Ungovernable Amsterdam? Redefining Municipal Government from the Late 1970s to the Late 1980s

This article discusses the challenges that Amsterdam’s municipal government encountered and how it responded to them from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. The presence of heroin addicts and radical squatters alongside the effects of suburbanization and deindustrialization raised the specter of an ungovernable city. Mayors and heads of department were also confronted with conflicting expectations from the public and problems of internal coordination while remaining dependent on the nation-state for legislation and funding. Yet, a new approach to governing Amsterdam was gradually emerging, one that brought problems to a manageable level rather than attempting to solve them, improved bureaucratic efficiency, and prioritized creating a business-friendly environment. This redefinition of municipal government adopted some neoliberal elements while retaining a recognizably social democratic profile. The actions of Amsterdam’s leaders should be situated in their contemporary context rather than blamed for the very different problems that Amsterdam is facing today.