Programme

The track Dutch politics focuses on the polity in which we live, work and study, the Netherlands. For political scientists the Netherlands has always been an interesting case, although for different reasons. Until the 1960s, the Netherlands were an example of a country where it proved to be possible to build a stable democracy despite deep social and cultural divisions. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s the Netherlands became the showcase for ‘the silent revolution’ as well as for the advantages and weaknesses of neo-corporatist arrangements. Since the turn of the century the Netherlands has attracted much attention because of the emergence of populist parties, a rising euroscepticism and debates on multicultural society.

The track Dutch Politics will offer analyses, explanations and insights in the various changes, continuities and traditions in Dutch politics. Also the Netherlands will serve as a specific case-study to apply more general theories and models on political parties, electoral systems, political legitimacy, ideological configurations and the behavior of political elites (including the formation of coalition governments). As a result students will attain a thorough knowledge of the functioning of the Dutch political system and a deep understanding of the diversity of Dutch society in past and present.

Information on courses and time-tables can be found in the e-Prospectus