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Introduction

Social wellbeing is an end state in which basic human needs are met and people are able to coexist peacefully in communities with opportunities for advancement (USIP, 2013). This is showcased by access to basic needs and services including water, food, shelter and health services (USIP, 2013). The basic needs must be met but belonging is also important. In general, humans are social individuals who want a basic set of standards to create a sense of social wellbeing. There is a strive for connection and this connection including value systems, traditions and even beliefs. When a population is content and feels as though their needs are met they become more sustainable in their social development. Social wellbeing plays a crucial role in sustainability. This paper will analyze the social wellbeing of the Netherlands, identify opportunities for policy enactment, and consider the environmental aspects of social wellbeing and social quality in the country.

The Netherlands and Social Wellbeing

The Netherlands Institute for Social Research is a government agency which conducts research into the social aspects of all areas of government policy. The Netherlands Institute of Social Research was founded in 1973 after politicians began taking an increased interest in the population and their welfare (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). The main fields studied are health, welfare, social security, the labor market and education, with a particular focus on the interfaces between these fields (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). Further, the organization itself was designed to create a picture of the social and cultural wellbeing of the Netherlands. Goals of the organization include the ability to contribute to policy changes and evaluation of how one can achieve a desired solution- for the good of the people (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020).

The reports created by this organization are used by the government, academics and civil servants. Advice is provided on legal obligations and civil duties of the government. The goal is doing what is best for the wellbeing of the people. Members of the Netherlands Institute of Social Research are scientists, social geographers, legal specialists, and those who specialize in the economy (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). Feedback of all kinds is provided by the people of the Netherlands and used in the development of policy and bettering the wellbeing of the population. Books are published yearly that offer the people of the Netherlands, as well as other countries, the opportunity to better understand the social wellbeing of the population. Further, the survey and study results are used to better understand policy, changes, and how to further improve the wellbeing of the people. Approximately 50 reports are published on a yearly basis (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020).

Research of all kinds is the basis for the Netherlands Institute of Social Research. There is a database where the research conducted by the Institute is stored. This research is on a wide variety of topics including: health, wellbeing, time use, employment, social security, education and housing (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). Most of the research by this organization is focused on social and cultural change. This research is focused on attitudes of the Dutch population to social, ideological and political issues (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). The research itself is not about changing how the public act but rather looking at how social policy can respond to social change.

Quality of life is also looked at by this information finding body, this is the second primary focus for the Netherlands Institute of Social Research (2020). The distribution of welfare across population groups is looked at including health status, level of education, housing conditions, extra income, participation and even leisure trends (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). Looking at each of these trends helps in the development of policy and allows policies currently in place to be assessed.

Public services sector is the third primary focus for the Institute. This focus is on public administration including education, health care, social security, public transportation and even recreation and culture (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020). The information provided helps to determine use of the public services as well as how much each public service will cost. Public opinion polls are used as the basis of information fact finding and these include: various longitudinal series of population surveys, International Surveys including the European Social Survey among others (Netherlands Institute of Social Research, 2020).

Policies to Enact in the Netherlands

Social quality measures a variety of factors like life quality, level of satisfaction, and wellbeing (Maesen, 2013). The construction of a sound SQA relies on the integration and analysis of the economic, environmental, socio-cultural and socio-political dimensions (Maesen, 2013). There are four factors which determine the environment of social quality; they are social empowerment, social inclusion, socio-economic security, and social cohesion (Maesen, 2013). These factors provide an understanding that the whole is the sum total of the parts and to take one long look at the big picture. They will serve to reestablish and recalibrate the connection between the whys and the relationships between the various variables both dependent and independent. Social and the individual aspects are put in consideration by measuring the quality of life.

