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Published in 1998, this is an edited volume of papers on the theme of participation and citizenship for women. It focuses particularly on the necessary conditions for full participation of women as citizens within a modern liberal democracy. For this question it takes the Netherlands as an interesting case study, because it shows the need for a close connection between social and political participation. The editors aim to draw together often separate discussions about citizenship in international literature - a political-theoretical discussion of democracy and a social-policy discussion on the welfare state. The papers address issues including the labour market, public goods, welfare laws, affirmative action programmes and future development for girls. The book also develops the interrelation of social and political participation from the perspective of citizenship. It relates information on the Dutch case study to international comparative research on democracy and welfare states, as well as to broader international discussions on gender and citizenship.

This article on small-scale alluvial gold mining in Bolivia shows how cultural practices, social patterns, and institutions, policies and politics are connected to technologies, physical environments, infrastructure, and landscapes. It presents a detailed description of the techniques, material makeup, work organization, social organization, and the regional and national political setting of alluvial small-scale gold mining in northern Bolivia, and argues for an analytical approach that acknowledges the interlinking of sociocultural and physical dimensions. To do so, the article is built of scale-ascending sections: Starting with a detailed description of the micro-operations on the pontoons on which the work takes place, followed by a theoretical exploration of the idea of sociomaterial entanglements, the argument proceeds to address the relations between the “inhabitants” of the pontoons and the nearby village that is their home, the miners’ organization (a cooperative), and the more macro setting in which this cooperative developed. The titles of the sections therefore allude to increasingly large scales. The closing section merges the various scales and summarizes the argument.

To close the gap between existing country pledges and the necessary ambition level to limit anthropogenic climate change to not more than 2°C average global temperature increase above pre-industrial levels, decision makers from both the public and private domain have started to explore a number of complementary approaches to the top-down targets-and-timetables approach of international climate change policy. Referred to as International Cooperative Initiatives (ICI), these governance arrangements are now also officially acknowledged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. While proponents see ICIs as important bridging devices towards more ambitious climate policy, in particular up to 2020, critical observers note that the voluntary nature of ICIs makes it difficult to assess their contribution to climate change mitigation. This article scrutinizes the potential of ICIs to meaningfully contribute to closing the emissions gap along the criteria of effectiveness, legitimacy and institutional fit. As means of illustration, the analytical framework is applied to a random sample of nine ICIs (out of a total of 45 listed on the UNFCCC Secretariat's website). We find that while potential technical effectiveness is high, legitimacy and institutional fit should be improved with a view towards integrating ICIs into the emerging post-2015 climate governance architecture.

We examine the extent of emotional and social loneliness among older people and how the evaluation of the functioning and quality of marriages plays a role. Data on 755 respondents aged 64–92 are taken from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (Wave 2001–2002). Hierarchical negative binomial regression analysis is used. Between 1 in 4 and 5 older adults who are married exhibit moderate or strong emotional or social loneliness. Stronger emotional and social loneliness is observed in adults whose spouse has health problems, who do not often receive emotional support from the spouse, who have nonfrequent conversations or are in disagreement, or who evaluate their current sex life as not (very) pleasant or not applicable. Emotional loneliness is stronger among women in second marriages, whereas marked social loneliness is especially characteristic of older men with disabled spouses. Moreover, smaller social networks and less contact with children also increase emotional and social loneliness in later life. Differentiating marital quality and gender provides greater insight into emotional and social loneliness in married older people. Key words: Loneliness: emotional loneliness; social loneliness; marriage; marriage quality

With ageing, older people can become frail, and this has been shown to be associated with a decrease in well-being. Observational studies provide evidence of a positive effect of coping resources on well-being. The question is: can coping resources be improved in vulnerable older people? The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is a target group-specific intervention which aims to promote the self-management of older people who are confronted with deteriorating health. The aim of this study was to review intervention studies focusing on the CDSMP and to draw conclusions on the benefits of the program. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and PsychINFO to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on the CDSMP. Nine RCTs focusing on relatively young older adults, 75% of whom with an average age between 49 and 65 years, were included. We found that the CDSMP was consistently beneficial for Health behaviour, especially with regard to the variables of exercise and self-care. For Health status, the majority of studies only showed improvement in the domain of health distress. Most of the studies that investigated Self-efficacy showed convincing improvement in self-efficacy, cognitive symptom management and mental stress management. In Health care utilization, there was no significant decrease. On the whole, the studies showed that CDSMP led to an increase in physical exercise, a decrease in health distress, an improvement in self-care, and it had a beneficial effect on self-efficacy. © 2009 The Author(s).

