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 Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

and

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

. 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 References Additional references * * {{Latin phrases V ca:Locució llatina#V da:Latinske ord og vendinger#V fr:Liste de locutions latines#V id:Daftar frasa Latin#V it:Locuzioni latine#V nl:Lijst van Latijnse spreekwoorden en ui ...

). The social and linguistic divisions between Flanders and Wallonia meant that the compromise of waffle-iron politics helped to maintain political peace. 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 A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...

. In 1981, public debt amounted to 130% of GNP, among the highest in the

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

at the time. Waffle-iron politics also led to the creation of several (large useless construction works) that were misplaced or unnecessary public use. One example is the bridges in

Varsenare Varsenare is a town in Jabbeke, part of Flanders and Belgium. Its postal code is 8490. See also *West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size ...

, two bridges built in 1976 that were never connected to a highway. The Dutch word literally translates to "waffle-iron politics" or "waffle-iron policy". The name is based on the idea that the

waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...

-iron always leaves an identical impression on both sides of waffles being baked. Both sides of the iron are necessary in order for the machine to function. Fresh waffles still on the iron

Waffle-iron politics effectively came to an end in 1988 with the third

state reform in Belgium State reform, in the context of Belgium, is the ongoing process of seeking and finding constitutional and legal solutions to the problems and tensions in the different segments of the Belgian population, mostly between the Dutch-speakers of Flande ...

. Belgium went from a

unitary state A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units). Such units exercise only th ...

to a federal one, giving each region more decision-making power. Flanders and Wallonia became responsible for their own spending, except in matters affecting the entire state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waffle-iron Politics Politics of Belgium Political terminology Public choice theory