According to Leers (2017), politics in the Netherlands is currently distorted and fragmented due to the number of the political parties involved in the election, the political atmosphere in Europe caused by the passing of the Brexit referendum and the inability of any political party to win absolute majority. This translates to groups that ensure they are heard and that issues directly or indirectly affect them are dealt with; this is known as “Dutchification” (Bergsen, 2020). This, according to Bergsen (2020), results in political and policy paralysis. One of the policies that should be enacted is a policy to defragment policies and politics. Maesen (2013), found that “the key challenge concerns a change in our thinking on the way of living and living together, rather than sticking to repair strategies”. A parallel needs to be drawn on factors/variables that converge and a clear indication of a divergence needs to be established when viewing, studying and quantifying these relationships. Maesen (2013), argued that the growth in policy area specific indicators has led to a fragmentation of policy. The defragmentation of policy and politics will aid in the collection of reliable empirical data. Maesen (2013), found that policy dimensions should be monitored, quantitative and collected utilizing reliable statistical methods. According to Penn State (n.d.), some of the benefits of policy fragmentation within a government include expertise, faster response and flexibility, disjoining the triple bottom line in politics while the disadvantages of policy fragmentation are, inconsistency, ineffectiveness, legitimacy/accountability issues and corporate influence.

Policy

Another example of a policy needed is economic independence; this will enable more women in the Netherlands to join the workforce to create better gender equality allowing for a greater economic autonomy for females. The policy will address gender-based wage gaps and will encourage and incentivize some hours of childcare outside the home to add to the childcare benefit already in provision. According to the OECD (2017), 70 % of women in the Netherlands are employed; almost 60 percent of employed women in the Netherlands are only employed part time, although 25% of women expressed interest in working full time. XPATNL (2018), explained that couples in the Netherlands prefer to provide full extent of childcare for their children because the number of men that joined the first and second world wars were limited which warranted very few women to take on the role of provider in those homes. Childcare is expensive in any part of the world and the government subsidizes child care already for the lower income earner through the childcare benefit (XPATNL, 2018). The added incentive would be extra free hours for part time and full-time working moms in two different tiers, which will contribute positively to the wellbeing of the populace and society.

Better representation in the education system for minorities to minimize social exclusion is another policy that needs to be enacted. This is important in an environment where a lack of infrastructure, basic amenities and finances translates to exclusion over a period of time. According to Kloprogge (n.d), poverty is the number one cause of social exclusion in the Netherlands; despite winning the Bertelsman prize in 1997 for the policy known as the “polder model” there is still disparagement in socioeconomic class in reality despite the outstanding economic growth the country has experienced within the past decade. According to HeraldNet (2017), a Roman Catholic bishop by the name Bishop Tiny Muskens, publicly declared that it was okay for the hungry poor to steal bread, the outcry caused by his statement propelled the discussion of class distinction in the country. The most at-risk population in the Netherlands are immigrant families of ethnic backgrounds and single parent/mother households (Kloprogge, n.d.). The social dimension to focus on is the education sector, since by deductive reasoning, an inability to have access to good education is a gateway social exclusion leading to dissatisfaction and low quality of life.

The Dutch education system is heavily segregated both in private and public schools. In the private schools, certain organizations fund certain schools excluding children who do not belong in that category whereas in the public schools the segregation is based on ability placement making it harder to access amenities. According to Dutch News.nl (2018), children of higher income families score better in tests than children from lower income homes with the same intelligence level. The policy to enact is the integration of the school system in a way that public schools are just that and private schools remain autonomous without a particular group owning it. Speculatively, this of course will be a very hard policy to put in effect, but the reality remains that if the school system is not handled on time and properly, there will be a further divide in the country in the coming years. If successful, trust and social cohesion will be improved in the Netherlands because as Maesen (2013), reiterated “declines in trust formed a major barrier to enhancing social quality”.

SQA and Conditional Factors

As mentioned in the section above, the Netherlands has some policies that need to be improved upon. The Netherlands has done well in controlling amounts of inputs with maximizing the outputs. The input in this case would be fiscal, the Netherlands has a debt to GDP ratio of 52.3% (CEIC Data, n.d.). This is compared to the United States debt to GDP ratio of 106% according to Trading Economics (n.d.). This section will cover some of the initiatives that the Netherlands have done to control the conditional factor of expense while maximizing the output of social quality for citizens.

