http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/5909/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39002/ 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z Nowadays, many public professionals have difficulties identifying with governmental policies. Many resist to implement these policies, and some demonstrate against them. In this chapter we show that although New Public Management is indeed an important factor influencing identification problems of public professionals, we need to consider other factors too. Being more specific, one especially needs to look at the degree of professionalism of the policy implementers. In this way, this chapter has theoretical and practical value. It is theoretically important as we do not privilege, but position NPM. Newman already noted that NPM can not be held responsible for everything, but this has not yet been examined thoroughly on the level of actual policy implementation (at ‘street levels’), where professionals interact with citizens. It is of practical value as a lack of identification with policies might demotivate professionals and hinder high-quality case treatment. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39573/ 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z and especially social innovation is a ‘magic concept’ that during the last years has been embraced as a promising reform strategy for the public sector. It is argued that it is important for social innovation that it is being co-created with citizens. However, to date there are no overviews on co-creation during innovation, which systematically analyze the literature concerning the forms, antecedents and effects of co-creation. This paper therefore conducted a systematic review to retrieve studies on co-creation. It also included related literature on co-production. 49 peer-reviewed articles in the period from 1987-2013 were included. In general, most studies employ a qualitative case study approach. Quantitative studies are scare. Most studies have been conducted in the healthcare or education sector. The review further reveals that in the level of citizen involvement is often rather low; citizens are only acting as co-implementer, not designers or initiators. Considering the factors influencing co-creation, we found that an administrative culture of fear and risk-aversion and not accepting citizens as partners are strong barriers. While factors influencing co-creation where often studied, there seems to be much less research on the outcomes or objectives of co-creation. Co-creation is often also seen as a value in itself. We conclude by summarizing the results and providing a future research agenda for thoroughly studying co-creation during public innovation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39575/ 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z Stress is endemic to street-level work. How frontline workers handle conflicting pressures and changes in their environment bears substantially on policy performance and the delivery of human services. ‘Coping’ is the current term for understanding frontline workers responses to stress. Coping in the field of policy implementation is a sensitizing concept, not yet harmonized with extensive coping literature in clinical psychology nor operationalized to enable its measurement of its prevalence in the context of policy implementation. This paper takes steps to close that gap. Our main objective is to define coping and build a classification model. To this end, we conduct a systematic review of the literature on coping during policy implementation. After discussing ways that technology and new forms of public administration may bear on coping, we build a classification model of coping during policy implementation, comprised of three main families of coping (negotiation, problem solving and opposition) and multiple ways of coping (such as blaming others, routinizing services and whistleblowing). Our ultimate goal is to operationalize coping in the context of frontline work so that it can advance our understanding of human service delivery and serve as a diagnostic tool for practitioners seeking to improve policy performance as everyday practice. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37167/ 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z Nowadays, public policies often focus on economic values, such as efficiency and financial transparency. Public professionals often resist implementing such policies. We analyse this using the concept of ‘role conflicts’. We use a novel approach by conceptualizing and measuring role conflicts on the policy level, thereby linking policy implementation and social psychology research. We construct and test scales for policy-client, policy-professional and organizational- professional role conflicts. Using survey data, we show that policy-professional and policy-client role conflicts negatively influence the willingness of public professionals to implement policies. In concluding, we conceptualized and measured three role conflicts that can occur during policy implementation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34983/ 2012-01-16T00:00:00Z The willingness of public professionals to implement policy programmes is important for achieving policy performance. However, few scholars have developed and tested systematic frameworks to analyze this issue. In this study, we address this by building and testing an appropriate framework. The aims have been: (1) to build a three-factor model (policy content, organizational context, and personality characteristics) for explaining willingness to implement policies; and (2) to quantitatively test the model through a survey of Dutch professionals. The results show that policy content is the most important factor in explaining willingness. Nevertheless, organizational context and the personality characteristics of implementers also have a significant effect and should be considered when studying the attitudes of professionals towards policies. This research helps in understanding the willingness or resistance of professionals when it comes to implementing policies. