The Shrinking Political Space of Minority Nationalist Parties in an Enlarged Europe of the Regions

From the late 1980s, European integration has been seen to have benefits for minority nationalist parties in terms of setting the political agenda, reinforcing the role of regional governments and providing second-order electoral opportunities at European elections. However, recent EU enlargements have produced a negative environment for minority nationalist parties, evident in the loss of support and MEPs in the 2004 European election. This article examines the development of minority nationalist parties at the European level since 1979, and evaluates different potential explanations for the demise of the party family since 2004

Measuring (sub-)national identities in survey research:lessons from Belgium

This article explores different measurements of (sub-)national identities in survey research and examines to which extent they lead to different results. Using survey data from Belgium, where there is a long-standing tradition of (sub-)national identity surveys, three types of questions are scrutinized: the ‘hierarchical’ question (asking respondents to which of a list of given identities they feel most closely related in first and second place), the ‘Linz-Moreno’ question (asking respondents to situate their regional and national identity vis-à-vis of each other) and the more recent ‘metric’ question (asking respondents to situate themselves for multiple identities on distinct 11-point scales). This article analyses the extent to which respondents answer these questions consistently, how varying degrees of consistency can be explained and what this tells us about the way social scientists measure (sub-)national identities. The results show that, depending on the question, only 39,4% to 69,2% of the respondents answer the three (sub-)national identity questions consistently. Differences in consistency are found to be not only related to respondents’ political knowledge and interest, but also to the question forms and wordings, obliging us to reflect on the validity of identity measurements.This article explores different measurements of (sub-)national identities in survey research and examines to which extent they lead to different results. Using survey data from Belgium, where there is a long-standing tradition of (sub-)national identity surveys, three types of questions are scrutinized: the ‘hierarchical’ question (asking respondents to which of a list of given identities they feel most closely related in first and second place), the ‘Linz-Moreno’ question (asking respondents to situate their regional and national identity vis-à-vis of each other) and the more recent ‘metric’ question (asking respondents to situate themselves for multiple identities on distinct 11-point scales). This article analyses the extent to which respondents answer these questions consistently, how varying degrees of consistency can be explained and what this tells us about the way social scientists measure (sub-)national identities. The results show that, depending on the question, only 39,4% to 69,2% of the respondents answer the three (sub-)national identity questions consistently. Differences in consistency are found to be not only related to respondents’ political knowledge and interest, but also to the question forms and wordings, obliging us to reflect on the validity of identity measurements

Nutritional profile of foods offered and consumed in a Belgian university canteen

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional profile of a lunch offered and consumed in a university canteen in Belgium. Design: The qualitative and quantitative content of 4365 meals theoretically available and 330 meals consumed was recorded during five weekdays spread over three weeks. Meal combinations were evaluated using a scoring system based on recommendations for Na content, energy from fat, and fruit and vegetable portions. Setting: University canteen in Belgium. Results: Only a 5 % of the meal combinations available and consumed complied with the three basic dietary recommendations for a hot lunch. The nutritional profile of the meals consumed was in line with that of the meals available. Conclusions: Our results show how the nutritional profile of what is eaten is largely determined by what is offered. To ensure overall compliance with dietary recommendations, considerable changes on the supply side, i.e. an increase in fruit and vegetable portions and a reduction in salt and fat of the lunch, are needed first in our setting. Our assessment provides baseline data to pilot a nutrient profiling intervention and shows how a nutrient profiling system can be used for meal evaluation purposes