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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

You can find the full research note here: plc-journal.eu/article/view... Want to submit a research note of your own? Check out our author guidelines here: plc-journal.eu/authorinstru... #parliamentarycommittees #roletheory #issuecompetition #belgianpolitics

plc-journal.eu

Role-Switching and Thematic Reallocation in Belgian Parliamentary Committees: A Longitudinal Research Note | Politics of the Low Countries

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

✍ A shift in role stresses parties’ need to both adjust to the competitive situation in which they find themselves (be that the coalition’s need for stability and internal harmony, or the opposition vote-seeking behaviour) and maintain ownership over the issues they are most closely connected to.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

📣 Role adaptation to accommodate the shift from government to opposition party functions as a “selective amplification”, as the effect is most visible when it matches party issue ownership, adversarial incentives and committee opportunity structures.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This question forms the basis of Vittorio Poppe’s longitudinal research note ‘Role-Switching and Thematic Reallocation in Belgian Parliamentary Committees’, out now! Relying on an analysis of francophone parties’ interventions in Belgian federal Interior and Justice committees, he shows that:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

❓ Do parties change what they discuss when they are in government versus when they belong to the opposition? ❓

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

You can find the full article here: plc-journal.eu/article/view... Interested in more article from our covid special issue? Click here: plc-journal.eu/issue/view/1... #covid19 #minoritygoverment #crisisresponse #opposition

plc-journal.eu

Opposition in Times of COVID-19: To Support or Not to Support? | Politics of the Low Countries

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

✊ Parties within the mainstream opposition balanced support and criticism as they saw opportunities for political gain and vote-seeking behaviour, whereas challenger parties were more deliberately opposing the government in line with their usual political style.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

👀 Opposition parties accommodated the government’s crisis response to the pandemic in different ways. The mainstream socialist opposition parties supported the government to take necessary measures against the virus as matter of national solidarity, whilst at the same time keeping a “watchful eye”.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Back in 2021, we published an article by @brittvandewalle.bsky.social, Wouter Wolfs and @stevenvanhecke.bsky.social (@io-pgi-kuleuven.bsky.social) on the dynamics of opposition/government relations in times of the corona crisis. They found that:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

😷 Seeing as the Dutch parliamentary inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic concluded its final hearings a few weeks ago, we here at Politics of the Low Countries figured it was a good idea to shed the light on our very own special issue on politics in pandemic times one final time. 😷

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

💡 In short, Gramsci’s work not only connects to many existing criticisms of Lijphart, it also provides several additional relevant concepts to help us better understand political conflict.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🙋 A Gramscian approach allows politics to not only be studied from the perspective of accommodating mainstream parties, but also creates space for an analysis of the viewpoints of marginalised or subordinated social groups seeking emancipation.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🔍 Whereas consociationalist analyses tend to focus on accommodative practices or downplay socio-political struggles and stalemates, the use of a Gramscian lens can increase attentivity to ideological, cultural and social factors that can impact both political stability and change.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

@joukehuijzer.bsky.social (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) develops a Gramscian lens to answer this question, accounting not only for situations of relative stability, but also factors that underline recent political and ideological shifts. Comparing the works of Gramsci and Lijphart, he finds that:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🤔 Do the Netherlands and Belgium still pass as consociational democracies? 🤔

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Our special issue on local politics is guest edited by Kristof Steyvers (Centre for Local Politics, UGent) and Julien van Ostaaijen (@tilburguniversity.bsky.social) and published by Radboud University Press! #mayor #localpolitics #democraticinnovation #leadership

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

📒 Municipal councils actively rely on population surveys to account for citizens’ expectations. Most vacancy profiles explicitly reference citizens’ input, be that through direct quotes or otherwise. Full version: plc-journal.eu/article/view... Full special issue: plc-journal.eu/issue/view/1...

plc-journal.eu

Are citizens looking for alternatives to bridging-and-bonding leadership? A secondary analysis of 38 population surveys and their impact on profiles for the Dutch mayoralty | Politics of the...

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🤝 Around six out of ten citizens expect a mayor to be closely connected to their community. Mayors are expected to be a ‘father or mother’ type of characters, who are emotionally expressive and relatively informal in their communication style.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🤔 Expectations of mayors differ greatly between citizens. When it comes to leadership style, for example, 45% of citizens prefer their mayor to be a stable factor, whereas 48% stress the need for someone who is more future-oriented in their approach.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

In it, Sabine van Zuydam, Niels Karsten and Marjolijn van Zonneveld dive into Dutch citizens’ expectations of their mayors, and their impact on the drafting of desired profiles in the mayoral selection procedures. Analysing population surveys conducted by 38 municipalities, they find that:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🌟 SPECIAL ISSUE ALERT 🌟 We are happy to showcase the latest publication from our special issue on local politics.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

