Responsive corporatism without political credit: social concertation, constructive opposition and the long tenure of the Rutte II cabinet in the Netherlands (2012–2017)

Abstract

This paper analyses the unexpected return of social concertation in the Netherlands under the Rutte II government (2012–2017). Despite political fragmentation, electoral volatility and intensified EU budgetary surveillance, between 2012 and 2017 the Netherlands witnessed several social pacts that proved vital to the enactment of long-awaited reforms, allowed the government to turn post-crisis fiscal deficits into surpluses, and helped regenerate economic growth. After describing the contextual differences with the Dutch ‘miracle’ years of the 1980s and 1990s, we reveal a novel institutional logic of responsive corporatism whereby, first, a social pact with civil society actors is agreed which, then, becomes a launching pad for the de facto minority government to enlist parties from the ‘constructive opposition’ in these agreements to deliver anticipated reforms. Unlike the 1980s and 1990s, however, pro-active engagement with the social partners did not pay out electorally, in particular for the social democrats.