The NAA Eventcie and Sustainability Club have joined forces to organise two special events for you with the upcoming Dutch national elections in mind!

The first, on the 25th of February will focus on the Dutch political system itself. Yes, there’s an election coming, but does the Dutch governing system still have the legitimacy to exercise power in a globalising world? And how legitimate is the power wielded by unelected bodies such as the judiciary or central banks? To help shed light on these questions, Prof. Dr. Ruud Koole, professor emeritus at Leiden University and senator for the Labor Party (PvdA) will join us.

Event 1

Legitimacy: does the Dutch governing system still have it?

February 25, 2021, 20.00h - 21:15h

Prof. dr. Ruud Koole (1953) is professor emeritus of political science at Leiden University, senator for the Dutch Labor Party (PvdA) and former national chairman of said party.

He was also Visiting Scholar at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University and Fellow-in-Residence at The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences. His research is focused on Dutch politics and the functioning of political parties in Western Europe. Over the years, he has taught thousands of students in Political Science and Public Administration about the state and historical development of Dutch electoral politics.

He is the author of several books, including his most recent publication “Twee pijlers” (Two pillars - 2021). In this book he examines the relationship between the elected pillar (electoral system, political parties, parliament, government) and unelected pillar (judiciary, central bank, other unelected public authorities) of the constitutional state. Do these pillars still function in a globalising world? Do they still have legitimacy?

Marty Smits (MBA’01J) once was a prospective Member of Parliament for 5 days after the 2010 elections. He was a member of the National Board of D66 and led the commission that wrote the parties’ election manifesto in 2012.

Professionally he worked at BCG between 1997 and 2019, lastly as a Partner and Managing Director.

He is currently an entrepreneur in the solar industry.

In this webinar, he will expand on these questions and connect them to the upcoming Dutch national election, before going into a Q&A with the audience. So if you have questions such as “Is the governmental system still representative? Is the current splintering of parties historically unprecedented? Why do The Netherlands have this culture of political consensus?,” make sure not to miss this event!

Legitimacy: does the Dutch governing system still have it? Feb 25, 2021