Governance and politics of the Netherlands

List of Illustrative Material

Preface to the Fourth Edition

1. The Country, the Nation and the State

A 'Small' Country

The Struggle Against the Water

Three Boundaries

The Boundaries of Language and Religion

The Political Boundary

National Identity and Political Culture

Calvinism and Tolerance

A Nation of Joiners

Constitutional Development

2. A Country of Minorities

Three Threats to Stable Government

Minorities

Two Dimensions

Pillarization

Consociational Democracy

Alternative Interpretations

Depolarization

Multiculturalism as a New Social Cleavage?

The Consequences of Depillarization

3. Political Parties and the Party System

Parties and Consociational Democracy

Political Party System

The Numerical Criterion

Party Families

Dimensionality

Party Organization

Party Structure

Party Membership

Party Finances

Parties and Elections

Candidate Selection - the List

Candidate Selection - the List- Puller

A Decline of Parties?

4. Elections

The Electoral System

General Characteristics

Legal Requirements

Campaigning

Election campaigns in the media

Electoral Behaviour

From a Structured to an Open Model

Ideology and Issues

A New Dimension

Short term Factors

Choice Sets

Retrospective Voting

Party Leaders

Strategic Voting

Conclusion

5. The Core Executive

The Coalition Imperative

Building the Governing Coalition

Procedures of Cabinet Formation

Critique and Attempts at Reform

Coalition Theory and Dutch Cabinets

Collective and Collegial Government

The Position of Prime Minister

The Politicization of the Core Executive

6. Parliament

Separation of Powers within a Parliamentary System

Parliamentary Organization and Procedures

The Structure of Parliament

Parliamentary Procedures

Executive legislative Relations

From Institution to Arena

Parliament as a Marketplace

The Coexistence of Institution, Arena and Marketplace

Parliament and the People

7. The Policy-Making Process

'An Orchestra with No Conductor?'

Corporatism

Organized Interests

PBO and Advisory Councils

Changes in Corporatism

The Sources of Corporatism

The Bureaucracy

Judicial Policy-Making

Conclusion

8. Multi-Level Governance

The Territorial Dimension

Subnational Government

Provincial Government

Local Government

Europeanization

Strengthening Coordination

Strengthening the Core Executive

A Double Democratic Deficit

9. Economic and Welfare Policy

Open Economy

Macro-economic Policy

The Creation of the Welfare State and the Dutch Disease'

Restructuring the Welfare State and the 'Dutch Miracle'

New Challenges and Crises

Consensus and Conflict on Macro-economic Policy

10. Foreign Policy

'Constants' in Dutch Foreign Policy

Farewell to Atlanticism?

A European Turnaround?

Interests versus Idealism?

The Domestication of Dutch Foreign Policy

11. Evaluating Consensus Government

Fragmentation and Horizontal Coordination

The Consequences of Consensus

Public Confidence in the Political System

Attempts at Reform

The Future of Consensus Government

Further Reading

Bibliography

Index