Types of motions as proposed in the Dutch House of Representatives

This exploratory study provides an answer to the question what a coalition agreement means for negotiation by political parties in the House and what consequences this has for the motions submitted. Motions on environmental and immigration policy are compared at the time of two different governments. Based on the coalition agreements we estimate how much space for negotiation with regard to both issues and both periods is available. On that basis predictions are made regarding the numbers of submitted and passed motions. Moreover, a new classification is introduced in order to be able to group motions based on the intended purpose. Also predictions are made about this. The results show that, in line with expectations, fewer motions are proposed on issues where the negotiation space is limited, but this effect is not significant. However, there are significant findings with regard to motions that have passed. Where negotiation space is smaller, fewer motions pass than with respect to topics where the negotiation space is greater. As regards the different types of motions, the research gives unexpected, but interesting, results.     

Reliability of registrations: a feasibility study into registration of occupational and educational titles in hospitals

Some results of an investigation are presented in which answers on some basic variables (occupation and education) are registered in several ways. The variables were measured in a setting in which the registration was to occur as fast as possible. All registrations went by using a computer. The registrations were checked a few weeks afterwards. This gives information about the reliability of the registrations. About 70% of those having a job reported the same occupation during the registration and the check. For educational level the same answer was given in about 80% of the cases. People not in the labour process reported both times nearly identical. Typing the labels resembles most the way employees at registration desks work. Choosing, however, from a list gives more reliable results. Causes of differences in assignments are discussed, and recommendations for improvement are given.     

The performance of a knowledge-based system for converting occupational classifications

In (mobility) research a lot of attention is given to models that are used. There is hardly attention for the way data are assigned to the categories as used in the comparisons. Assigning by human coders might cause a lot of errors. This is shown by the results of an experiment. As a first step to solve this problem, a knowledge-based system should be used to perform the conversion of the data. Some conversions in an existing system are investigated.     

Some views on agreement to be used in content analysis studies

In content analysis studies texts might be coded three times or more, certainly in the training part. With respect to reliability several views on agreement can be used now, as these are found in the literature. These views are presented, and this is followed by a discussion resulting in the opinion that in research only one view, that of mean pairwise agreement, should be used.     

From father to son and from father to daughter: educational mobility in Hungary and the Netherlands for the birth cohorts from 1925 to 1955

In this article we are concerned with the comparison of educational mobility in Hungary and the Netherlands. The analysis is based on representative samples of 1981/2 and applies for both father-son and father-daughter educational mobility specified for four age cohorts. Two different theoretical perspectives are adopted—the industrialisation thesis and the reproduction thesis—from which the expectations for the analysis are derived. These expectations are confronted with the empirical data: firstly by means of overall mobility table measures, secondly by means' of the Hope-type log-linear analysis. The analysis shows that—contrary to the expectations from the reproduction thesis—no significant differences in circulation mobility can be detected between the two countries. Most of the differing mobility patterns are to be found in the structural component of mobility. This component can be uniform [linear] or non-uniform: the direction of the very significant differences supports the industrialisation thesis in this respect. The article ends with a discussion of the visualised effects of educational reforms that were introduced in both countries and with some suggestions for the next research steps.     

What about the leader? What should the Hungarian Prime Minister do after he lied?

This article shows how text analysis is used to investigate the role leadership characteristics (in the sense of how to behave) play in the media before and after a political leader has taken care of an event that has shocked a substantial part of the population in his country. Here this is a lie by the Hungarian Prime Minister that became public in September 2006. It turns out that after the event took place the leader has to demonstrate vision and has to keep or gain trust from the people.     

Democratic transformation in Hungary 1990–1997 a cross examination

This paper presents a cross examination of findings from a content analytic study into the ideological implications of the democratic transformation in Hungary during the first years after the transition. For example, based on rhetoric within a sample of Hungarian editorials the study provides evidence of a shift between 1990 and 1997 in depictions of political activities from ones of achievement to ones of necessity. Support for these and other findings is sought and found in International Social Survey Program data from 1990, 1996, and 2006.