How we operate
Additional questions and answers part 1.
No. CPB determines the activities and work it undertakes; the Director of CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis decides on the content of the annual Work Plan, after having consulted with the Council of Ministers. The Work Plan is subsequently published on CPB’s website. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy or any other ministry may, of course, submit research requests to CPB. CPB, in turn, may either expand or reduce the scope of research questions, if deemed appropriate.
The CPB Director is appointed for a period of seven years and has a free hand in appointing scientific staff, on the basis of the Mandate Decision SG EZ.
The financial basis is regulated under the Protocol for the Policy Assessment Agencies (Art. 10): Of the work carried out by an assessment agency, a minimum of 80% will be financed from the budget and a maximum of 20% from external sources to guarantee the independent position of the agency. This means that at least 80% of the budget is not related to specific research assignments.
CPB has its own communications department. It chooses its own timing for publication. A standard procedure applies to the publication of studies conducted at the request of the ministries, whereby studies are always published no later than 20 days after CPB considers a study completed and ready. Should ministries wish to postpone publication, they must submit a reasoned request to the Director of CPB. Furthermore, if information is leaked in the media (i.e., is made public before its due date), CPB can decide to immediately proceed with publication, even in the case of requests of a confidential nature.
Over the course of the research project, interim results are not only shared with the scientific world, such as the Academic Partners, but also with the government departments involved. The latter point is important because it allows CPB to utilise any relevant expertise within those departments (e.g., the Frijns Review Committee). The essence of reaching independent conclusions is that researchers feel free to write down their own findings without any pressure to change or adjust them. For publications that are the result of a request by a government department, the related press release will be shared with that department shortly before publication, as a courtesy for informational purposes.