Stability and Change in Dutch Politics

Sarah de Lange, Tom Louwerse, Paul ’t Hart, Carolien van Ham, and 10-31 (2024) Stability and Change in Dutch Politics, In: De Lange, S. Louwerse, T., ’t Hart, P. & Van Ham, C. (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics. Oxford University Press, pp. 1-24

Authors

Sarah de Lange

Tom Louwerse

Paul ’t Hart

Carolien van Ham

Published

October 2024

Doi

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198875499.013.1

Abstract

This introductory chapter to the Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics offers two ‘snapshots’ of Dutch society and its political system. The first, set in 1963, documents the heydays of the politics of accommodation (as made famous by Arend Lijphart’s classic case study of Dutch political life). The other captures the present moment, sixty years on, and suggests that although there has been great constitutional and institutional stability in the intervening decades, the significant demographic, socio-economic and cultural changes in Dutch society that took place have left their mark on how its political system operates. In addition, the chapter surveys how the study of Dutch politics – conducted mainly but certainly not exclusively by political scientists – has evolved over this same period. In the final part of this chapter, the design of the Handbook is presented and explained. The chapter ends by briefly showcasing what the six constituent thematic parts offer.