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Building Bridges Across Frames?

A Meta-Evaluation of Dutch Integration Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2008

P. W. A. SCHOLTEN
Affiliation:
University of Twente Faculty of Management and Governance P.O. Box 217 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands e-mail: p.w.a.scholten@utwente.nl
F. K. M. VAN NISPEN
Affiliation:
Erasmus University Rotterdam Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Public Administration P.O. Box 1738 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands e-mail: vannispen@fsw.eur.nl

Abstract

The integration of immigrants is an intractable policy controversy in Dutch politics: the Blok Committee was established by Parliament to offer a resolution. However, its evaluation study ‘Building Bridges’, itself became controversial. This paper asks: Why did the policy evaluation of the Blok Committee become so fiercely contested? We argue that the debate on immigrant integration can be characterized by frame-conflict: there were fundamental differences in how immigrant integration was defined and normatively interpreted by actors. The resolution of such ill-structured problems requires the critical articulation of multiple and conflicting frames. In situations of intractable policy controversies, policy evaluation should reach beyond mere technical and contextual levels to include systemic and ideological discourse. Policy evaluation can thereby focus more on utilization and contribute to the resolution of intractable policy controversies by building bridges among conflicting frames.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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