On Thursday 5 December 2024, E.M. Linthorst will defend the doctoral thesis titled: ‘Customized Solutions, from Law to Kitchen Table: Chain or trap?‘.
- Promotor
- Co-promotor
- Date
- Thursday 5 Dec 2024, 10:30 - 12:00
- Type
- PhD defence
- Space
- Senate Hall
- Building
- Education Center
- Location
- Campus Woudestein
Brief summary:
Customized support is often hailed as the solution to excessive bureaucracy and the failure of system-driven approaches. The Social Support Act (Wmo 2015) even establishes customized support as a legal norm for assistance to citizens. A key element of this is the 'keukentafelgesprek' (kitchen table conversation), where citizens and professionals collaboratively assess what support is appropriate. But how realistic is this policy ideal? It implies a fundamentally different way of working, where citizens no longer can rely on defined rights, professionals lack clear access criteria, municipalities must provide integrated services with limited resources, and judges are tasked with evaluating vague norms.
This research unravels the complex dynamics behind this new approach and situates customized support within a broader institutional and organizational context. An interdisciplinary approach was chosen, combining legal, public administration, and sociological perspectives. Research methods included interviews with policy officials, street level bureaucrats, lawyers, judges, and clients, as well as ethnographic observations of kitchen table conversations and document analysis.
The results show that customized support is a contested norm. Rather than a smoothly functioning support chain, municipalities find themselves caught in a 'trap', struggling between budgetary and legal constraints. The discretionary space for professionals is limited, and citizens’ needs often go unheard due to the outsourcing of support to private providers who prioritize efficiency and cost savings over personalized care.
To shift from this trap to chain of support, adjustments are needed at multiple levels. Strengthening the position of the citizen in the kitchen table conversation, giving professionals more trust and autonomy, and rethinking the governance structure of municipalities—particularly in relation to procurement and New Public Management—are essential. Only then can truly meaningful tailored support be realized for citizens.
- More information
The public defence will begin exactly at 10.30 hrs. The doors will be closed once the public defence starts, latecomers may be able to watch on the screen outside. There is no possibility of entrance during the first part of the ceremony. Due to the solemn nature of the ceremony, children under the age of 6 are not allowed during the first part of the ceremony.
