IMPLEMENTACION DEL SERVICIO DE DIFUSION DE BIBLIOGRAFIAS ELECTRONICAS EN LA BIBLIOTECA DEL AREA DE LA SALUD

All the political parties have implemented EO policies or had EO diversity policy plans in the investigated period. Often the implemented EO policies by the different political parties were very similar regarding their selection procedures. Competency profiles or competency tests in the candidacy selection procedure for certain positions in the party, in which all candidates were evaluated solely based on their qualities and match with the profile, are implemented by the PvdA, CDA and VVD (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 8 & 36 & 44, 2012: 11) (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 14 & 44-45 & 51 & 59 & 65 & 72) (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 61, 2012: 47- 48, 2014: 57).

Another EO policy that is implemented by the three investigated political parties, regarding the selection procedures, is the use of resumes to see what candidates are available and fit a certain position in the party (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 38) (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 59 & 68 & 72) (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 68, 2012: 49, 2014: 53). Qualities, merit and working experience are the main attributes of a resume. Because the political parties claim that people are recruited based on their resume, it can be assumed that the political parties recruit people solely based on their qualities, merit and working experience.

All political parties also make use of a database for all the resumes and potential candidates to prevent that potential candidates are overlooked. In this way, all potential candidates can be considered more efficiently. It gives the party a good overview of the potential candidates (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 38) (VVD Jaarverslag, 2012: 24, 2014: 36) (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 68, 2012: 49, 2014: 53). Because of the implementation of the database, all potential candidates have an equal chance to be considered for a position. This can therefore be considered an EO policy. Although, it has to be stated that efficiency might have been the main goal of this policy instead of creating equal opportunity for all potential candidates.

Further, all political parties have in common that they offer talents education programs and courses to develop their talents to possibly fill in a position in the party that the talents

have ambition for (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 19 & 39, 2014: 9) (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 11 & 13, 2012: 23-25, 2014: 35 & 39-40) (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 61, 2012: 47-48 & 53, 2014: 56-57). The CDA mentions the usefulness of competency profiles for this. These profiles show talents what competencies they have to gain in order to fit the position, which they have ambition for (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 61).

In the annual reports of the VVD and CDA it became clear that applicants for these education programs have to undergo a selection procedure, consisting out of interviews and evaluations, based on talent assessment (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 13, 2012: 24, 2014: 36) (CDA Jaarverslag, 2012: 53, 2014: 56).

The PvdA and VVD also have education programs, which are specifically aimed at ‘high potentials’ or top talents. These great political talents are educated to fill in important political or administrative position within the party (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 39, 2014: 9) (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 13, 2012: 25, 2014: 39-40).

The selection procedures and competency profiles of the political parties, for both positions in the party as in their education programs can be considered EO policies, because these procedures and profiles give the political party a framework, in which all candidates are evaluated and considered in an equal manner. This gives every candidate an equal opportunity to get a position in the party or in their education programs.

Other policies that can be considered EO policies are the networking policies of the investigated political parties. The political parties created networks based on knowledge and expertise within and outside the political party. All the experts or members that are involved in the networks by the party, are solely asked to exchange or retrieve information based on their expertise, and their willingness to participate in the network. All people with this expertise and the willingness to contribute to a certain political party have an equal

opportunity to do so. These networks are not based on ethnic backgrounds and are accessible for people with all backgrounds.

The PvdA implemented this type of networking policy to specifically ask people with certain types of expertise within the PvdA to research, debate or be part of meetings on several subjects. The expertise on subjects was the main criterion for the PvdA to involve people in their organization and these experts were assigned tasks that involve research, debates or meetings (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 35 & 55 & 58-59, 2012: 12). The PvdA was trying to increase the effectiveness of these networks to be more successful with

accessing and recruiting these talented groups (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2012: 12). This displays a certain focus of the PvdA on expertise of their members and not on their backgrounds.

The VVD also makes use of networks to benefit the party. The VVD stated that the party committees make use of networks of experts in and outside the party to make these experts’ knowledge available in an efficient and proactive way (VVD Jaarverslag, 2012: 15, 2014: 24). A specific example of this is the committee that was initiated by the board to see how the organizational structure of the party should look like in the future. This committee used research, expert interviews and conversations with people from within or outside the party to come with new ideas (VVD Jaarverslag, 2014: 28).