Objectives: Research in older persons with deteriorative health shows a decrease in well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the role of psychological coping resources in the association between health decline and well-being, in a longitudinal design. Method: Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). Health decline was defined as persistent deterioration of functioning (PDF), persistent decline in cognitive functioning and/or physical functioning, and/or increase of chronic diseases. Measurements of well-being included life satisfaction and positive affect. Measurements of coping resources included self-esteem, mastery, and self-efficacy. Results: Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that self-efficacy, mastery, and self-esteem mediated the association between PDF and change in well-being. Mastery also was a moderator of the association between PDF and life satisfaction. In older persons with a decreasing mastery, PDF was associated with a significant decrease on life satisfaction; this effect was not observed in older persons with stable or increasing mastery. Discussion: This study suggests that coping resources are of importance in explaining associations between persistent health decline and decreasing well-being. Stable or improving mastery even proves to protect older persons with PDF from decreasing well-being.Therefore, it may be of importance to develop interventions for older persons aimed at maintaining or improving psychological coping resources when health declines.

Background: This study examined the associations of (combinations of) social roles (employee, partner and parent) with the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders and whether social roles contribute to the explanation of the female preponderance in these disorders. Method: This was a cross-sectional study using data from 3857 respondents aged 25-55 of NEMESIS (Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study). Depression and anxiety disorders were measured using the CIDI 1.1. Results: The OR of depressive disorders and anxiety disorders among women compared to men was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.40-2.10). Among both genders, the partner role was associated with decreased risks of depression and anxiety and the parent role was not. The work role was a significant protective factor of depression and anxiety for men (OR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.24-0.69) but not for women (OR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.66-1.12). The effect of the work role was positive among women without children (OR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14-0.54), but not among those with children (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.75-1.35). The gender risk for depression and anxiety decreased significantly by adding the work role variables into the model. Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study. This study did not give insight into the quality of social roles. Conclusion: The work role contributed to the explanation of the female preponderance in depression and anxiety disorders. Considering depression and anxiety among women, a focus upon quality and meaning of the work role, and barriers in combining the work role and parent role may be essential. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PurposeThis paper seeks to evaluate future studies in order to improve futures research.Design/methodology/approachCase studies were researched.FindingsThe current study of the future carried out by the Dutch Innovation Platform (responsible for innovation policy) resembles an old‐fashioned utopism whereas a study conducted in 1977 by the Dutch Council for Government Policy yields very interesting results.Research limitations/implicationsOnly two case studies have been researched.Practical implicationsLessons learned or the evaluation of former studies of the future can be very interesting and supportive but one must be aware that they are not golden rules for doing futures research in the future itself.Originality/valueAlthough futures researchers often look back at other studies of the future it remains an important activity in improving futures research.

This study examines the impact of feminist pressure and European Union (EU) policies on national policy changes, such as the introduction or extension of public childcare provision, parental leave, and part-time work legislation. We compared six countries on the basis of Qualitative Comparative Analysis and found that women's political pressure, especially through national equality machinery, is a prerequisite for the emergence and extension of social-care policies. Sequence analysis showed that national machineries are crucial in translating EU measures into national policies.

In 1992, the European Union (EU) adopted the Recommendation on Childcare and became involved in childcare policy. For the first time, care services and domestic care were acknowledged as the common responsibility of all the European and national political units. The article shows the interaction between childcare policy at the European level and in three welfare states with strong male breadwinner policy logics: Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK). At the European and national levels, arguments prioritizing economic efficiency and equal opportunities gained ground at the expense of arguments prioritizing the well-being of children. Formerly male breadwinner states reached a consensus on the policy goal of shared responsibility for caregiving by emphasizing common economic interests and the principle of equal opportunities while still allowing for nation variability in how this policy goal will be carried out. © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