A big part of the Netherlands' social quality is the education system. According to the United Nations Human Development Report (2018), the Netherlands is ranked 11 overall in the Education Index, four spots above the United States which sits at 15. The percent of GDP spent on education that the Netherlands spends is 5.5%, higher than the world's average, which is 4.5% according to The World Bank (2018). This shows that the Netherlands is doing a good job at maximizing what is being put into the system. There are 41 countries ahead of the Netherlands according to The World Bank (2018), just 41 countries that spend a higher percent of GDP on education. The Netherlands being ranked so high it shows the system of education is effective.

Even though the education system is getting the most out what is being put in, improvements can still be made. In the section above, it was referenced that lower income families and immigrants have difficulty getting quality education. According to Expatica (2019), the Netherlands education system all have equal state funding. While the Netherlands schools have equal funding, schools still sometimes ask for extra money from parents, and is sometimes calculated based on financial position (Expatica, 2019). Thinking about how schools are divided up, in most cases schools are set up in districts. Those districts have homes of similar value, that requires income. In areas where more money is available, homes are able to give more to the school for children, unlike some districts where income is not as great. The Netherlands does give equal funding, maybe taking into account the tithings that parents give to the school into consideration will bring the bottom of the Netherlands education system up, thus making it even stronger by making small improvements.

The Netherlands healthcare system is ranked by the United Nations Human Development Report (2018) as number 15 in life expectancy. The percentage of GDP spent on healthcare is 10.36% according to The World Bank (2018), with the world average being 10.02%. Again the Netherlands is efficient with the resources that are put into the system, while still being a top ranked country in life expectancy. It is mandatory for all citizens and permanent residences to have health insurance in the Netherlands. There are public and private options for health insurance in the country. Looking at the prices of health insurance on Zorgwijer (2020), the Netherlands marketplace for health insurance, the least expensive option is 105 Euros per month, and has a standard 385 Euro deductible a year. The cost might seem to be reasonable in the United States, but in Europe this is one of the highest insurance rates (Expatica, 2019). According to the Broek and Lynch of The Heritage Foundation (2010), by the Netherlands government stimulating competition in health care it created a system of managed competition, the people's obligation is to buy basic insurance, and the insurers “have a duty of acceptance” (Broek and Lynch, 2010). This is a blended approach rather than just implementing a single payer system, that is a cost sharing model, trying to be more efficient in regard to what makes up the cost instead of just who pays.

The last topic that will be covered in this section will be the Social Security program in the Netherlands. These Social Security programs consist of old-age pension, survivor pension, and disability pension according to the Social Security Administration of the United States (2020). For Old-Age benefits, according to the United States Social Security Administration (2020), the Netherlands people all get the same amount per month if required eligibility is met. A single person would get 1,112.67 Euros per month and a married couple would get 758.39 Euros per month per person, totaling 1516.78 Euros per month (US SSA, 2020).

Throughout this section social quality is mainly focused upon trying to be fair. While there are system improvements that can be made in the Netherlands, overall, the Netherlands does a tremendous job in maximizing the returns of what goes into the system. In a country that has 52% debt to GDP ratio and the world average per country is 60% according to the World Population Review (2020), the Netherlands ranked 10th overall by the United Nations Human Development Index (2018). The 10th rank shows that the Netherlands are taking care of the citizens and those who reside in the Netherlands. This in combination with how the Netherlands is not over stretching on the fiscal side shows the Netherlands is doing a great job in conditional factors. The core value that is in the Netherlands is sharing the burden. Many social programs cost money; it is not as simple as saying the government pays for everything. The Netherlands has a nice balance of policy and marketplace to help alleviate cost but maximize benefits.

Environmental Aspects

Wellbeing is a crucial and meaningful positive outcome as it is an indicator that people perceive that their livelihood status is well. The aspect of wellbeing is measured by the social quality indicators such as social inclusion, socio-economic security, social empowerment and social cohesion. These indicators are used in many countries, including the Netherlands.

In socioeconomic security, the income of the household is measured to assess the ability to buy basic needs (Carrasco‐Campos, Moreno & Martínez, 2017). In this case, the measure of absolute poverty is indicated by the incapability to afford to buy basic needs such as food. It is more concerned with the ability to have the resources needed to cope with daily life, the ability to take advantage of the available opportunities to the citizens and enjoy a dignified lifestyle.