Besides the party committees, the VVD also worked with theme-based expert-groups. The goal of these experts-groups was to create more focus and depth on certain subjects. These experts could also be requested by members involved in the Second Chamber to give their insight on current political issues (VVD Jaarverslag, 2007: 61, 2014: 26). The exchange of information and insight between these expert-groups and Second Chamber members also shows the use of networking within the party.

Networks became a bigger part of the organization of the VVD during time.

A network that was very valuable for the VVD was its network with the entrepreneurs. This network existed out of entrepreneurs, politicians, coaches and advisors (VVD Jaarverslag: 2007: 19). What the VVD valued of the entrepreneurs was their capability to develop and improve the country by means of innovation (VVD Jaarverslag, 2012: 17).

Other networks that were established, because they could be profitable to the organization of the VVD, were the Liberal Public network, the Senior network and the Liberaal Netwerk Maatschappelijk Middenveld (LiMM, Liberal Network Civil Society). These networks were used for the exchange of knowledge and expertise. The Liberal Public network was the civil servant network of the VVD. The goal of this network was to enhance the relationship between the VVD and the civil servants. Other goals were also mentioned, such as getting insight in the expertise of the civil servants and having this expertise available for the party and stimulating exchanges of ideas between the VVD and civil servants. The Senior Network was used to utilize the talents within this party for within and outside the party and to share their knowledge and capabilities with members of the party (VVD

Jaarverslag, 2012: 17, 2014: 29). The Liberaal Netwerk Maatschappelijk Middenveld (LiMM, Liberal Network Civil Society) consisted of liberal professionals and administrators in civil society. The skills and knowledge of the professionals and administrators were used to spread liberalism in civil society (VVD Jaarverslag, 2014: 30).

The CDA also made use of networks within the party. To involve people with

Kleurrijk network, a think-tank was created to help the network formulate standpoints, which the network wanted to spread and stood behind. The selection of persons for the think-tank were based on their expertise. People that were experts in the field of diversity, law and religion, were selected for this think-tank (CDA Jaarverslag, 2012: 17, 2014: 17).

Another way to involve experts in the party is the use of networks outside the party. According to the CDA, the importance of networks was increasing, because more and more often the CDA-fraction searched for people with specific knowledge outside the fraction to aid them in creating policy developments and clear standpoints (CDA Jaarverslag, 2007: 71).

Besides selection procedures and networks policies based on competencies,

knowledge and talent, EO policies specifically aimed at ethnic minorities were also observed in the annual reports. The board of the PvdA created a committee, which besides other tasks, had to pay extra attention to the presence of different minority groups among PvdA aldermen (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 36). Monitoring the ethnic diversity among the alderman can be considered an EO policy, because this will create equal opportunities for people with ethnic minority backgrounds to become an alderman. This committee monitoring the diversity among aldermen prevents that ethnic minorities are deliberately excluded in the selection procedure for aldermen.

Further, the congress of the PvdA asked a committee to investigate a way to guarantee that minority groups are represented in the Second and First Chamber, in which the focus lies on emancipation (PvdA Jaarverslag, 2005-2007: 22). Policy focused on emancipation will be focused on equal treatment and equal opportunity, which indicates an EO policy. However, possible EO policies were still investigated, which means this is only an indication of an EO policy.

The CDA also shows EO policies in their annual reports that are not solely focused on competencies and talent, but also on ethnicity. A diversity policy plan of the chairman of the network CDA Kleurrijk, was to put candidates with ethnic minority backgrounds higher on the candidates list for the Second Chamber. The opinion of the chairman was that this list was formed in such a way that the candidates with ethnic minority backgrounds did not have an equal chance to be elected, in comparison to other candidates on the list from the dominant group (CDA Jaarverslag, 2012: 18). By putting candidates with ethnic minority backgrounds higher on the candidates list, these candidates have a more equal opportunity to get a seat in the Second Chamber. The chairman did not state that he wanted to increase the diversity of the list. He just wanted more equal opportunity for the candidates with ethnic minority backgrounds.