Princely Patronage and Patriot Cause: Corruption and Public Value Dynamics in the Dutch Republic (1770s–1780s)

While the usefulness of historical insight is often implicitly recognized in public values studies, it is rarely expressed in actual historical research. This article argues that historical analysis is well equipped to investigate public values and their dynamics (i.e., change and continuity over time). To illustrate this argument, the article presents a corruption scandal involving the regent Hugo Repelaer in the Dutch Republic of the 1770s and 1780s. The article shows how patronage and other forms of political behavior were contested on the basis of new and/or reemphasized public values and political principles, such as popular sovereignty and representation. It also shows the emergence of value monism in the Dutch context. An explicit link between the events of the case and theoretical perspectives on public value dynamics serves, furthermore, to increase the understanding of the latter and to elucidate present discussions. The article contends that a historical approach to public values can and should inform present-day attitudes to corruption and integrity, and offers promising avenues for future historical research on public values on a European scale.The politics and administration of institutional chang

Hidden morals, explicit scandals : public values and political corruption in the Netherlands (1748-1813)

This book is about changing public values and perceptions of political corruption in an important period of Dutch history, between 1748 and 1813. It consists of three parts. Part one provides the research question and discusses public values and public value dynamics, political corruption and administrative history. Part two connects these elements to the socio-political context of Dutch early modern public administration. Part three offers three case studies of scandals of political corruption, involving taxation and bureaucratization around 1750, patronage and nepotism in the 1770s and 1780s and corruption following the Batavian revolution of 1795. The cases uncover public values and assumptions of what was considered __good__ or __bad__ public administration and serve to assess change and continuity therein. In this way, the study shows how Dutch public morality evolved amidst fundamental political and social change in a period in which many of the modern foundations of Dutch government and administration were shaped. It therefore provides knowledge to assess origins and essence of current Dutch thinking on __proper__ public administration. The study also expressly aims to combine historical and social-scientific explorations and aims to contribute to developing methodological and theoretical avenues for further historical comparative research into changing public morality.LEI Universiteit LeidenThe politics and administration of institutional chang

Integriteit bij het Rijk en ZBO’s

The politics and administration of institutional chang

Integriteit in overheidsorganisaties: quo vadis?

In dit onderzoek richten we ons op de integriteitsbeleving en integriteitsdruk die ervaren wordt in het openbaar bestuur en de relatie hiervan met verschillende organisatie uitkomsten. Over het algemeen lijkt het beeld van de integriteitsbeleving iets positiever dan in 2019, maar er zijn verschillen tussen sectoren: bij lokale overheden spelen relatief meer integriteitskwesties. Leiderschap en werkklimaat hebben daarnaast een relatief grote invloed op integriteitsbeleving en -druk: wanneer medewerkers positief naar hun leidinggevenden en cultuur kijken, zijn hun opvattingen over integriteit ook positiever, en ervaart men minder integriteitsdruk. Dat leiderschap en cultuur vaak effectiever zijn in het bevorderen van integriteit dan ‘hardere’ beleidsinstrumenten zoals codes en regelingen blijkt ook uit andere studies. Een positieve integriteitsbeleving gaat samen met een hogere tevredenheid over de baan, het team en de organisatie, bevlogenheid, veilig en sociaal werkklimaat, percepties van organisatieprestaties en organisationele kernwaarden. Het is tot slot belangrijk om zowel waakzaam als kritisch te zijn bij het gebruik en vooral het verbreden van het begrip integriteit. Te ver doorslaan in ambtelijke integriteit (integritisme) kan namelijk juist negatieve effecten hebben, zoals verkramping, verminderde productiviteit en een afnemend gevoel van veiligheid.The politics and administration of institutional chang

Political corruption, modernity and the public interest: The perceived (im)morality of Dutch politicians (1750–1850)

The politics and administration of institutional chang

The Fluidity of Integrity: Lessons from Dutch Scandals

This article discusses how integrity scandals often amount to setting new norms besides confirming existing ones. Historical research into Dutch integrity scandals shows how integrity acquires meaning in a complex, heterogeneous, and changing environment. Far from being fixed, integrity is a moving target; rather than being simply morally wrong or illegal, actions often fit in a grey area of contestation. Based on integrity’s fluidity, four possible lines of action are offered to clarify and resolve lingering difficulties in current (Dutch) integrity management. First, since integrity norms are socially constructed and changeable, they can be actively influenced. Second, there is a need for more prudence to avoid integritism. Third, it seems pertinent to revisit the common reflex to focus on compliance by adding rules. Fourth, there is a need to acknowledge the importance of proactive, democratic debate when establishing integrity norms between important stakeholders.The politics and administration of institutional chang

Advies aan de regering: staatscommissies in Nederland tussen 1814 en 1970

Continuing debate concerning the functioning of advisory boards to the Dutch central government seems hindered by lacking historical insight and insufficient empirical data. Especially the period until 1970 and so-called state committees (an important type of advisory board) have been neglected. This article therefore presents findings from historical research into Dutch state committees between 1814 and 1970. We provide a hitherto lacking overview of their origin, numbers, composition, functioning and topics. We also provide a first quantitative analysis to investigate the question what state committee activity tells us about continuity and change of the task perception of subsequent Dutch governments in this period. We argue that the so-called ‘night watchman state’ of the long 19th century (in which government did as least as possible) does become apparent from the number of state committees over time but that it seems never to have existed when we look at the topics they dealt with. Furthermore, the Dutch welfare state (said to have existed from the 1930s onwards) shows much less state committee activity then one would expect. We conclude with urgent questions for future research into advice and advisory boards in The Netherlands and introduce a digital database to facilitate such work.The politics and administration of institutional chang

De draaideur: van impasse naar uitweg [The revolving door: from deadlock to solutions]

The politics and administration of institutional chang