Waffle-iron politics explained

Waffle-iron politics is a Belgian political strategy used in the past for determining the budget for projects in the country's two major regions, Flanders and Wallonia.[1] Under this policy, for every franc spent on a project in Wallonia, a franc was also spent on a similar project in Flanders (and vice versa).[2]

The social and linguistic divisions between Flanders and Wallonia meant that the compromise of waffle-iron politics helped to maintain political peace.[3] [4] However, matching spending in one region with equal allocations to the other was costly and inefficient. Waffle-iron politics was a key cause of the Belgian national debt.[5] In 1981, public debt amounted to 130% of GNP, among the highest in the European Community at the time.[6]

Waffle-iron politics also led to the creation of several Dutch; Flemish: grote nutteloze bouwwerken (large useless construction works) that were misplaced or unnecessary public use.[7] One example is the bridges in Varsenare, two bridges built in 1976 that were never connected to a highway.[8]

The Dutch word Dutch; Flemish: wafelijzerpolitiek literally translates to "waffle-iron politics" or "waffle-iron policy". The name is based on the idea that the waffle-iron always leaves an identical impression on both sides of waffles being baked.[9] Both sides of the iron are necessary in order for the machine to function.Waffle-iron politics effectively came to an end in 1988 with the third state reform in Belgium. Belgium went from a unitary state to a federal one, giving each region more decision-making power.[10] Flanders and Wallonia became responsible for their own spending, except in matters affecting the entire state.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: kld. Wafelijzerpolitiek. standaard.be. 4 August 2011 . 1 May 2020.
  2. Web site: La Libre Belgique. La politique du gaufrier. lalibre.be. 13 June 2003. 1 May 2020.
  3. Book: Van Heffen. Oscar. From the Eye of the Storm. Higher education policies and institutional response in Flanders. 1999. 263–293. 10.1007/978-94-015-9263-5_12. 978-90-481-5355-8.
  4. Bernheim. Jan. Questions and Answers on the Belgian Model of Integral End-of-Life Care: Experiment? Prototype? . Journal of Bioethical Inquiry. 2014. 11. 4. 507–529. 10.1007/s11673-014-9554-z. 25124983. 4263821.
  5. Web site: La Libre Belgique. La politique du gaufrier. lalibre.be. 13 June 2003. 1 May 2020.
  6. Web site: De Wit, Kurt & Heffen, Oscar & Verhoeven. Government, higher education and the national economy: Case study of Flanders. kuleuven.be. 1 May 2020.
  7. Web site: Lambrechts. Toon. Lost Highway. www.flanderstoday.eu. 1 May 2020. 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210101055726/http://www.flanderstoday.eu/sites/default/files/magazine/FT_2013_29.pdf. dead.
  8. Web site: Liste de grands travaux inutiles en Belgique. fr.wikipedia.org. 1 May 2020.
  9. Hooghe . Marc . From Armed Peace to Permanent Crisis: Cracks in the Belgian Consultative Model . The Low Countries: Arts and Society in Flanders and the Netherlands . 2009 . 17 . 227–233 . 30 Apr 2020.
  10. Web site: Belgian Federal Government. The third and fourth State reforms . belgium.be. 5 June 2013 . 1 May 2020.
  11. De Wit. Kurt. Case study of Flanders: Government, higher education, and the national economy. Centre for Theoretical Sociology and Sociology of Education - Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. 1 October 1998. 22 . 28 Apr 2020.

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