Projects

Scholars of the Wageningen Centre of Governance are involved in many projects. An impression of the projects we do:

Evaluating decision making megastables (PAP)

What is the future of industrial farming in the Netherlands? Some agricultural entrepreneurs envision agriculture systems of areas with large compact companies with closed production systems. Others want to maintain efficient family farms scattered throughout the landscape. In this project we have analysed how these two desired developments crashed in a the decision making process on local level. The research question read: how should a local community council respond to highly sensitive policy issue, without loosing citizens’ trust? Learning was central in this case study. Learn more about this project here.

Evaluating private partnerships and the making of new environmental law (LAW)

What is the legitimacy of private forms of governance (round tables) directed at regulation of sustainable production soy or palm oil if and when (a) state actors are not involved in the making and enforcement of norms (b) small producers and social NGOs are underrepresented. What can be the effectiveness of these private forms of governance if and when (a) issues of representation are weakly addressed and (b) actual changes of modes of production hardly take place or on a very modest scale. How can an international NGO act as a governor in and of round tables to increase legitimacy and effectiveness of this round table.

Monitoring the Common Agriculture Policy Debate (PAP)

Improving the responsiveness of European policies is always a complex puzzle. In this project we analyzed how stakeholders experience the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The policy network consisted of a dense and rather closed network of actors (policymakers, experts, consultants, lobbyists) who have been structuring the EU policy domains for years. They used similar notions, had institutionalized patterns of interaction and they did not change much. Consequently improving responsiveness and making a transition towards broader supported EU policies turned out to be difficult. The report of this project can be downloaded here.