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34873/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Introduction. In the first chapter of this volume we have argued that fragmentation has become a major characteristic of public administration and society. One the one hand fragmentation is the result of the process of modernization and progress that has evolved over centuries. Within the public sector, the ideas of the New Public Management (NPM) movement has intensified it in the last decades. In this perspective, fragmentation can be seen as the inevitable outcome of a process of specialization in which rather autonomous organizations are involved in carrying out specific tasks and dedicated functions. For instance, contemporary health care has its roots in the medieval hospitals, which not only provided a minimal form protection and care – based on especially religious reasons - to sick people, but also to children who lost their parents, to widows, to elderly people, or to mentally and physically disabled persons as well to alcoholics, tramps and pilgrims. Some centuries later the medieval hospitals have evolved into highly specialized institutions that provide highly professional care, based on scientific knowledge, to well defined groups, which increasingly are being considered as customers. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34726/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Street-level bureaucrats implementing public policies have a certain degree of freedom – or discretion – in their work. Following the work of Lipsky, the concept of discretion has received wide attention in the policy implementation literature. However, scholars have not yet developed theoretical frameworks regarding the effects of discretion, which were subsequently tested these using large n samples. In this study, we develop a theoretical framework regarding two effects of discretion (client meaningfulness and willingness to implement), in order to increase our understanding of the mechanisms at work. The hypothesized relationships are tested using a Dutch nationwide survey among 1.317 psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists implementing a new reimbursement policy. These are analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results firstly show a positive effect of discretion on client meaningfulness. Next to this, discretion positively affected the willingness to implement a policy, and this is partially mediated by client meaningfulness. Hence, when street-level bureaucrats experience discretion, this positively influences the value they can deliver to clients, which in turn positively influences their willingness to implement a policy. Implications for policy implementation researchers are discussed. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38390/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Currently, there is an intense debate on the pressures facing public professionals in service delivery. Several studies show increasing discontent among professionals toward policies they have to implement. In this article, we aim to contribute to this topic by analyzing this discontent of public professionals in terms of ‘policy alienation’. The policy alienation concept is used to frame the experiences of professionals in a coherent theoretical framework. We have used a qualitative comparative case study of Dutch insurance physicians and secondary school teachers to study the factors that influence the degree of policy alienation across different domains. Our article shows that facets of New Public Management are important in explaining the pressures on public professionals implementing public policies. However, others factors are also prominent, and the degree of the implementers’ professionalism seems especially important. These insights help in understanding why public professionals embrace or resist the implementation of public policies. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/31195/ 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z Abstract The notion of work alienation has been fascinating scholars and practitioners for a long time. In recent years, a related concept has been developed in the public administration discipline: policy alienation, which examines the alienation of public professionals from the policy they have to implement. In this paper, our goal is to study the distinctiveness (or similarity) of work alienation and policy alienation. Furthermore, we examine a number of effects of work and policy alienation. Based on a theoretical framework and a survey of 790 Dutch midwives, we show that work and policy alienation are clearly distinct concepts. Furthermore, we show that work alienation has a strong impact on work level outcomes, such as work effort and intention to leave the organization. Policy alienation strongly influences the intention of a worker to resist a new policy, and the related behavior. Hence, work and policy alienation have important but separate effects. This study underscores the usefulness of work and policy alienation for sociological and public administration research http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/30753/ 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z E-government is becoming more picture-oriented. What meaning do stakeholders attach to visual events and visualization? Comparative case study research show the functional meaning primarily refers to registration, integration, transparency and communication. The political meaning refers to new ways of framing in order to secure specific interests and claims. To what the institutional meaning relates is ambiguous: either it improves the position of citizens, or it reinforces the existing bias presented by governments. Hence, we expect that the emergence of a visualized public space, through omnipresent penetration of (mobile) multimedia technologies, will influence government?citizen interactions. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26708/ 2011-09-14T00:00:00Z Abstract. This article focuses on the nodal orientation of the Dutch police, which is an innovative and controversial target of Dutch policing. This target states that the police should focus on flows and on places where the various flows coincide. The Dutch interpretation of the nodal orientation combines a perspective on policing in infrastructural networks with one that considers the police as a player in (social) security networks. Nodal policing in the Netherlands has been introduced as a ‘sensitizing’ and evolving concept. This article describes a selection of evolving nodal policing practices and discusses the strategic and normative implications for Dutch policing that arise from these practices. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/31436/ 2011-07-01T00:00:00Z In November 2007, Dutch secondary school students revolted against a requirement known as the "1040-hour norm." New Web technologies, like instant messaging, YouTube, and social networking sites, played an important role in the mobilization effort. In this article, the authors argue that these technologies facilitate a shift toward micromobilization by individuals and small groups. In this "1040-hour norm" case study, the authors analyze how the course of the political agenda-setting process is being transformed through the interplay between processes of meso- and micromobilization, and through new micro-to-mass media crossover effects. When supported by micromedia, the effects of micromobilization can create strategic surprises for traditional intermediary organizations and policymakers. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/22897/ 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z Abstract: This paper contributes in two ways to our understanding of the pressures public professionals face in service delivery. First, it theoretically analyses the influence of policy pressures (measured using the policy alienation framework) and politicking pressures on job satisfaction, thereby combining the literature streams of policy implementation and organizational politics. Second, we use a large-scale survey of 1,317 Dutch healthcare professionals to examine the effects of these pressures on job satisfaction. A large-scale quantitative approach can provide new insights to the debate on pressured professionals. The results show that both politicking pressures and the policy alienation dimension powerlessness (perceived lack of influence and autonomy during policy implementation) affect the job satisfaction of public professionals. Further, they interact, the negative effect of powerlessness on job satisfaction is strongest among professionals working in a highly politicized environment. In other words, influence during policy implementation is especially relevant when professionals experience highly politicized environments. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39000/ 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The notion of work alienation has been fascinating scholars and practitioners for a long time. In recent years, a related concept has been developed in the public administration discipline: policy alienation, which examines the alienation of public professionals from the policy they have to implement. In this paper, our goal is to study the distinctiveness (or similarity) of work alienation and policy alienation. Furthermore, we examine a number of effects of work and policy alienation. Based on a theoretical framework and a survey of 790 Dutch midwives, we show that work and policy alienation are clearly distinct concepts. Furthermore, we show that work alienation has a strong impact on work level outcomes, such as work effort and intention to leave the organization. Policy alienation strongly influences the intention of a worker to resist a new policy, and the related behavior. Hence, work and policy alienation have important but separate effects. This study underscores the usefulness of work and policy alienation for sociological and public administration research. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21606/ 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z This article focuses the nodal orientation of the police, which is an innovative and controversial target of Dutch policing. This target states that the police should focus on flows, and on places where the various flows coincide. The success factors for implementation nodal policing are discussed as well as its (strategic) implications for Dutch policing. We focus on the key features of Dutch nodal policing; the strategies that have been followed to implement nodal policing, the current state of affairs of nodal policing in The Netherlands, and what the future prospects for nodal policing in The Netherlands are. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21418/ 2009-11-19T00:00:00Z Currently, there is an intense debate on pressures facing public professionals. This debate often focuses on the (un)willingness of professionals - such as teachers and physicians - to implement new policies. In explaining this willingness, scholars often looked at the policy content, using qualitative case-studies. This has not led to a satisfactory explanatory framework. The aim of this research is twofold: (1) building a more all-encompassing, three-factor model (policy content, organizational context and personality characteristics of implementers) for explaining the willingness to implement policies; (2) quantitatively testing this model in a survey of 1.317 Dutch health professionals implementing a new reimbursement policy. The results show that policy content is the most important factor explaining this willingness. However, the organizational context and the personality characteristics of implementers are also influential, and have to be taken into account to properly study the attitudes of professionals towards public policies. The results of this research help in understanding why professionals embrace or resist implementing particular policies. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16678/ 2009-10-01T00:00:00Z Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/17382/ 2009-09-28T00:00:00Z E-government is becoming more picture-oriented. What meaning do stakeholders attach to visual events and visualization? Comparative case study research show the functional meaning primarily refers to registration, integration, transparency and communication. The political meaning refers to new ways of framing in order to secure specific interests and claims. To what the institutional meaning relates is ambiguous: either it improves the position of citizens, or it reinforces the existing bias presented by governments. Hence, we expect that the emergence of a visualized public space, through omnipresent penetration of (mobile) multimedia technologies, will influence government-citizen interactions. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16679/ 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z In dit artikel introduceren we het begrip beleidsvervreemding. We definiëren beleidsvervreemding als een algemene cognitieve staat van psychologische ontkoppeling met het beleid, in dit geval van de publieke professional die het beleid uitvoert. Beleidsvervreemding kan bijvoorbeeld ontstaan wanneer een professional een nieuw beleid als zinloos ervaart. Hiermee willen we een bijdrage leveren aan het huidige maatschappelijke debat over de rol van publieke professionals. Volgens sommige auteurs staan professionals onder druk en komt dit vooral omdat managers niet meer weten wat er op de werkvloer gebeurt. Anderen vragen zich af of ‘de managers’ de oorzaak zijn van alle gepercipieerde problemen van professionals. Het concept beleidsvervreemding onderzoekt deze claims. Niet alleen de invloed van managers, maar ook die van beleidsmakers en mondigere cliënten wordt meegenomen. Na de conceptualisatie illustreren we met een casestudie over verzekeringsartsen en arbeidsdeskundigen hoe beleidsvervreemding empirisch onderzoekbaar is. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14864/ 2009-02-19T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14866/ 2009-02-19T00:00:00Z This article examines the diffusion and adoption process of an electronic service delivery innovation, which can be seen as an example of e-policing – called SMS-alert – among Dutch police forces. Important is not only to pay attention to the question how an innovation has spread - and the factors and mechanisms that stimulated or frustrated this process - but also to the reasons why an innovation has spread. Therefore, it is important to look at what kind of different meanings organizations attach to an innovation, especially in a public sector context. This research shows that functional, political and institutional patterns of meaning should be taken into account. In this case, the functional and political meaning dominated the appreciation of the innovation, although elements of the institutional meaning also played a role. Furthermore, the case shows that it is important to look at the – in diffusion studies underexposed – influence of diffusion policies and strategies, which have been conducted. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14890/ 2009-02-19T00:00:00Z How can the flexibility of an information architecture in e-government chains - defined as a set of multi-rational agreements - be achieved, if one acknowledges the fact that the use of ICT may automate the status quo between organizations which work together in a policy chain? Research shows that flexibility cannot only be achieved by looking at technological requirements and agreements. Also other agreements should be considered which express other (political, legal and economic) design rationalities and values. Moreover, flexibility is also influenced by the structure and dynamics of the power and trustworthiness of the relationships between the organizations involved. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16764/ 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16897/ 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z Abstract Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualise policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/17840/ 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z De recente discussie over de kwaliteit van het onderwijs raakt ook de bestaande rolverdeling tussen de Minister van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen en de onderwijsinstellingen. In haar rapport over de vernieuwingen die de afgelopen jaren zijn doorgevoerd in het onderwijs, worden daartoe door de commissie-Dijsselbloem een paar schoten voor de boeg gegeven. “Het waarborgen van deugdelijk onderwijs is een kerntaak van de overheid is. Dit betekent dat om de kwaliteit van het onderwijs te kunnen bewaken, het noodzakelijk is om het ‘wat’ te definiëren. Hiervoor moeten helder kaders worden geschapen. Het gaat daarbij om, om voor de belangrijkste vakken, zoals vastgelegd in het kerncurriculum te definiëren, de belangrijkste kennis en vaardigheden concreter vast te leggen. De wijze waarop scholen deze kennis en vaardigheden overbrengen is primair aan de scholen. Om ervoor te zorgen dat scholen in staat zijn om dit te realiseren biedt de overheid faciliteiten aan zoals de bekostiging, stelt zij eisen aan de kwalificatiestructuur en draagt zij zorg voor de handhaving van de kwaliteit Ook dienen scholen zich meer naar buiten toe te verantwoorden over de wijze waarop het pedagogisch-didactische klimaat tot deugdelijk onderwijs leidt. De overheid dient dit echter te faciliteren waarbij zorgvuldigheid een belangrijke eis is. Daarnaast heeft de overheid een duidelijke verantwoordelijkheid voor het onderwijsstelsel als geheel” (Commissie Dijsselbloem, 2008:142-143). ... http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14094/ 2008-11-20T00:00:00Z At the moment, there is an intense debate going on concerning professionals and professionalism in the public sector. Research shows that public professionals are experiencing increasing pressures as they have to take into account several output performance norms, and these often conflict with their own professional standards or with the demands of increasingly empowered clients. Several studies show an increasing discontent among public professionals, both in the Netherlands (Honingh and Karstanje 2007; Van den Brink et al. 2006), and abroad (De Ruyter et al. 2008; Hebson et al. 2003; Pratchett and Wingfield 1996). In this chapter we will analyze such problems that public professionals have with the policy they have to implement in terms of ‘policy alienation’, thereby elaborating on the concept of work alienation as developed in the field of sociology of work and labor (for example Blauner 1964) . We define policy alienation as a general cognitive state of psychological disconnection, from the policy program to be implemented, by a public professional who, on a regular basis, interacts directly with clients. