The politics of crisis management in the Netherlands

Abstract

A sense of ‘polycrises’ has gripped the Netherlands in recent years. But while the country has has its share of crises and disasters, there are no objective grounds for the perception of being under siege of crises. There appears to be a deep gap between perceptions and objective facts about risks and crises. In this chapter, we explore the recent history of crises in the Netherlands, taking into account the responses that these crises have prompted. We identify various trends, including crisification, politicization, centralization and professionalization. We also cast an eye on Dutch crisis research, which has been a rich area of academic production over the years. We describe the shift from a technocratic angle to a more political perspective. We identify the most relevant research themes that have emerged over the years. We end with a discussion of a future research agenda that could help practitioners fulfil their crisis management tasks.