Government & open data
Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau
The Netherlands Institute for Social Research examines and analyses, in its own words, the quality of life and of living together in the Netherlands and the policy government makes and implements to that end. It looks at three things: citizens’ quality of life, social cohesion among citizens, and the relationship between citizens and the state. The institute conducts independent research for all departments but falls formally under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport; under its founding decree a supervisory committee oversees the scientific quality and societal relevance of its work.
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What this source does not give you
The institute supplies neither norms nor policy: it researches, interprets and puts issues on the agenda, whether asked to or not. A finding says something about how a scheme plays out in society, not about what the law requires or what an administrative body must do. The research is moreover aggregated — it contains no case files or personal data with which to substantiate an individual matter.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the institute independent if it sits under a ministry?
- The institute describes the combination itself: it conducts independent research for all departments, but falls formally under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The safeguard lies in its founding decree, under which a supervisory committee monitors the scientific quality and societal relevance of the work. It also advises both when asked and unprompted — the latter being the practical form of that independence.
- Which themes does the institute cover?
- The site highlights six research themes: the state of the country, economic security, migration, resilience, climate, and care and support. That captures the scope well: broad societal questions on which policy from several departments bears, viewed from the perspective of citizens. Besides reports, the institute publishes news items and podcasts.
- What use is an institute report in a case file?
- As context, not as a basis. The institute identifies where policy falls short, where inequality grows and where trust in institutions declines — findings of that kind can support an argument about proportionality, about whether a scheme is workable in practice, or about actual consequences for a group. They never replace the statutory text, the policy rule or the ruling against which a case is legally tested.
- How does the institute differ from the Court of Audit?
- They study the same policy by a different yardstick. The Court of Audit tests whether central government spent the money lawfully and effectively, and is a High Council of State with powers of inspection to do so. The institute is a policy-research bureau looking at societal effect: what this policy does to quality of life, to cohesion among citizens and to their relationship with the state. A scheme can be lawfully implemented and still work out badly — which is when you need both sources.