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14092/ 2008-10-22T00:00:00Z Nowadays, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programs they implement. This is worrisome, as for a successful implementation, some identification with the policy is required. In this article, we frame these identification problems in terms of policy alienation, based on the sociological concept work policy alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Further, by comparing two Dutch professionals groups, we observe six factors which are important for explaining policy alienation. Last, we show the relevancy of the policy alienation framework for analyzing the impact of identification problems on policy performance. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16761/ 2008-09-01T00:00:00Z The hype around e-government can also be understood in terms of myths. Myths play an important role in policy formulation because they can inspire and convince and thus can stimulate collective action. However, they can also blur our perspective on reality. In such cases people talk about ‘hypes’. In this chapter we look at policy documents regarding the first waves in the establishment of electronic government in Australia, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands. We discuss these documents in terms of myths in order to understand the cleft between the ambitions of these documents and daily reality. Four myths are constructed and discussed: the myth of a new and better government which operates as a single unit, the myth of technological progress, the myth of rational information planning and the myth of the intelligent and empowered consumer. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/10894/ 2007-09-19T00:00:00Z Nowadays, many public professionals face identification problems towards public policies they have to implement; that is, they experience policy alienation. This is troublesome, as for a proper implementation a minimal level of identification with the public policy is required. We conceptualise policy alienation, starting from the sociological concept of alienation and showing how this can be used in the realm of policy implementation. We demonstrate the usefulness of the concept by applying it to Dutch insurance physicians implementing a new work disability law, in a small case study based on content analysis and interviews. We observe that NPM based reform strategies strongly influence policy alienation, due to an as dysfunctional perceived trade-off between efficiency and values like equity and security. Next, role conflicts arising from the implementation and the working environment influences the degree of policy alienation, as well as the democratic legitimacy of the policy. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/10873/ 2007-04-02T00:00:00Z Nowadays, many public professionals face identification problems towards public policies they have to implement; that is, they experience policy alienation. This is troublesome, as for a proper implementation a minimal level of identification with the public policy is required. We use literature related to the identification problems of (public) service workers, for example Public Service Motivation (Perry, 2000), New Public Management (Pollitt & Bouckaert, 2004), technology (Zuboff, 2004) , street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky, 1980) and organization commitment (Steinhaus & Perry, 1996). But mainstream literature has not yet studied the problem of identification of the service worker with public policies. These disciplines will, however, be used to construct propositions for the identification problem. This paper seeks to fill this lacuna by using the concept of alienation, a concept originating from the sociology of work and organization. Literature from this discipline offers useful concepts for building our theoretical framework. All in all, the project offers a multidisciplinary approach, combining the research fields of public management, public policy sciences and the sociology of work and organization. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/11575/ 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z In 2004 Dutch government changed the law regarding the welfare benefits that disabled citizens receive on behalf of the state. This followed a rise of the number of recipients between 1987 and 2003 from 805.000 to 982.000. In 2003, approximately 10 % of the Dutch workforce was dependent on this welfare provision (Hartman & Boerman, 2004). A new set of rules - the so-called ‘Aangepast schattingsbesluit’ in 2004 and the Law regarding Work and Income in 2006 was implemented to end this situation. The implementation of these new rules fundamentally changed the work of the insurance physicians who work on behalf of the Dutch Institute for Employees’ Insurance (UWV), which takes care of the implementation of these new rules. As a result of these rules – because of stricter assessments – approximately 110.000 recipients have lost their alimony, mostly part-timers and citizens with psychological complaints. Those now have to provide for their own income. If they are no able to do so, they can apply for an unemployment benefit or for state assistance. Allocation of the latter, however, depends –contrary to the benefits for the disabled – on the income position of the household. