Stability and Change in Dutch PoliticsIntroduction to the Handbook

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 heyday 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, 60 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 have taken place have left their mark on how the Dutch 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 the chapter, the design of the Handbook is presented and explained. The chapter ends by briefly showcasing what the six constituent thematic parts offer.