✍ Parties are more likely to keep a debate on the parliamentary agenda if it focuses on an issue from their manifestoes! 🔦 Larger parties are more likely to cancel their debates. For smaller ones, minority debates can be valuable in increasing attention for them or the issues they advocate for.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

📣 Anti-elitist parties are more likely to keep their minority debates on the agenda. Shares of held minority debates increase from 17% for non-populist parties to 33% for populist ones. The latter can use debates to criticise the government/voice opposition, instead of create policy support.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In their article, @simonotjes.bsky.social (@polscileiden.bsky.social) and Roy Doedens investigate when political party groups choose to cancel/maintain minority debates (30/150 MPs needed) in the Dutch House of Representatives. Their article teaches us that:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Very soon, we will be back with some exciting new publications for our 2026 issue and our special issue on local democracy! But first, let’s take one final look at a classic from our vol. 3. no. 3 edition from way back in 2021.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🗓️ Why do political parties sometimes plan a parliamentary debate, only to end up cancelling it? 🗓️

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🔎 Contrary to previous studies, no evidence was found to support the role of education as a moderating influence on this relationship between political opinion congruence and trust in parliament.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🤏 The effect, however, is smaller than for example that of having previously voted for a winning political party or having high political interest. Changes in policy opinion congruence have a smaller effect on trust than changes in those two variables.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Join us and learn that: 📈 Congruence between the political opinion of citizens and legislators leads to higher levels of trust in parliament. This effect persists even among citizens who declare to have zero interest in politics.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

This question formed the basis of a 2021 article by Awenig Marié (@sciencepoulb.bsky.social) and David Talukder (VUB). They discovered that Belgian citizens whose policy preferences are more closely aligned with those of their political representatives had higher levels of trust in parliament.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

❓ Do citizens with a lower level of political representation evaluate political actors more negatively? ❓

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

⚖️ At the same time, there is no indication that MPs at the top of their parliamentary party group’s list are disproportionately more likely to be assigned to committees that are more salient than those further down the line. The same goes for ideological closeness or parliamentary seniority.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

🤹 Skills and experience matter! MPs with prior experience in relevant areas are more likely to be assigned to a specific committee. The odds of being reassigned, too, are greater for those who served during the previous legislative period, allowing them to develop their roles of issue experts.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Join us as we take another close look at the article ‘The Determinants of Committee Membership in Belgium and the Netherlands’ by Tim Mickler (@polscileiden.bsky.social). Originally published in 2021, it remains a frequently visited article. This overview of the key findings might tell you why:

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

👋 Are you interested in learning which factors explain the membership of MPs of specialised committees of the Dutch and Belgian chambers of representatives? 👋

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Our special issue on local politics is guest edited by Kristof Steyvers (Centre for Local Politics, UGent) and Julien van Ostaaijen (@tilburguniversity.bsky.social)

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Curious to lean more? You can find the full article here: plc-journal.eu/article/view... Or check out the rest of our special issue here: plc-journal.eu/issue/view/1...

plc-journal.eu

How should local councillors fulfil their representative role? A qualitative exploration of citizens’ and councillors’ expectations | Politics of the Low Countries

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

🤝 At the same, citizens value honesty, accountability and approachability from their local representatives. Local councillors are expected to engage with citizens in their municipality, to be visible, and to talk and listen to people, for example during neighbourhood visits.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

🤏 Citizens tend to have low or even no clear expectations of the roles of their local councillors. This is not only based on a lack of familiarity or trust, but also the idea that local politicians hold only a small amount of power when compared to those at the national/European level.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Taking a qualitative approach and focusing on the Dutch municipal level, they note that: 🗣️ Local councillors’ expectations of their roles usually followed the traditional trustee and party delegate roles, combined with newer roles such as ombuds politician or watchdog.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

In this article, Hans Vollaard (@utrechtuniversity.bsky.social), Marianne van Bochove (THUAS), Hans Moors (EMMA), Marjolein Teunissen and Barbara Vis take a closer look at citizens’ and local councillors’ expectations of the latter group’s representative roles.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

🌟 SPECIAL ISSUE ALERT 🌟 Out now: the latest article from our special issue on local politics!

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

🗣️ Increased strength of regionalist parties leads to more intergroup recognition and not less. Regionalist parties themselves do not show an increase in intergroup references themselves, yet their presence may stimulate other parties to more actively refer to those across the linguistic divide.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

🤝 Politicians belonging to the same party family, but different linguistic groups, do not always govern together and thus might have more reasons to refer to each other, for example when one half is in government and the other is not. This may explain a rise in intergroup references since 2007.

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Politics of the Low Countries @plc-journal.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

⛓️‍💥 Linguistic intergroup references are less common than intragroup references, supporting the idea that political elites are usually more oriented towards their own linguistic community than the population as a whole.

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