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/11577/ 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z This paper theoretically examines identification problems with the implementation of public policies. When these identification problems occur, they might have significant impacts. For instance, the quality of the interaction between service workers and clients influence the effectiveness and legitimacy of public administration. the success of public policies for a great deal depends on the compliance and motivation of the service worker implementing them. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/19813/ 2006-07-01T00:00:00Z The modernization of public administration is a recurring theme on the political and public agenda in many countries. Modernization presupposes innovation. However, is an innovative public administration a contradiction in terminis? If we look at the practice of public administration, and evaluate -from an evolutionary perspective – how public administration has transformed itself during the last 40 years, we actually see a variety of radical and incremental changes. Hence, innovation does take place. This book clearly demonstrates how public administration organizations try to adapt to changing circumstances in their environment in order to secure their legitimacy. At the same time we see that public administration tries to respond and anticipate to new technological developments as well as to make use of them. In many countries e-government has become the symbol of the way in which ICT has penetrated in the nerves of ministries, local and regional government and all kinds of agencies. In this publication, a number of case studies have been presented in which different kind of ICT-driven innovations have been described and analyzed. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1594/ 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16689/ 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z The article focuses on e-government and the emergence of virtual organizations in the public sector. The massive introduction and use of information and communication network technology in public administration has led to the establishment of a complex variety of new, virtual organization forms within and outside the public sector. Electronic government has been an important driver for the emergence of virtual organizations in the public sector. The article focuses on understanding the variety and complexity of virtual organizations in the public sector, which emerge in the slipstream of numerous e-government initiatives. The development of an explorative typology of virtual organizations can help to reduce this variety. Moreover, it can help to identify possible factors and relations between them which account for the similarities and differences between the identified types of virtual organizations. Relevant factors are related to specific characteristics of the ICT-network which is used, the socio-organizational network in which the virtual organization has emerged, and several types of e-government services. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1864/ 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z The massive introduction and use of information and communication network technology in public administration has led to the establishment of a complex variety of new, virtual organization forms within and outside the public sector. Electronic government has been an important driver for the emergence of virtual organizations in the public sector. However, our knowledge about these emerging forms of virtual organization has been limited, especially if we look at the public sector. Although the last ten years numerous studies have appeared systematic research into the world of virtual organizations is limited (Bekkers, 2000; Van Hout & Bekkers, 2000). In this article I want to grasp and understand the variety and complexity of virtual organizations in the public sector, which emerge in the slipstream of numerous e-government initiatives. The development of an explorative typology of virtual organizations can help us to reduce this variety. Moreover, it can help to identify possible factors and relations between them which account for the similarities and differences between the identified types of virtual organizations. Relevant factors are related to specific characteristics of the ICT-network which is used, the socio-organizational network in which the virtual organization has emerged, and several types of e-government services. In section two I will describe e-government as a relevant phenomenon in public administration, which shows us how public administration is changing under influence of modern ICT. Virtual organizations are the manifestation of this change, but what does the notion of virtual organization imply? In section three I discuss some of the literature. In section four I will elaborate on the research strategy which has been followed in order to develop a typology of virtual organizations, which will be described in section five. In section six I will compare the specific types of virtual organization and relate them to specific e-government services, specific characteristics op ICT network and the socio-organizational network in which the virtual organization has emerged. Some conclusions will be formulated. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1866/ 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1869/ 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z De afgelopen jaren heeft de elektronische overheid (ook wel e-government genoemd) een steeds duidelijker gezicht gekregen. Een breed palet van digitale diensten wordt aangeboden. Tegelijkertijd zien we dat de voortvarendheid waarmee volgende stappen worden gezet, aan snelheid inboet. De realisatie van de elektronische overheid bevindt zich op een kruispunt van wegen. Dit betekent dat keuzes moeten worden gemaakt die ten eerste betrekking hebben op externe positionering, gericht op de legitimiteit van e-government. Ten tweede dient er meer oog te zijn voor de interne omgeving en daarmee de organisatorische verankeringen van e-government. