Dutch government and politics

목차 (Table of Contents)

• CONTENTS
• List of Tables, Figures, Exhibits and Maps = xi
• Preface = xiv
• Acknowledgements = xviii
• 1 The Country and the People = 1
• A small country = 1
• The struggle against the water = 2
• Boundaries = 6
• Historical boundaries = 6
• The language boundary = 6
• Political and religious boundaries = 7
• Recent history = 11
• The people = 13
• Religious groups = 13
• Social class = 15
• The structure of the Dutch economy = 16
• Trade relations = 19
• Conclusion = 21
• 2 A Country of Minorities = 23
• Three threats to stable government = 23
• Minorities = 23
• Tow cleavages = 25
• Pillarisation = 27
• Consociational democracy = 33
• Alternative interpretations = 40
• Depillarisation and its consequences = 44
• 3 Political Parties and the party System = 50
• Historical development of the parties = 50
• Christian Democrats = 50
• Socialists = 53
• Liberals = 55
• Other parties = 56
• Party organisation = 58
• Party tructure = 58
• Party membership = 63
• Party finances = 65
• A decline of parties? = 68
• Political party system = 70
• The numerical criterion = 70
• Dimensionality = 74
• 4 Elections = 79
• Characteristics of the electoral system = 80
• Few shall be chosen = 80
• The simple act of voting = 81
• Absence of geographical representation = 84
• Extreme proportionality = 87
• Parties and campaigning = 89
• Candidate campaigning = 89
• Campaigning = 92
• Electoral behaviour = 96
• From a structured to an open model = 96
• Party identification = 100
• Ideology and issues = 101
• Candidates = 106
• Conclusion = 107
• 5 The Cabinet = 108
• Building the governing coalition = 108
• Procedures of cabinet formation = 109
• Attempts at reform = 114
• Coalition theory and Dutch cabinets = 118
• Collective and collegial government = 123
• The position of the Prime Minister = 123
• The politicisation of the cabinet = 128
• 6 Parliament = 134
• Parliamentary organisation and procedures = 137
• The structure of Parliament = 139
• Parliamentary Procedures = 141
• Executive-Legislative relations = 145
• From institution to arena = 145
• The paradox of parliamentary activism = 148
• Parliament as a marketplace = 151
• The coexistence of institution, arena, and marketplace = 152
• Parliament and the people = 156
• 7 The Policy-Making Process : Territorial Centralisation and Functional Decentralisation = 158
• The territorial dimension = 158
• Provincial government = 158
• Municipal government = 160
• Functional decentralisation = 164
• The incorporation of interest groups = 164
• The fragmentation of the bureaucracy = 176
• The quest for control = 180
• 8 Socio-Economic Policy = 187
• The return of the 'Dutch disease' = 187
• Unemployment = 189
• The size of the labour force = 189
• Rising unemployment = 191
• Combating unemployment = 192
• The size of the public sector = 194
• The growth of the welfare state = 194
• Reducing the public sector = 199
• The budget deficit = 206
• Natural gas and the 'Dutch disease' = 207
• The financing deficit reduced = 209
• Conclusion = 210
• 9 Foreign Policy = 212
• The constants of Dutch foreign policy = 212
• From staunch ally back to neutral state? = 214
• European integration versus Atlantic orientation? = 220
• Interests versus idealism? = 225
• Foreign policy constants reexamined = 227
• 10 The Capability of a Fragmented System = 229
• Deciion by negotiation = 229
• The constraints of consensus = 231
• An underiying consensus = 231
• The crucial role of experts = 232
• Accepted tie-breakers = 233
• The political role of the judiciary = 234
• 'Brussels' as a scapegoat = 237
• Capability and legitimacy = 238
• Further Reading = 241
• Main Data Sources = 245
• Bibliography = 246
• Index = 256