The Netherlands

The Netherlands has a paradoxical tradition of socially embedded democracy, but it also has a long term political tradition of strong government, going back to the monarchy that was established in 1814, and the first kings reigning as enlightened despots. It was already part of the preceding political tradition of the Republic of the United Provinces in which it was accepted that prominent citizens from ‘notable’ families ran the institutions of confederal, provincial and city government. With the coming of age of democracy in the early 20th century, this tradition was not washed away. Various socio-political developments as occurred in other European countries have tended to enhance executive dominance, such as the rise of the social welfare state, Europeanization, and globalization. Also within the constitutional structures and practical functioning of the parliamentary system of government, executive dominance tends to turn into a top down democracy, at least in everyday politics: the executive seeks legitimacy for the decisions it has made, and democracy is the right of the people to agree with what the powers-that-be have decided. This is different from sovereignty of the people, or the idea that government be by the people (i.e. bottom up democracy). Only a strong sense of responsibility, for which the constitutional tools exist in principle, can remedy this.