Innovation of the acute care system: Introducing the human factor to improve quality - analysis of a complex multi-actor system

There are several signs that the acute care system in the Netherlands might not function optimal. This research focuses on ways to innovate, and thereby to improve the quality of the care delivered. The acute care system is complex. It is a large, safety-critical system in which people have to act fast and correct. Apart from qualitative, non...

Barack Obama’s infrastructure policies for the United States

The new president of the United States, Barack Obama, has set his policies on infrastructures. To carry them out, he will resort mostly to economics incentives and, to a lesser extent, regulatory constraints.

Energy policy instruments and technical change in the residential building sector

The passing by the European Parliament of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2003 obliges all European member states to implement energy regulations for buildings based on the concept of energy performance by the year 2009 ultimately. Given the importance of the development of innovations in energy technology, and a...

The Internet bubble and the impact on the development path of the telecommunication sector

In this dissertation the impact of the Internet bubble on the development path of the telecommunication sector is being explored and explained. The insights obtained are used to provide recommendations for the formation of government policy and firm strategy in the aftermath. Periods of euphoria are a recurring feature of economic development...

Connecting reason to power: Assessments, learning, and environmental policy integration in Swedish energy policy

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to understanding what makes a policymaking system better at integrating sustainability concerns into its processes. Three questions are in focus. First, how can policy integration be understood analytically and what is its actual status in sector policy? Second, what conditions have facilitated or...

Getijden van beleid: Omslagpunten in de volkshuisvesting

What can the political-administrative management of a government ministry do in order to bring about a substantial policy change? Public policy is shaped in networks that are characterized by pluriformity of actors, interests, perceptions, and resources, and by mutual instead of unilateral dependence among the actors. Uncertainty is high and...

The ecology of metals

Estrogens and xeno-estrogens in the aquatic environment of the Netherlands: Occurence, Potency and Biological Effects

The ‘National investigation into the occurrence and effects of estrogenic compounds in the aquatic environment’ (Dutch acronym, LOES), is a base-line study that provides a picture of the occurrence of a number of natural and synthetic estrogens in the aquatic environment as well as a view of the associated estrogenic effects in fish in surface...

Management and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure: Dutch experiences

This report has been prepared for the refresher course for alumni of IHE in Bangladesh. The goal of the refresher course is to: Familiarise participants with new insights and focal points in integrated water resources management and the delivery of services, which are at the very purpose of water management. One of the points to which special...

Physical Effects of Sea Sand Extraction / Fysische effecten van zeezandwinning

FRAMEWORK OF EXISTING POLICY Several Dutch policy documents are relevant with respect to sea sand extraction on the Netherlands Continental Shelf (NCS), ie: - the government directive on shallow mineral reserves SOD (Structuurschema Oppervlakte Delfstoffen= Master Plan Surface Minerals), - the regional directive on extraction at the NCS RON/MER ...

A different approach to water: Water management policy in the 21st century

This document outlines the Cabinet's position on water management policy in the 21st century. Immediately fuelling this is my concern about increasing water levels in the rivers, flooding, and the accelerated rise in sea level. In a country like the Netherlands, the geography of which is dominated by the sea and the mouths of four great rivers,...

The Allocation of Tasks and Competencies in Dutch Water Management: Discussions, developments and present state

This report discusses subsidiarity in Dutch water management and forms the Dutch contribution to the Water 21 Phase II report on subsidiarity. Rather than discussing the Dutch interpretations of the concept (the concept is used almost exclusively in relation to the European Union), this report discusses the substantive issue to which ...

Commissions for Environmental Impact Assessment: Their contribution to the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment

Coastline Management Manual

The Coastline Hazard Policy is but one of a range of Government policies and initiatives relating to the coastal zone. Many of these are outlined in the NSW Coast: Government Policy. Decisions regarding the management of coastline hazards must be consideredin relation to all these policies and initiatives. In applying the Coastline Hazard Policy...