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1878/ 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/629/ 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Many governmental organizations nowadays are setting up e-government initiatives to improve the delivery of services to citizens. Often, these initiatives require information exchange in networks of various governmental organizations in so-called back-offices. In this article, resource dependence theory and information property rights theory are used to analyze the complex mixture of cooperation and conflict that arises in these networks. The authors conclude that the use of novel process management techniques is a promising and fruitful alternative to the use of more ?traditional? project management techniques in the development of interorganizational, back-office information systems. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/631/ 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z In dit artikel worden verschillende toezichtsstijlen of rollen van toezichthouders geanalyseerd. Het blijkt dat achter verschillende rollen van toezichthouders - als politieagent, coach of netwerker - verschillende typen informatierelaties schuilgaan. In het artikel worden kritieke succesfactoren van verschillende toezichtsstijlen ge?dentificeerd en wordt de betekenis van informatierelaties in toezichtsarrangementen geduid. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/632/ 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z In many countries, administrative supervision has grown dramatically in recent years. Administrative supervision is a form of interaction between policy makers and policy executors, aimed at improving political accountability. In this paper, the role of information and information relationships between policy making bodies, executive institutions and administrative supervisors is explored. We identify three roles of administrative supervisors: a classical (cop) role, a modern (coach) role, and a networking (director) role. Each role has requirements with respect to the information relationship, particularly in the relationship between the supervisory authority and the executive institution. In this paper, we analyze the sometimes contradictory roles of administrative supervisors and the implications for information relationships, and we indicate the consequences for practice. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1870/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z De informatiesamenleving die door de populariteit van het internet een steeds duidelijker een gezicht krijgt, laat ook het openbaar bestuur niet onberoerd. In 2002 moet 25% van alle dienstverlening door Nederlandse overheid langs elektronische weg worden verstrekt. Zo luidt een van de doelstellingen die het Actieprogramma Elektronische Overheid (1998) en De Digitale Delta (1999) sieren. Het beeld dat uit deze en andere beleidsdocumenten oprijst, is een beeld van een nieuwe en betere overheid; een overheid die klantvriendelijker, toegankelijker, transparanter, efficiënter en democratischer is. Er is sprake van informatietechnologisch gedreven optimisme in de vooruitgang en maakbaarheid van openbaar bestuur en samenleving. Daar staat echter tegenover dat nog veel gemeenten worstelen met bovenstaande doelstelling. Deze worsteling heeft ten dele iets te maken met het onderkennen van de noodzaak om de stap te zetten naar een digitale gemeente. Het is niet alleen een kwestie van willen, maar ook van kunnen. Vaak ontbreekt het gemeenten aan de noodzakelijke expertise en de financiële middelen. Zowel het technologische optimisme als het gekreun van veel gemeenten laten zien dat er een spanning bestaat tussen wens en werkelijkheid, tussen theorie en praktijk. Kritische reflectie is daarom op zijn plaats. In dit artikel wil ik een aantal vragen stellen ten aanzien van een aantal veronderstellingen die ten grondslag ligt aan het denken over de elektronische overheid (in het jargon e-government geheten) in Nederland en deze vervolgens toetsen aan de praktijk van het openbaar bestuur. Ik wil deze veronderstellingen weergeven aan de hand van een aantal mythen die worden gehanteerd om het nut en de noodzaak van een elektronische overheid te legitimeren. Mythen kunnen als inspiratiebron worden gebruikt om de elektronische overheid vlot te trekken; mythen kunnen daarentegen ook versluierend werken. Daarom wil ik bij deze mythen een aantal kanttekeningen plaatsen, waardoor deze mythen in een ander daglicht worden gesteld. Ik verwijs daarbij naar de alledaagse realiteit van informatiseringsvraagstukken in het openbaar bestuur zoals deze door onderzoek in kaart is gebracht. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1871/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z In dit artikel wordt aangegeven hoe ervaringen met zogenaamde virtuele gemeenschappen, en in het bijzonder de Linux-gemeenschap, kunnen worden gebruikt om een digitale responsieve democratie gestalte te geven. Daarvoor wordt de notie van de virtuele beleidsgemeenschap geïntroduceerd. Ingegaan wordt op een aantal relevante organisatieprincipes en daarmee samenhangende ontwerpvraagstukken. Beleidsgemeenschappen zijn geen vorm van elektronische burgerconsultatie –zoals veel digitale discussieplatforms tot doel hadden - maar fungeren als een open kennisinfrastructuur die in het teken staat van participatief leren. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1877/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1865/ 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1872/ 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z Rede In verkorte vorm uitgesproken bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van bijzonder hoogleraar Informatie- en communicatietechnologische infrastructuren in de publieke en private sector, namens de Stichting CMG Academie, aan de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam op vrijdag 17 november 2000