Experiences and Experiments in Dutch Local Government

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Abstract
The concept of the decentralised unitary state in the Netherlands, which can be found in the Constitution of the beginning of the eighteenth century, only gave a really autonomous position to local government for a very short time. In the last four decades in particular a growing central government has brought about a situation in which local authorities function to a great extent as offices for central government in the local community. Departments and ministries in the Hague take most of the main policy decisions, giving instructions and financial resources to their local outstations. Only a small part of real political policy-making is reserved to the city councils. The very pluriform system of Dutch municipalities with strong local characteristics, differences in size and differences in intensity of tasks can be cited as a major reason for central guardianship.

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