The privatisation debate on water services in the Netherlands: public performance of the water sector and the implications of market forces

Water Policy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan M. Kuks
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
The Public

Legally adopted in France and the UK, privatization of water services is still vigorously debated in the Netherlands. Advocates of privatization believe it is the best way to save on utility costs and to increase their transparency. Opponents believe that the Dutch water sector already provides high quality services for low prices, including an additional public performance that is expected to be excluded in a free market. The author argues that the performance of water service providers should not be assessed only in terms of efficiency, but in terms of the effects on the entire water system as well as the protection of small customers. It is quite possible that without privatization, a public agency could also improve its efficiency and become more competitive in relation to other service providers. Privatization seems to be more a matter of political ideology (based on a belief that the public sector operates inefficiently) than a matter of hard facts. The success of privatization depends at least on the performance of a complementary public regulatory regime. The question should not be whether the public or the private sector performs better hypothetically, but how the actual performance regarding public goods and services can be improved.

Political bullshit receptivity and its correlates: a cross-cultural validation of the concept

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vukašin Gligorić ◽  
Allard Feddes ◽  
Bertjan Doosje
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Persuasive Communication ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Total N

Frankfurt defined persuasive communication that has no regard for truth, knowledge, or evidence as bullshit. Although there has been a lot of psychological research on pseudo-profound bullshit, no study examined this type of communication in politics. In the present research, we operationalize political bullshit receptivity as endorsing vague political statements, slogans, and political bullshit programs. We investigated the relationship of these three measures with pseudo-profound bullshit, ideology (political ideology, support for neoliberalism), populism, and voting behavior. Three pre-registered studies in different cultural settings (the United States, Serbia, The Netherlands; total N = 534) yielded medium to high intercorrelations between political bullshit measures and pseudo-profound bullshit, and good construct validity (hypothesized one-factor solution). A Bayesian meta-analysis showed that all political bullshit measures positively correlated with support for the free market, while only some positively correlated with social (political statements and programs) and economic conservatism (programs), and populism (programs). In the U.S., higher receptivity to political bullshit was associated with a higher probability that one voted for Trump (vs Clinton) in the past and higher intentions to vote for Trump (vs Biden and Sanders). In the Netherlands, higher receptivity to political bullshit predicted the intention to vote for the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. Exploratory analyses on merged datasets showed that higher receptivity to political bullshit was associated with a higher probability to vote for right-wing candidates/parties and lower probability for the left-wing ones. Overall, political bullshit endorsement showed good validity, opening avenues for research in political communication, especially when this communication is broad and meaningless.

Comparing private and public performance of Portuguese water services

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Cunha Marques
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Portuguese Water ◽  
Private Management

This article compares the performance of the Portuguese water services (WS) according to their ownership. Several techniques, such as performance indicators, total factor productivity and data envelopment analysis were used. First, the paper describes the water sector institutional framework in Portugal. Then, it reviews the major theories that relate performance to WS ownership and the main empirical studies developed in this area. Finally, it presents the case study. The conclusions drawn from the study seem to prove the outperformance of the WS under private management in Portugal when compared with the public ones. The quality of service provided by the former is better than that of the latter, which is particularly evident with regard to water quality. Productivity is also superior in private companies. However, the results suggest an opposite trend as far as efficiency is concerned.

scholarly journals Trump and the Image of the United States in Latin America

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-85
Author(s):  
Michael Haman ◽  
Milan Školník
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Free Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
The Public

In our research, we focus on the image of the United States in Latin America. We use mainly data from Latinobarómetro, and we analyse Obama’s last year and Trump’s first year in the presidency in 18 countries in Latin America. We use logistic regression to reach conclusions. We also analyse Trump’s tweets to see his Twitter rhetoric. We find that Trump’s election has strongly worsened the image of the United States in the public opinion of Latin America. However, we find that people that believe more in democracy, the free market and national political institutions are more likely to have a positive opinion of the United States. Also, we find that the more left-wing citizens are, the more likely they have a bad opinion of the United States. This article contributes to the theory of trust and research on the public opinion across nations. Also, this article offers insights into the topical research agenda concerning the influence of political ideology on public opinion.

