Introduction

This book has shed light on the very rich case of policy analysis and evaluation in the Netherlands. To some extent, the Dutch case reflects broader international trends, such as the rationalisation and scientification of politics and policymaking the 1960s and 1970s, in which policy analysis and evaluation played a key role. Also, the revival of interest in ‘evidence-based policymaking’ in the last few years and the growing contestation of knowledge claims are not exceptional to the Netherlands. Like many other countries, the Netherlands is witnessing an uneasy combination of the ‘scientification of politics’ and the ‘politicisation of science’.

It should be made clear that policy analysis and evaluation refer to both theorydriven and utilisation-focused policy research in the Dutch context. The former is mostly practised in academia; the latter is mainly carried out in government or commissioned by the government to a whole bunch of private research institutes in the semi-private sector. However, as argued by Van Hoesel (see Chapter Ten), policy research should not be confused with policy advice. Policy research rarely ends in policy advice, which is provided by consultants.

What seems exceptional to the Dutch case is the degree of institutionalisation of policy analysis and evaluation. Few countries have such a strongly institutionalised research–policy nexus and so many institutional ‘boundary organisations’ as the Netherlands. The very specifically Dutch system of ‘planning bureaus’ is perhaps the best example of the strength of the institutionalisation of policy analysis and evaluation in the Netherlands. The evolution of Dutch politics over the past decades cannot be understood without reference to this ‘fifth power’.

This institutionalisation of policy analysis and evaluation is also reflected in Dutch academia. It goes without saying that the high policy relevancy of policy analysis and evaluation also benefited the developed of academic interest in these areas. Most universities offer training programmes that are directly or indirectly related to policy analysis and evaluation. What is more, over the past decades, the Netherlands has become a beacon for theoretical developments on an international scale. Besides their large impact on the development of the rational perspective on policy analysis and evaluation, Dutch scholars have also played a leading role in the development of institutional and interpretive modes of policy analysis in particular.