Social cohesion indicators are used to assess the general trust between the government and the citizens, the existence of tension between the rich and poor (Carrasco‐Campos, Moreno & Martínez, 2017). This measure is crucial in determining how society works together to improve their livelihood condition. In general, it provides the basis for rules of law which are crucial for social participation, stability, and continuity (van der Maesen, 2013). Social inclusion is all about social support through inclusion into society. This means support from friends, relatives, and other people and also having that feeling that you belong to the society.

Social empowerment includes aspects like education and health (Carrasco‐Campos, Moreno & Martínez, 2017). The indicator’s conditions require that the objective conditions are present and also the individuals can utilize the opportunities available. It is also concerned with an individual’s subjective feelings of agency. Also, social wellbeing can be measured by environmental indicators such as air and water quality that influence the health status of the society.

In the Netherlands, the score of life satisfaction is high with higher personal earnings, the life satisfaction score is affected by policies and welfare state (Carrasco‐Campos, Moreno & Martínez, 2017). Employment and long-term unemployment rates are favorable in the Netherlands. Additionally, the social network support is rated highly in the country. All these statistics provide evidence that suggest the social wellbeing in this country is relatively high as the indicators affect subjective wellbeing. The environmental quality in the Netherlands is measured in terms of water and air aspects. In Netherlands the level of particulate matter that has a diameter of less than 2.5 is 14.0µg/m³ that is slightly higher that the wellbeing index which is 13µg/m³ (van der Maesen, 2013). However, air quality is highly emphasized with the presence of carbon footprint and the use of biomass which is environmentally friendly. Also, 93percent of the people reports that they are satisfied with water quality which is above the index indicator of 81percent (van der Maesen, 2013). These indicators are part of environmental sustainability goals. Also, environmental policies on air and water quality are highly emphasized

To improve social wellbeing, social and care policies should be based on the public rather than family and private spheres and also made stronger (van der Maesen, 2013). Also, the welfare state policies should be highly emphasized and strengthened as they are major contributors to the society’s wellbeing. Also, the policies that advocate for environmental wellbeing should be emphasized- for example air and water policies.

Impact of environmental variables on social wellbeing and social quality

Education is one of the most used variables to determine the affairs of the people of the Netherlands, for it is a clear indicator of population literacy to be able to decide on those that can read and write or those that are not able to read and write (Jenkins, Skinner, & Trines, 2019). The life satisfaction level of the people of the Netherlands is, however, measured below with some subjective variables. In that, there are selected three variables that are preliminary data, which are satisfied with their daily activities, happiness and life with satisfaction (Arrindell, Heesink, & Feij, 1999). In regard to comfort in daily lives, people should, however, be happy with what they have in that the happiness of the individual will be experienced, which triggers full life satisfaction. The life satisfaction level of the people of the Netherlands is generally well, yet always with opportunity to improve.

Job searching is a clear consensus issue that unemployment negatively affects the wellbeing of the people of the Netherlands. Most studies that have highlighted the happiness and life satisfaction show that unemployment has a significant and robust effect on these measures of wellbeing, which result in secondary stress factors such as worry, financial and marital problems. Also, these adverse effects, however, seem to increase the duration of unemployment increasing day by day in the country. Aside from becoming unemployed, financial and social insecurity are associated with the uncertain prospect of losing your job is affected as well as the economic vulnerability that is highly triggered.

Health is a significant aspect of the basis of measuring the wellbeing of the people of the Netherlands. This is a crucial measure to social wellbeing, without good health then there is no other component fit to live. Generally, a comparison can be made between mortality and morbidity, mortality is more natural to measure and more objective than morbidity. Subsequently, mortality shows the quantity of the potential wellbeing experienced. One of the most common measures related mortality is life expectancy, be it at birth or standardized. Morbidity on the other hand is generally more subjective but vital to the experienced being. Good health is universally perceived to be essential for wellbeing. Better Life health brings other benefits as well, such as improved access to education and employment, an increase in productivity, reduction of health care costs and good social relations to the people of the Netherlands.

