13.02 PD Mensbeelden

Aim of the Project

Insights from the social and behavioural sciences can be used more effectively to inform governmental policy making, creating policies that better align with citizens’ views and behaviour. This postdoc project aims to bridge the gap between science and society by setting up a collaboration between the Sustainable Cooperation gravitation programme (SCOOP) and The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). 

The goals of this postdoc project are as follows:

1. To synthesize research of both institutes to connect insights about mechanisms on human behaviour and behavioural change to policy analyses and research from the SCP
2. To develop lines of collaborative research between the two institutes, either by sharing knowledge, combining and analysing existing data in novel ways, or developing new research questions together.
3. To create a network of researchers from both institutes with similar interests and organise meetings with policy makers to share insights between parties

Theoretical background

The SCOOP program and SCP share a common goal: informing public policy with social scientific research by connecting interdisciplinary research to societal challenges. The mission of the SCP is to contribute to a society where the wellbeing of citizens and social cohesion between citizens are high, by providing knowledge on the quality of society. This mission results in a multitude of research lines, broadly categorized into three themes: quality of living, social cohesion and the relation between citizens and the government. These themes are primarily studied by integrating different meso- and macro-level perspectives from sociology, political science, public administration and anthropology, and using multiple methodologies, such as survey research, focus-groups, qualitative analyses and statistical forecasting, as well. Research at SCP is always connected to stakeholders in society, such as policy-makers, local government officials, knowledge institutes and professionals. 

The collaboration between SCOOP and the SCP is designed to provide more impact and societal value for the research and knowledge produced by the SCOOP program, by connecting it to relevant policy domains studied by SCP. From the SCP perspective, SCOOP research can enrich existing work by providing more knowledge on the micro-level mechanisms underlying the macro- and meso-level changes in society that are studied by SCP. Behavioural science can play a vital role in improving the efficiency and coherence of and support for public policy (European Commission, 2025). This project strives to demonstrate the added value of behavioural science to policy research and connect institutions to expand perspectives on societal challenges. 

This project utilizes key theoretical perspectives such as Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), Relative Deprivation Theory (Walker & Smith, 2002) and social-psychological theories on political polarization (Jost et al., 2022). The research conducted in this project thereby focuses on the role of social-psychological processes relevant for both individual behaviour and societal processes. We examine how the psychological concept of the group self (Ellemers, 2012) and the power of the social group (Van Zomeren & Iyer, 2009; Wright, 2010) can inform both understanding of the quality of society and improve public policy design.

Research design

Within this collaborative project, multiple lines of research have been designed to fulfil its aims. As the shared goal is to synthesize, connect, and learn from each other, the project utilises literature reviews and synthesis tools to produce insights into how existing SCOOP and SCP research can complement each other. Moreover, existing quantitative and qualitative data from the SCP is examined in secondary analysis projects to demonstrate new perspectives based on social psychological mechanisms.

Both postdoc researchers are working within the same project aims and theoretical background to conduct their research. The research by Marieke Vermue has resulted in three research lines, producing different types of output and outcomes relevant for both the SCP and SCOOP. 

1. A white paper on similarities and differences between research in universities and at governmental knowledge institutes and ways to enhance collaboration
2. A secondary quantitative analysis on social psychological mechanisms of societal discontent
3. A literature review and secondary qualitative analysis of interview data on conceptions of citizens by policy-makers and social drivers of behaviour

Additionally, dr. Vermue is involved in organizing multiple collaborative meetings between researchers from all involved organizations as well as policy makers from the Dutch national government. 

Through these three research lines, this postdoc project seeks to strengthen the role of social and behavioral science in policy-making, ensuring that insights from research translate into meaningful societal impact.

Funding

This projected is ½ funded by SCP.