Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are a salient characteristic observed across democratic systems. Perceived to strengthen citizen representation and improve policy outcomes, as such member...Show moreCivil Society Organizations (CSOs) are a salient characteristic observed across democratic systems. Perceived to strengthen citizen representation and improve policy outcomes, as such member involvement and organisational capacity are key attributes. In order to achieve this role, CSOs must possess the capability to influence decision-making processes. This thesis investigates the realisation of these attributes at the national level of European Union member states through quantitative analysis. The outcomes highlight noteworthy variations across EU member states. In Eastern countries, member involvement emerges as a catalyst for achieving heightened access to decision-making. Conversely, for CSOs in Western and Scandinavian nations, neither member involvement nor organisational capacity significantly corresponds to access within the decision-making realm.Show less
The increased use of scientific knowledge in the policy-process has led to the politicization of scientific evidence. This is the core of this study. The combination of the potential uses of...Show moreThe increased use of scientific knowledge in the policy-process has led to the politicization of scientific evidence. This is the core of this study. The combination of the potential uses of evidence, combined with the heightened involvement of different actors, forms the basis of this study. Because of the potential of evidence in such an insecure situation, using argumentation referring to evidence is a promising strategy to gain influence. This expectation leads to the main research question ofthis study; Does the use of evidence by interest-groups impact the degree of success these groups have in pursuing their policy-goals for Corona-related policy in the Dutch context? Through analysis of 71 newspaper articles, published in Dutch newspapers during different moments of the pandemic, this study aims to test this proposed relationship. This resulted in an initially significant association between the use of evidence and the degree of success of a group. Upon closer inspection, the effect seems to be small and insignificant. There was however, a positive relationship between the use of evidence and the height of success. Groups using evidence were more frequently highly succesful than groups that did not. It might be the case that the use of evidence does not lead to more cases of success in general, but that it does lead to more cases of high degree of successShow less
This thesis will investigate some explanatory factors that illustrate why the victimized parents of the child benefits scandal in the Netherlands were acknowledged this late. By means of the...Show moreThis thesis will investigate some explanatory factors that illustrate why the victimized parents of the child benefits scandal in the Netherlands were acknowledged this late. By means of the concept of citizen lobbyists, the position of parents in their striving to put their issues on the political agenda and fight for justice will be explained. This thesis will examine the three obstacles that the victimized parents faced in their pursuit of justice, namely; the organizational- and policy capacity of the victimized parents was lacking, the dominant frame of the policy monopoly on the justification of the harsh anti-fraud policies hindered the victimized parents in putting their issue on the political agenda, and NPM reforms have led to decentralization and a focus on efficiency. Employing a qualitative research approach, a series of semi-structured interviews will be held against the backdrop of the content of existing reports on the scandal, such as the reports of the Dutch Ombudsman (2017) and the Committee-Van Dam (2020). This thesis investigates the child benefits scandal from an individual point of view, therefore adding to the existing research into this scandal.Show less
