Dutch Politics

Politics in the Netherlands

Map of the Netherlands (Public domain)

While I work on themes and issues that are relevant for many established democracies, in much of my work there is an empirical focus on the Netherlands. I am co-author of Governance and Politics of the Netherlands and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics.

active
Tom Louwerse
Tom Louwerse
Associate Professor

Associate Professor in Political Science at Leiden University

Publications

Managing increased complexity in Dutch coalition politics
Governance in the Dutch parliamentary system is characterized by majority coalition governments. Highlighting the pivotal role of these …
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Managing increased complexity in Dutch coalition politics
Parliamentary politics in the Netherlands
A key political arena in Dutch politics is its bicameral parliament. In comparative terms it is relatively powerful, but in practice …
Project Project DOI Google Books Publisher's website
Parliamentary politics in the Netherlands
Stability and Change in Dutch Politics
This introductory chapter to the Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics offers two ‘snapshots’ of Dutch society and its political system. …
Project DOI Google Books Publisher's website
Stability and Change in Dutch Politics
The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics
The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics provides a comprehensive longitudinal overview of the state of the art of academic research on …
Project DOI Google Books Publisher's website
The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics
The reinvention of consensus politics: governing without a legislative majority in the Netherlands 2010–2021
For most of the twentieth century, Dutch governments commanded majorities in both houses of parliament, but after 2010 they mostly lack …
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Geographical Representation Under a Single Nationwide District: The Case of the Netherlands
Previous studies have demonstrated the common occurrence of constituency focus in parliamentary questions, which is most often …
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The predictive value of polls in a fragmented multi-party system: the Netherlands (1998–2021)
Although vote intention polls are often used in the public debate as forecasts of future election outcomes, their predictive value has …
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Reporting the polls: the quality of media reporting of vote intention polls in the Netherlands
This article examines the media coverage of vote intention polls in the Netherlands. We assess whether the quality of media reporting …
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Moving up or down: parliamentary activity and candidate selection
Although often theorised, empirical research concerning the relationship between parties’ candidate selection and MPs’ parliamentary …
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The Netherlands: Party Specialists Taking the Floor
Extreme levels of parliamentary specialization characterize the lower house of the Dutch parliament (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal). …
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The Netherlands: Old Solutions to New Problems
New lines of conflict, political parties and the fragmentation of the political landscape have contributed to cabinet volatility in the …
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Derde keer op de evenwichtsbalk. Parlementair stemgedrag tijdens Rutte III
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Governance and Politics of the Netherlands
The new fifth edition of this leading textbook provides a clear and comprehensive account of governance and politics in the …
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Governance and Politics of the Netherlands
Inleiding: Nederlandse politiek van driestromenland tot delta?
In de tweede helft van de 20e eeuw werd de Nederlandse politiek gedomineerd door drie ideologische hoofdstromen. Het CDA en zijn …
PDF Project Publisher's website
Inleiding: Nederlandse politiek van driestromenland tot delta?
Van driestromenland tot delta?
In de tweede helft van de 20e eeuw werd de Nederlandse politiek gedomineerd door drie ideologische hoofdstromen. Het CDA en zijn …
Project Publisher's website
Van driestromenland tot delta?
Transparency in Digital Political Advertisements during the 2019 European Parliament Elections
This report assesses the degree of transparency in digital political advertising during the campaign period of the 2019 European …
PDF Project
Transparency in Digital Political Advertisements during the 2019 European Parliament Elections
De PVV in het parlement
Bij de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen van november 2006 wist de Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) als enige rechtse nieuwkomer zetels te behalen. …
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How Populists Wage Opposition: Parliamentary Opposition Behaviour and Populism in Netherlands
This article analyses how populist parties wage opposition in parliament. Our findings indicate that populist opposition parties are particularly less likely to engage in policy-making behaviour and somewhat more likely to engage in scrutiny behaviour.
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The Netherlands: The reinvention of consensus democracy
We examine the development of opposition party behaviour in the Dutch Tweede Kamer between 1998 and 2015.
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Parliamentary Questions as Strategic Party Tools
This paper shifts the analysis of parliamentary oversight tools to the level of the political party, asking how political parties make use of written parliamentary questions.
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The Dutch Parliamentary Behaviour Dataset
The Dutch Parliamentary Behaviour Dataset contains a record of parliamentary (voting) behaviour in the Dutch Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber, House of Representatives) since 1945.
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Naar nieuwe verhoudingen tussen Kamer en kabinet?
We analyseren de relatie tussen parlement en regering aan de hand van interruptiepatronen in parlementaire debatten en een gedetailleerde lezing van geselecteerde Algemene Beschouwingen
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Response Scales in Voting Advice Applications: Do Different Designs Produce Different Outcomes?
This article examines the effects of design choices on these tools by focusing on the response scale that is used to measure the policy positions of parties and voters.
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Personalised parliamentary behaviour without electoral incentives: the case of the Netherlands
Most theories of legislative behaviour explain the behaviour of MPs through electoral incentives. However, they fail to explain variation in parliamentary activity when individual electoral incentives are largely absent.
Project Project DOI Accepted Manuscript
The Impact of Parliamentary Specialisation on Cosponsorship
This study seeks to establish the effect of parliamentary specialisation on cosponsorship of parliamentary proposals in parliamentary …
Project Project DOI Accepted Manuscript
Populists in Parliament: Comparing Left-Wing and Right-Wing Populism in the Netherlands
In parliament, populist parties express their positions almost every day through voting. There is great diversity among them, for …
Project Project DOI Accepted Manuscript
A Special Majority Cabinet? Supported Minority Governance and Parliamentary Behavior in the Netherlands
This article studies how the presence of the supported minority government Rutte-I affected patterns of legislative behavior. On the …
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Een middenkabinet of een minderheidskabinet?
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The design effects of voting advice applications: Comparing methods of calculating matches
In election times more and more voters consult voting advice applications (VAAs), which show them what party or candidate provides the …
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Verkiezingsbeloften: een verouderd ritueel? [Election promises: an obsolete ritual?]
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Een bijzonder meerderheidskabinet? Parlementair gedrag tijdens het kabinet Rutte-I
This article studies how the presence of the supported minority government Rutte-I affected patterns of legislative behaviour. On basis …
PDF Project Project
Peilingen in het nieuws: van hypes naar trends
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Het democratisch mandaat van Nederlandse politieke partijen: crisis of continuïteit?
This article studies the extent to which Dutch political parties fulfil their electoral mandates.
Project Project Accepted Manuscript
Loyaal met een scherpe rand
PDF Project
Kies voor de liberale democratie
Het denken over democratisering binnen GroenLinks is blijven steken in het participatie-ideaal uit de jaren zeventig, hoewel dat niet …
PDF Project