This article investigates how the arena of fashion, as an example of consumption culture, has been an important locus of female individualization. Individualization is defined in a Foucauldian manner as the process by which human beings are channelled into individuals. From the mid-19th century onwards, the subject of 'individualization' has been a central theme in sociological, historical and anthropological thought. It is striking how, even now, leading commentators are addressing the issue in gender-blind terms. Feminist scholars have therefore criticized the mainstream debate about individualization, arguing that women have been excluded from the western development of individualization. This article will sustain the point of view that while women have been banned from 'masculine' processes of individualization, they have at the same time been involved in many 'other' - often trivialized - developments of individualization. Modern phenomena such as consumption culture and fashion are examined as important arenas of female individualization. The argument is supported by an analysis of Dutch fashion magazines at the turn of the 19th century (1880-1920). The analysis highlights how the editorials taught women to conceive of themselves as 'modern' individuals free to choose and be aware of themselves as unique and self-determining persons. Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications.

This article considers whether the development of European rights for workers implies a European social citizenship. It analyses the debate during the preparation and adoption of the EU Directive on part-time work in 1997, which guarantees part-time workers (who are primarily women) the same pay and working conditions as full-time workers. Was the concept of social citizenship discussed during its preparation and adoption? What kind of gender equality was involved: are women granted equal access to the European market or equal outcomes? We conclude that the Directive involves industrial rather thansocial citizenship, but ideals of social citizenship were nevertheless at stake during its preparation.

The individualization of risk is alleged to have generated a rise in flexible and insecure forms of non-standard employment, which in turn create 'new inequalities and insecurities' that permeate all social groups. Using longitudinal data from the Canadian Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (1993-98), this study empirically assesses this claim by examining the levels of insecurity, composition and voluntary nature of jobs with irregular work times. The institutional structures of the individualist employment and liberal welfare regimes and education system are considered as important filters. Findings demonstrate that we have not entered a 'post-class' society, but that established inequality structures of social class, gender, and minority status persist. Jobs with irregular shifts have an internal hierarchy that produce different levels of economic, employment relation and social integration insecurity. The majority of youth in these jobs face higher insecurity and view non-standard shifts as involuntary, supporting the notion that risk is increasingly shifted from the state or firm to the individual. The broader implications for social life are then considered followed by the discussion of whether these are 'stop-gap' jobs or the creation of a 'precarious proletariat'. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

We analyse data from personnel records of a large firm producing energy and telecommunication and test for the effect of deviations between required and attained education of workers. Required education is measured as hiring standards set by the firm. We find the usual effects of over- and undereducation in a wage regression, thus rejecting the argument that such effects are exclusively due to firm fixed effects. Distinguishing, within the firm, between a sheltered internal labour market and an exposed external labour market, we find that at the internal labour market over- and undereducation significantly affect career development, in particular at younger ages, but that such effects are mostly absent at the firm's external labour market. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Y2K study assumed that ideas about the future among the young generation might tell something about the direction of that future, since it would be increasingly in charge. The respondents in 1967 tended to hope for more equality (classes, genders, nations, races) but were pessimistic in their predictions, though extreme nationalism and xenophobia were not really on the map yet. The article then reviews or presents recent studies on attitudes to various categories of immigrants and forms of integration. Differences relate to the country the study was made in (the Netherlands most positive) and the category of immigrants one asks about :'Asylum seekers' seen negatively and 'illegal immigrants' even more so. The youngest respondents are generally most positive, or least negative; this may indicate that intolerance and racism is again on its way out after a period of growth. The future that may be foreseen on the basis of this lies somewhere between the multiculturalism some hope for and the integration by sheer assimilation that others demand. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Everybody agrees that peace is good, but not on how to achieve it. The Y2K study contained many questions on peace proposals, as well as on prospects for East/West and North/South peace. It ranked these proposals by popularity and studied how the social positions of the 1967 respondents and their countries affected what proposals were preferred and their predictions on peace or war. It now turns out that, neither centre, nor periphery got it quite right. In the former East, the people set the agenda and removed the iron curtain. In the West, however, the top dogs set the agenda, with military intervention, even called 'peace enforcement', high on it. Recent political and military developments indicate that 'peace' is likely to remain 'peace between top dogs'; there will be few advocates for putting severe conflicts and violations of human rights in the periphery (e.g. Burundi and Sudan) high on the peace agenda. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

In most strategy research the focus is on ready-made models provided by the teacher or textbook. However, in this research project the effects are described of an experimental program in primary math education, concerning the construction and use of models by pupils in guided co-construction. This field experiment with an experimental group and a control group involved 238 grade-5 pupils. In a series of experimental lessons, pupils were taught to design models as a tool in the learning of percentages. The results of the experimental program were compared with the outcomes of a program in the control group, based on the teachers' strategy of “directly providing models” to the pupils. The conclusion, then, is that children in the experimental condition significantly outperform children in the control condition.

