Report providing a first impetus towards evaluating the effectiveness of the funding (Versterkingsgelden) that the central government of the Netherlands annually allocates to selected Dutch municipalities (2020-2021), intensifying local preventive measures aimed at combating and weakening extremist movements, preventing new recruitment, and countering radicalisation, (violent) extremism and terrorism where these issues are most prevalent.
Een eerste evaluatie van de gemeentelijke Versterkingsgelden 2020-2021 [A first evaluation of municipal Reinforcement Funds 2020-2021]
ResearchPublished Dec 15, 2022
Note: This report and its supporting documentation are in Dutch. An English-language summary is available.
Every year, the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) of the Netherlands allocates so-called 'Reinforcement Funds' (Versterkingsgelden) to selected Dutch municipalities in support of their activities aimed at combating and weakening extremist movements, preventing new recruitment into such movements, and countering radicalisation. By intensifying preventive measures in combating radicalisation, (violent) extremism and terrorism in those municipalities where these issues are most prevalent, the Dutch government aims to strengthen local efforts in a targeted way and where it is most needed. RAND Europe was commissioned by the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security to conduct a first evaluation of the expected impacts, the implementation and the realised outputs and outcomes of the activities funded through the Reinforcement Funds in 2020 and 2021. The findings and conclusions of this evaluation are aggregated at the level of five clusters in which municipalities could apply for funding. General lessons are drawn about municipal approaches to countering radicalisation. In addition to providing a first impetus towards evaluating the effectiveness of the activities funded with the Reinforcement Funds, this report also calls for and provides directions for more systematic impact research in this area in the future.
Robust impact evaluations in the field of radicalisation and violent extremism are scarce both in the Netherlands and abroad. Achieving a more evidence-based local approach to radicalisation in the Netherlands requires objectives and intended impacts to be better formulated. There is also a need to better explain how objectives and impacts can be achieved through the deployment of activities, for example by using an intervention logic. Preferably, this should include a clear (evidence-based) policy theory and reference to proven effective interventions in the Netherlands or abroad. Based on this intervention logic, performance indicators can be identified to help monitor the progress and the results of the activities. It is necessary for this information to be collected systematically to achieve a better understanding and a comprehensive overview of the outputs and outcomes of the activities funded with the Reinforcement Funds.
The research described in this report was prepared for Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum (WODC) and conducted by RAND Europe.
This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
