wisseling van perspectief dat beoogt te kapitaliseren op de aanwezige kwaliteit in de maatschappelijke dienstverlening. more

• Evidence of good service provision (r70 dec 04)

  The importance of social service delivery in daily life can hardly be overestimated. This report analyses problems relating to the quality, accessibility and efficacy of social service delivery. A growing tension is observed between the institutional regime within which these sectors operate, the orientation of the service delivery organisations and the questions of clients. This tension is exacerbated by the strict segregation of policy and implementation, of means and ends and of government and market. The consequence is a form of institutionalised distrust between public authorities, citizens, organisations and professionals, with a one-sided emphasis on regulation, discipline, accountability and controlling. more

• Lerende Overheid (r 75 Sep 2006)

  In this report the Council seeks to strengthen the learning capacity of government and politicians. A great deal has been said recently about improving the functioning of the political system. Examples include restoring the primacy of politics, more leadership, clearly defined responsibilities and the prioritisation of processes and procedures within the government. Decisions and decisiveness are important, as are good processes and procedures, but unless the knowledge and judgment capacity of civil servants and politicians are strengthened and increased, important public problems will be stripped of their substantive and normative charge and the state will eventually be undermined. more

• De Europese Unie, Turkije en de islam (r69 jun 04)

  Vormt het feit dat de meerderheid van zijn bevolking moslim is een belemmering voor de toetreding van Turkije tot de Europese Unie? Op grond van de in het rapport geschetste ontwikkelingen en huidige karakteristieken van de islam in Turkije wordt geconcludeerd dat hierin geen belemmering ligt voor toetreding. Ook zijn er geen aanwijzingen dat met het doorvoeren van door de EU gewenste hervormingen de Turkse democratische rechtsstaat in de toekomst in de gevarenzone zal komen. more

• Waarden, normen en de last van het gedrag (r68 dec 03)

  Centraal staat de vraag welke fundamentele waarden onze samenleving binden en over welke waarden conflicten kunnen rijzen, mede gezien in het licht van culturele verschillen. Het rapport geeft een systematische analyse van de zeer diverse problematiek die schuilgaat achter de noemer waarden en normen .De gedragscomponent van de waarden- en normenproblematiek wordt afzonderlijk bekeken. Er wordt gezocht naar een toekomstperspectief op de centrale en gemeenschappelijke waarden die van belang zijn voor de samenleving als geheel in de komende tien tot twintig jaar. more

• Media Policy for the Digital Age

  The Dutch media landscape no longer fits the image of ‘Hilversum and the Fatherland’s press’. The rise of commercial radio and television, the Internet and the rapid internationalisation and commercialisation of media companies is leading to rapid and radical changes in the media landscape. Technological developments are merging old and new media and opening up the way for concepts such as television on the Internet and radio on the mobile telephone. And what were previously ‘separate’ infrastructures, such as cable and telephone lines, now compete with each other for the distribution of an explosively growing volume of digital media content. The increased influence of European regulations in this sector is constraining the Dutch government’s room for ... more

• Klimaatstrategie - tussen ambitie en realisme (r 74 Jun 2006)

  In Climate strategy - between ambition and realism, the WRR puts forward three solution pathways for addressing the climate problem: adaptation to a changing climate; selection of promising global mitigation routes up to the year 2050; and the international coordination that is needed in order to exploit those routes successfully. In this report to the government, complicating factors and uncertainties for policy are exposed and, taking these into account, a strategy for an effective climate policy is proposed. This strategy gives direction for future Dutch climate policy within the EU and of the EU in a global context. more

• De Verzorgingsstaat Herwogen (r76 Oct 2006)

  The welfare state faces new challenges at the start of the 21st century: globalisation of the economy; Europeanisation of the administration; ageing and dejuvenation of the population; and increased sociocultural differentiation of citizens. In this report the WRR outlines how the welfare state can address these challenges in a productive way. more

• Investeren in Werkzekerheid (r77 Apr 2007)

  In this report the WRR advises the government and the two sides of industry to forge mutually binding agreements in which employers accept responsibility for giving employees an opportunity to equip themselves for more flexible employability by acquiring the knowledge and skills to bring other employment opportunities within their reach. more

• Identificatie met Nederland (r79 Sep 2007)

  In this report at the Council puts forward proposals for strengthening people’s sense of identity with the Netherlands. The WRR advocates an approach which opens a window on the future and helps foster a atmosphere where people from different backgrounds and with diverse views are able to feel ‘at home’ in the Netherlands; it is an approach which puts the key emphasis on processes of identification. more

• Europa in Nederland (r78 Jun 2007)

  The result of the Dutch referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty on 1 June 2005 exposed the gulf between political and public opinion on EU policy. It also exposed the failure of national politicians and administrators to function as adequate links between ‘Europe’ and Dutch citizens. This report describes how the legitimacy of EU policy and of the EU as a system in the Netherlands can be strengthened. The Council analyses the existing legitimacy deficits of the EU in the Netherlands and uses this as a basis to suggest a number of options for reinforcing that legitimacy in a way which goes beyond the traditional institutional approach, taking the perspective of the (Dutch) citizen as the starting point. more