Increasing uncertainty about economic and social developments is a definitive feature of globalization in advanced economies. However, increasing uncertainty does not impact all regions, states, organizations or individuals in the same way. There are institutional settings and social structures, historically grown and country-specific, that determine the degree to which people are affected by rising uncertainty. This paper develops a multilevel theoretical framework and summarizes the main empirical results from the first phase of the international research project GLOBALIFE. There is empirical evidence that youth in all countries are clearly exposed to more uncertainty in the course of globalization. Yet uncertainty is unequal, with risk accumulating in certain groups, generally those at the bottom. Uncertainty impacts family formation, with those in more precarious positions more likely to postpone or forgo partnership and parenthood. Youth develop rational responses to this uncertainty, which we identified in the form of diverse behavioral strategies. A notable result is that young men and women are affected and respond differently to uncertainty, resulting in an unmistakable gender-specific strategy, particularly in the male-breadwinner societies. We show overwhelming support for the expectation that nation-specific institutions serve to shield or funnel this uncertainty in unique ways and to particular groups of youth.

The interview is the most frequently used, but often disputed, method of data collection in the social sciences. Methodological research after the sources of response errors in interviews has borrowed concepts and insights from cybernetics. For example, interviewing in search of “subjective phenomena” like attitudes is conceived as a form of black box analysis. Computer models simulate response processes leading to response errors. The interview appears to be governed by a combination of open and closed loop control. Comparative research into response effects appears to be hampered by the self‐referentiality of the “survey industry”, and qualitative interviews can be viewed as social systems closely related to the autopoietic system of a conversation.

Some problems of optimal alignment procedures to measure the agreement between sequences are discussed. Hidden Markov models may be a new approach that is especially suited for grouping sequences that are more or less alike.

The objectives of this study were to ascertain the prevalence of the number and severity of vertebral deformities in elderly people and determine the extent to which these are associated with several aspects of functioning. The study was conducted in a subsample of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) consisting of 527 participants (260 men and 267 women), aged 65 years or over. Lateral radiographs of the spine (T4-L5) were made of each participant and a semiquantitative method was used to assess the number and degree of vertebral deformities. The prevalence of having at least one vertebral deformity was 39% in both men and women. Six percent of the men and 5% of the women had at least three vertebral deformities. For severe deformities, the prevalence was 8% in men and 12% in women. The number of vertebral deformities was significantly associated with a height loss of more than 5 cm, difficulties in activities of daily living, poor performance, more than 3 days in bed and more than 3 days with limited activities because of health problems in the past month, and poor self-perceived health. For most of these outcome measures, associations were strongest when three or more deformities were present. The presence of a severe deformity was associated with a height loss of more than 5 cm, poor performance, more than 3 days with limited activities in the past month, and poor self-perceived health. None of the associations between number and severity of vertebral deformities and the level of functioning was modified by sex. We can conclude that vertebral deformities are very common in both older men and older women and that vertebral deformities, even if they are not clinically manifest, have a substantial impact on the level of functioning and well-being of older people.

Item does not contain fulltext In order to promote well-being and alleviate loneliness among older women, a program was developed to help them improve existing friendships or develop new friendships. In a pilot study thirty-two participants in the program were interviewed on their friendships and loneliness at two points in time, immediately following the course and a year later. Loneliness scores were compared to those of a matched control group from a large nationally representative sample. Both groups were very lonely initially and demonstrated a significant reduction in loneliness a year later. However more women in the friendship course were successful in reducing their loneliness; these women had developed new friendships of varying degrees of closeness and had increased the complexity of their friendship networks. These changes are significantly related to the decline in loneliness. Limitations of the research design and suggestions for future studies on the friendship program are presented in the discussion. 22 p.

Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) often serves as an example and a model for an effective national anticorruption institution. It is characterized by its independence; its involvement in the public as well as the private sector; its combination of investigation, prevention, and education; and its resources. What can other countries learn from the ICAC? Expert panel data show that different countries can learn different lessons from the experiences of ICAC. No model is easily transferable; it is necessary to relate anticorruption strategies to characteristics of the countries or systems involved. For developing countries, the independence of institutions and the nonfinancial resources invested in the anticorruption struggle seem crucial. Higher-income countries can learn from ICAC's involvement in the public and private sector and the strengthening of prevention strategies.

Are there good practices of collective bargaining on equal opportunities in the Netherlands and, if so, what can we learn from them? The article answers these questions by means of extensive reference to a case-study on the Dutch contract catering sector, which has a collective agreement including detailed provisions on childcare and steps to tackle sexual harassment. Contract catering, a relatively new sector in the Netherlands, underwent rapid expansion in the nineties. The sector is characterised by a high proportion of female employees (75%), three quarters of whom are employed in a part-time capacity, and a relatively low degree of organisation. As in the rest of the Netherlands, industrial relations in this sector are strongly institutionalised and the whole process of preparation, bargaining and implementation of collective agreements takes place in a consultative body for labour and management, namely the Contract Catering Joint Committee. The attention paid to equal opportunities dates from the first bargaining round conducted in the catering sector at the end of the eighties. In that period societal attention to the topic was combined with strong economic growth in the sector and the employers'wish to attract female employees. Especially re-entering women were expected to combine the right service-directed attitude with the willingness to work flexible hours. An infrastructure of (female) experts on equal opportunities from within the trade unions activated personal involvement of some (male) negotiators in the topic. During consecutive bargaining rounds framework agreements were concluded on affirmative action, parental leave, child-care provision and sexual harassment. Especially the fact that working groups of labour and management were set up on the last two topics contributed to the relatively successful outcome in respect of these arrangements.

This article analyses the political and ideological agency of an emergent European transnational capitalist class in the socioeconomic governance of the European Union (EU) by examining the case of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT). It seeks to show that the ERT-as an elite forum mediating the interests and power of the most transnationalise d segments of European capital-has played a significant role in shaping European governance in as much as it has successfully articulated and promoted ideas and concepts thathave at critical times set the political agenda and, beyond, have helped to shape the discourse within which European policy making is embedded. Here, the increasingly neoliberal orientation of the ERT reflects, and at the same time is a constitutive element within, the construction of a new European order in which governance is geared to serve the interests of a globalising transnational capitalist elite, and hence the exigencies of global 'competitiveness'. Although in recent years some detailed work has been done on the role of the ERT in the internal market programme, there has as yet been little attention paid to (and thus interpretation of) the content of the ideas promoted by the ERT and hence to the ideological power that this forum of transnational capitalists exercises. The article is divided into four main parts. The first briefly elaborates the theoretical framework that informs my analysis. Drawing upon what has come to be labelled the 'neo-Gramscian school' in International Relations (IR), I willadvance a historical materialist understanding of the dynamics of European integration, emphasising in particular the role of transnational social forces-as engendered by the capitalist production process-in the political and ideological struggles over European order. The second part introduces the case of the European Round Table. I will claim that the ERT is neither a simple business lobby nor a corporatist interest association, but must rather be interpreted as having developed into an elite platform for an emergent European transnational capitalist class from which it can formulate a common strategy and-on the basis of that strategy-seek to shape European socioeconomic governance through its privileged access to the European institutions. It is this latter role of the ERT that will be the focus of the final two parts. As such, the third presents an analysis of the evolution of ERT's strategic project and the initiating role the Round Table played in the relaunching of the integration process from Europe 1992 to Maastricht. Following this, the fourth part will analyse the ideological orientation and strategic outlook of today's Round Table and its current role in shaping what I will call the neoliberal discourse of competitiveness which, I argue, increasingly underpins European governance.

For the urban poor, housing finance from ROSCAs (rotating savings and credit association) is an alternative to conventional housing finance, which requires conventional collateral. Contrary to conventional housing finance, the creditworthiness of ROSCA participants is determined largely by social factors. Moreover, a link exists between ROSCA participation and house (or shack) ownership. Apart from obtaining short- to medium-term ROSCA finance, participation offers security for obtaining finance from, for example, moneylenders. Notably, auction ROSCAs offer cheaper housing finance than Indian housing finance corporations. The middle classes mainly use this finance, but the poor tend to obtain more expensive finance for incremental building.

