Het Nederlandse parlement

The Dutch Parliament is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in politics, parliamentary history, and constitutional law. This standard work, first published in 1958, extensively covers the place of parliament in the constitutional system, the relationship between the House of Representatives and the Senate in the bicameral system, the electoral system and elections, the organization and working methods of the Houses of Representatives, the legislative process, the content and scope of ministerial responsibility and the information obligations of ministers, the relationship between government and parliament (the rule of confidence), the complex process of cabinet formation, and the dissolution of parliament.

The focus is on a systematic and accessible description of parliamentary affairs in all its aspects, with particular attention to constitutional aspects of the functioning of the States General. The discussion of the subtopics is illustrated with numerous examples from parliamentary history.

This thirteenth edition is a completely revised edition. In recent years, both the House of Representatives and the Senate have adopted completely new rules of procedure. The new provisions concerning parliamentary procedures have been fully incorporated into this completely revised new edition. Considerable attention has also been paid to several current developments in parliament, such as the establishment and enforcement of codes of conduct for Members of Parliament (political integrity), recent developments in the bicameral system, changes in the scope of information duties for ministers (‘new administrative culture’), and activities within the House of Representatives to strengthen the exercise of its parliamentary functions through a new approach. Recent developments in the government-parliament relationship and in the cabinet formation process have also received considerable attention in this new edition. This has resulted in a significant number of chapters in this new edition being rewritten.

Intended and suitable for professionals working in parliamentary and government settings, as well as for students of law, political history, public administration, and political science.