News item | 18-03-2025 | 10:15
National political trends, such as fragmentation of parties and a decrease in trust in politics, continue to work in local and provincial administration. At the same time, the decentral administration has its own character, with, for example, many local parties and politicians who have a strong bond with the community. This is evident from the State of the 2024 State, a biennial report on the state of affairs of democracy and public administration in the Netherlands.
Decentralized administration by national glasses
The report shows, among other things, that it is difficult for local and provincial administration to be assessed by voters as an independent layer of board. On the one hand there are many local political parties in municipal councils and lectures, with highly motivated representatives. That indicates democracy close to home. At the same time, this has a narrow basis because only a limited part of the inhabitants is active in democracy. The visibility of the decentral administration remains limited and many people look at it with national glasses. Not strange also in view of the national tasks, which often precipitate in municipalities, provinces and water boards.
We also see other trends on a decentralized level; Consider increasing aggression and intimidation towards political office holders, and reduced satisfaction of voters about the functioning of democracy. In addition, there is more and more political fragmentation and course in the decentralized administration. This had, among other things, consequences for the duration of lecture formation and contributes to a less stable image of the decentralized administration.
Perspective on democracy and trust
The report also shows that people have appreciation for life in a democratic constitutional state. However, this image is not clear. There appear to be different views on what democratic values are. Large groups of voters believe that the majority should decide, even if that is at the expense of the rights of minorities. When asked whether the majority should decide even if that is at the expense of the interests of the minority, almost 30 percent answered that they agree. A large group of voters also finds that a strong leader may stretch the rules a bit to achieve the desired result; 36 percent agree.
Nuance is also trust in institutions. On average, people have a lot of faith in judges, the press and the election process. However, trust in the Lower House and the government is on average low and subject to considerable fluctuations.
Anniversary edition state of the board
It is the tenth time that the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has published the state of the board, now expanded with the 2023 and 2024. That offers the chance to look back in a longer period of time and cause to look ahead. That is why an essay bundle has also appeared in this edition, in which external authors shine their light on the public administration of the future. Furthermore, this time the state also offers insight into democracy and governance on public bodies Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius and Saba.
The renewed dashboard is on the state of the 2024 board www.staatvanhetverkuurzurdashboard.nl added. The most important figures and long -term trends from the state can be consulted at a glance. The figures in this dashboard will be updated as often as possible on a real -time basis.