Housing is an important component to social wellbeing since most of the time it is where a person spends his or her time frequently for their enjoyment. However, there are three prospects to the objectivity of housing, which are the quality of your house, which, for instance, are the living space, location, utilities and amenities. The other aspect to consider is housing satisfaction, whether or not the people are satisfied, and the last part is affordability in regard to how much individuals need to pay for housing. To an extent, subjective satisfaction with accommodation should also capture part of the objective housing quality and its affordability. Happiness is typically very high in the Netherlands, with nearly all individuals reporting to be satisfied with their wellbeing related to their housing situation.

Another aspect of social wellbeing is related to the global environment, such as the impact of global warming for its triggers and changes in the weather pattern of a given country, including the Netherlands. In some States, it would, however, bring about the abnormality of rainfall resulting in flooding, which in turn causes havoc to the economic activities and the social wellbeing of the people. Some other factors include the outbreak of diseases and epidemics affect the social wellbeing and social quality of the people, for in most cases, it brings about the disruption of the economy, thus results in low-income levels. However, overall, the Netherlands response to these issues is well regarded.

Another cultural variable that can impact the social wellbeing and social quality in the Netherlands in some respects is corruption. However, corruption, also known as breaking the rules and regulations stipulated by the government, is not currently considered a primary issue in the Netherlands (Trading Economics, 2019). Although, this act can bring about losses to its citizens since there will be unfair and illegal practices that would result in the low economic countdown, which in turn affects the social aspects of the people, it is not of high concern to the people as it is ranked one of the least corrupt countries among many across the globe (Trading Economics, 2019). This analysis includes bribery activities and embezzlement of funds in a given country or state that leads to a shift in the economic change for the taxation levels beyond the reasonable charges. As a result of corruption, low-quality services are noted, the social quality is, then affected tremendously. Thus, handling crime and corruption is one area where the Netherlands social wellbeing is not impacted as negatively as other social wellbeing indicators, and ranks highly.

Changes in Culture

Interracial marriages have adversely affected social wellbeing and social quality in regard to the people of the Netherlands by causing a divide among the people (Vroome & Hooghe, 2013). In that, it fully describes a form of marriage outside a specific social group involving spouses who belong to different races and different ethnicities for at one particular time, that were not previously allowed to be practiced, this change brought about a lot of social negativity to the community and country (Vroome & Hooghe, 2013). Religion brought about social wellbeing and social quality, when people go to a place of worship it has brought about interactions that yield positive results to our families and community. The people in the Netherlands are largely Roman Catholic and Protestant (Netherlands Religions, n.d.). In the eyes of many Netherland people, religion has brought in a positive shift in the reduction of evil, immoral behavior, and corrupt practices amongst the Netherlands youth, however this too is an area where many people disagree and the contention does impact the social wellbeing of the people.

Conclusion

In many ways the Netherlands are global leaders in social wellbeing, from the establishment of the Netherlands Institute of Social Research to monitor the basic needs of Netherland residents, to their 10th ranking on the Human Health Index and many areas in between. Despite this, there are plenty of opportunities for the Netherlands to improve across many areas related to social wellbeing. To continue progressively, the Netherlands government must consider enacting and enforcing laws that continuously support the social wellbeing of all Netherlands people, of all ages, ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic classes, particularly in the areas of environment, health, and education. However, the Netherlands government must not lose sight of the areas where they are leaders and where there is high social wellbeing.

References

Arrindell, W., Heesink, J., & Feij, J. (1999, May 1). The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS): appraisal with 1700 healthy young adults in The Netherlands. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886998001809

Bergsen, P. (2020, January 9). Don't be Afraid of Political Fragmentation. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/don-t-be-afraid-political-fragmentation

Carrasco‐Campos, Á., Moreno, A., & Martínez, L. C. (2017). Quality of Life, Well-Being and Social Policies in European Countries1. In Quality of Life and Quality of Working Life. IntechOpen.

Compare Dutch health insurance; Check prices & save money‎. (2020, July 9). Zorgwijzer. https://www.zorgwijzer.nl/zorgvergelijker/english#/search?deductible=1&payment=m