Boom's Blues

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Verbei
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
North American ◽  
World War ◽  
English Version ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
The Public ◽  
The North ◽  
The 1960S

This book stands as both a remarkable biography of J. Frank G. Boom (1920–1953) and a recovery of his incredible contribution to blues scholarship originally titled The Blues: Satirical Songs of the North American Negro. The book tells how and when the Netherlands was introduced to African American blues music and describes the equally dramatic and peculiar friendship that existed between Boom and jazz critic and musicologist Will Gilbert, who worked for the Kultuurkamer during World War II and had been charged with the task of formulating the Nazi's Jazzverbod, the decree prohibiting the public performance of jazz. The book ends with the annotated and complete text of Boom's The Blues, providing the international world at last with an English version of the first book-length study of the blues. At the end of the 1960s, a series of 13 blues paperbacks edited by Paul Oliver for the London publisher November Books began appearing. One manuscript landed on his desk that had been written in 1943 by a then 23-year-old Frank (Frans) Boom. Its publication was announced on the back jacket of the last three Blues Paperbacks in 1971 and 1972. Yet it never was published and the manuscript once more disappeared. In October 1996, Dutch blues expert and publicist Verbei went in search of the presumably lost manuscript and the story behind its author. It only took him a couple of months to track down the manuscript, but it took another ten years to glean the full story behind the extraordinary Frans Boom, who passed away in 1953 in Indonesia.

Political Ideology and Health Care: Hospital Patterns in the Philippines and Cuba

1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton I. Roemer
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Free Market ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Socialist Revolution ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Hospital Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Small Market ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Hospital Resources

Starting from a similar heritage of Spanish colonialism, followed by United States influence, the Philippines and Cuba developed sharply divergent ideologies after Cuba's socialist revolution in 1959. In the Philippines today there is a pattern of hospital services based strongly on capitalist “free market” ideology; government facilities, intended to serve the majority of the population, are meager while private ones are relatively abundant and compete for a small market of paying patients. In Cuba, virtually all hospital resources have been placed in the public sector and urban-rural disparities have been greatly reduced. All hospital services are freely available to every resident on an equal basis.

scholarly journals How do citizens feel about their water services in the water sector? Evidence from the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Tian ◽  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Han Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Technology Application ◽  
The Public ◽  
Water Supply Management ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Water Supply Services

AbstractAt present, many studies have used social survey methods to explore UK water citizens’ perceptions of the water sector’s water services, but there are few more targeted and systematic studies. This paper mainly displays the perceptions of UK water citizens on water services in the water sector in recent years and analyses the main reasons for different perceptions and possible strategies. We conduct extensive research from four aspects that are highly related to water services: water citizens’ perceptions of the water supply services and technology application (infrastructure construction) provided by the water sector; the state of communication between the water sector and water citizens and their perceptions of water supply management; water citizens’ perceptions of the comprehensive utilisation of water resources in the water sector; water citizens’ perceptions of the water prices set by the water sector. These discussions aim to discover citizens’ perceptions of the water sector and the effects on the public participation mechanism. These insights help attract the water sector’s attention so that the public’s opinions can genuinely support water policymakers and provide sure support for the water sector to formulate corresponding solutions.

scholarly journals The Struggle of Waste Pickers in Colombia: From being considered trash, to being recognised as workers

2020 ◽  
pp. 122-136
Author(s):  
Federico Parra
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
The State ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
Special Protection ◽  
Waste Pickers

Organised waste pickers in Colombia are formally recognised as subjects of special protection and as providers of the public service of recycling. As a consequence, they now receive remuneration for their work, but this was not always the case. This article highlights the strategies waste pickers used to successfully demand their rights while exploring the tensions and contradictions surrounding the formalisation of waste pickers as public service providers of recycling. These include a lack of sufficient guarantees from the government, attempts by private companies to appropriate waste pickers’ benefits, and a lack of respect by both the state and private businesses for the recognition of their rights in law. It concludes that there is an inherent tension between the main objectives of the waste pickers—to improve their working conditions and overcome poverty and vulnerability—and that of the state, which promotes free market competition in the provision of public services.

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