In the context of public budget cuts and rural areas facing depopulation and aging, local governments increasingly encourage citizen engagement in addressing local livability issues. This paper examines the non-engagement of mid-aged and elderly residents (45+ years old) in civic initiatives that intend …

Population decline, welfare state reforms and austerity measures pressurise the liveability of rural areas in the Netherlands and call upon local governments and communities to adapt and renew their mode of governance. This paper reports on three Dutch experimental governance arrangements which are analysed …

In this article, we use Kooiman’s theory of governance in combination with key-conditions of community self-steering identified in recent studies to examine how the self-steering capacity developed of a community initiative aiming at improving the liveability of a small Dutch village. Using non-participatory …

In the shift towards the Big Society, it is widely proclaimed that citizen participation and citizens’ initiatives are indispensable to maintaining services that used to be run by local or regional governments. Despite the increased interest in citizens’ initiatives, research has scarcely debated what …

“Is de procedure rondom bijvoorbeeld het aanvragen van bijstand erg complex? Dan gaat het aanvraagformulier in heldere taal het verschil niet maken. Iets voor iemand begrijpelijker maken heeft niet alleen met begrijpelijke taal te maken. Zo simpel is het niet”..legt Tialda Sikkema uit

In Nederland nemen regionale verschillen in bevolkingsontwikkeling toe. De Randstad heeft te maken met bevolkingsgroei en dat zal naar verwachting de komende decennia ook zo blijven. De minder stedelijke en meer perifeer gelegen gebieden hebben in toenemende mate te kampen met bevolkingsstagnatie of …

AimsKnowledge of patient preferences is vital for delivering optimal healthcare. This study uses utility measurement to assess the preferences of heart failure (HF) patients regarding quality of life or longevity. The utility approach represents the perspective of a patient; facilitates the combination …