This article is a study of the daily practice of persons working in Dutch public relations, nowadays often called “communication management.” Two research projects were analyzed, focusing on the tasks and position of the communication management departments in (Dutch) companies, including the background of their heads. The first study is a quantitative, empirical description of the profession; the second is a qualitative study of labor differentiation. Although chief executive officers and authors on communication management acknowledge communication as a strategic variable within an organization, the daily practice of the communication management departments consists, reportedly, for most part of copy production and representation. Consequently, even executives with management positions function merely as “technicians.” Most of the officers interviewed acquired their professional background in other areas and come from other departments; they had no relevant training in communications, nor did they have significant knowledge of relevant theories. The position of the communication management department within the organization reflects its operational activities and (lack of) professional background. Betteke van Ruler is associate professor in Communication Science and Communication Management at the Free University of Amsterdam.

The objective of the study was to examine psychological distress in victims of elder mistreatment and to determine whether social support, coping style, mastery, and perceived self-efficacy favorably influence the psychological health of these victims. The study sample consisted of 77 subjects who reported recent chronic verbal aggression, physical aggression, or financial mistreatment, and a control group of 147 subjects who had not been mistreated. All participants were elderly persons who were over 65 years of age and living independently in the community. Social support, coping style, mastery, and perceived self-efficacy were measured by means of a standardized home interview. Psychological distress was measured by means of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Victims of elder mistreatment had significantly higher levels of psychological distress than nonvictims. Social support showed a favorable effect on the level of psychological distress in victims, but not in nonvictims; victims who received more social support showed less psychological distress. A lower sense of mastery, a negative perception of self-efficacy, and a passive reaction pattern were associated with higher levels of psychological distress in victims as well as in nonvictims. The beneficial role of social support, locus of control, and perceived self-efficacy on the level of psychological distress could be of importance in the development of future intervention programs.

In order to obtain repeated measurements of depression in an efficient and relatively inexpensive design, a mixture of face-to-face interviews and mail questionnaires was employed. The aims of the study were to examine mode effects of face-to-face interviews versus mail questionnaires on depression scores and to test potential interactions between mode of data collection and sex and age of the respondents. In the study sample, which at the outset consisted of 327 depressed and 325 non-depressed older adults (55–85 years) drawn from a larger random community based sample in the Netherlands, depression was measured in successive waves (cycles), using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression scale (CES-D). With mode of data collection and sex and age of the respondents as independent variables, differences in CES-D scores were analysed. The CES-D scores were higher when collected by mail questionnaires than when face-to-face interviews were used. No systematic interactions between sex and age of the respondents with mode of data collection were found. For the scores based on mail questionnaires, a transformation is proposed, resulting in scores that are comparable to those obtained by interviews. In studying depression in older adults, more cost-effective mail questionnaires may be used in addition to face-to-face interviews, provided that a transformation is performed before embarking on the analysis. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Answers to standardised attitude questions not only depend on the attitude respondents have on the issue, but are also influenced by the wording of the question. A well known example of this phenomenon is the forbid/allow asymmetry. Although the verbs 'forbid' and 'allow' are supposed to be each others' counterparts, the answers to questions worded with the verb 'forbid' turn out not to be opposite to answers to equivalent 'allow'-questions: respondents turn out to be more likely to respond 'no' rather than 'yes' to 'forbid' questions. It is commonly assumed that this is caused by the extreme connotations of both verbs. In this article a meta-analysis is reported over all forbid/allow research since 1940. First of all it is analysed whether the asymmetry can be generalised over questions and experiments. This turns out to be the case. The answer 'no, not forbid' is obtained more than 'yes, allow', and the mean effect size turns out to be quite large. The huge variance in asymmetry size however, offers room for a search after additional explanations. It turns out that the interaction between the complexity of the issue in the question, and the degree of ness of the question text, is systematically related to the size of the asymmetry. This stresses the importance of attitude strength as an explanatory variable, as well as the importance of looking at the communicative task as a whole. © Swets & Zeitlinger.