Decentralisatie en Democratische Vertegenwoordiging:een pilot-onderzoek naar vertegenwoordigingsclaims op het lokale niveau

In dit rapport presenteren we de resultaten die zijn voortgekomen uit ons pilot-onderzoek naar democratische vertegenwoordiging in het sociale domein in twee gemeenten. We merkten in het onderzoek hoezeer alle betrokkenen er groot belang aan hechten om de omvangrijke decentralisaties van jeugdzorg, maatschappelijke ondersteuning en arbeidsparticipatie democratisch te verankeren. We merkten ook dat het vaak een worsteling is (geweest) om participatie en vertegenwoordiging in het gemeentelijke beleid invulling te geven in de praktijk. Dit rapport biedt niet alleen inzicht in die worsteling, maar is ook een verkenning hoe diverse vormen van vertegenwoordig

De democratische kwaliteit van gekozen en niet-gekozen vertegenwoordiging in gemeenten

De vaak sombere analyses van democratische vertegenwoordiging op lokaal niveau zijn veelal gericht op problemen met partijen en verkiezingen. Directe participatie is geen goed alternatief, omdat alleen maar bepaalde, politiek toch vaak al actieve mensen daarvan gebruikmaken. Met het begrip ‘vertegenwoordigingsclaim’ laten we in twee kwalitatieve gevalstudies van de decentralisaties in het sociale domein echter zien dat er ook andere vertegenwoordigers dan gekozen politici zijn. Deze (zelf)benoemde, niet-gekozen vertegenwoordigers kunnen opkomen voor kwetsbare groepen die zich weinig politiek laten horen. Daarnaast toont ons onderzoek dat gekozen vertegenwoordi

Strengthening the local representative system: the importance of electoral and non-electoral representation

Local democracy has increasingly faced problems such as declining voter turnout and decreasing trust in political parties. Certain forms of participatory democracy have been introduced to address political disengagement. Often these efforts do not deliver the envisaged results, as they exacerbate existing inequalities by attracting only certain groups of citizens. This paper takes a close look at representation to find out if and how it can strengthen local democracy. Non-electoral representation, as manifested by representative claims based on non-electoral grounds, such as identity and expertise, made by local councillors, as well as non-elected individuals and organisations, might serve to mitigate democratic problems. We empirically study manifestations of electoral and non-electoral representation and their interactions. We conclude that non-electoral representation can strengthen local democracy, but its relationship with electoral representation can also be problematic. We make suggestions as to how these problems m

Strengthening the local representative system: the importance of electoral and non-electoral representation

Local democracy has increasingly faced problems such as declining voter turnout and decreasing trust in political parties. Certain forms of participatory democracy have been introduced to address political disengagement. Often these efforts do not deliver the envisaged results, as they exacerbate existing inequalities by attracting only certain groups of citizens. This paper takes a close look at representation to find out if and how it can strengthen local democracy. Non-electoral representation, as manifested by representative claims based on non-electoral grounds, such as identity and expertise, made by local councillors, as well as non-elected individuals and organisations, might serve to mitigate democratic problems. We empirically study manifestations of electoral and non-electoral representation and their interactions. We conclude that non-electoral representation can strengthen local democracy, but its relationship with electoral representation can also be problematic. We make suggestions as to how these problems m

A Comparative Study on the Reactivity of Various Ketohexoses to Furanics in Methanol

The acid-catalysed dehydration of the four 2-ketohexoses (fructose, sorbose, tagatose and psicose) to furanics was studied in methanol (65 gL(-1) substrate concentration, 17 and 34 mm sulfuric acid, 100 degrees C) with Avantium high-throughput technology. Significant differences in the reactivities of the hexoses and yields of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and its methyl ether (MMF) were observed. Psicose and tagatose were the most reactive, and psicose also afforded the highest combined yield of MMF and HMF of approximately 55% at 96% sugar conversion. Hydroxyacetylfuran and its corresponding methyl ether were formed as byproducts, particularly for sorbose and tagatose, with a maximum combined yield of 8% for sorbose. The formation of hydroxyacetylfuran was studied through C-13 NMR spectroscopy with labelled sorbose, which provided new insights into the reaction mechanism

A novel free-fall reactor for (catalytic) pyrolysis of biomass and plastics

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstrac