Early Modern Developments in Dutch Public Administration

Abstract

In the Netherlands between the 1770s and 1813, a new political vocabulary emerged amid processes of democratization, bureaucratization, and politicization. It included new or at least reemphasized public values and, by extension, helped frame new normative foundations for Dutch administration. As this article shows, these changes were influenced by several important-but generally unexplored-early modern Dutch writers. In addition, it offers ideas to inform future Europe-wide comparative historical research on changing morality and administration.

Princely Patronage and Patriot Cause: Corruption and Public Value Dynamics in the Dutch Republic (1770s–1780s)

“…From the 1770s, Patriot protests against these practices could be heard ever more clearly (Kerkhoff, 2014). The Patriots wanted "their" public officials to be loyal and accountable to the people (Zwitser, 1987, pp.…”

“…Israel, 1998;Palmer, 1954;Schama, 1977). The period was important, as a number of reform-minded and politically inspired authors used the blossoming press to explicitly aim at structural and moral improvement of Dutch public administration (Kerkhoff, 2014). A powerful current of revolutionary zeal and a desire for administrative moral reform led to a near-constant moral reassessment of the position and functioning of "proper" public officials (cf.…”

“…Various Dutch political reformers (cf. Kerkhoff, 2014), such as Joan Dirk van der Capellen (1741-1784), Johan Hendrik Swildens (1745-1809), Willem Ockerse (1760-1826), and Isaac Gogel (1765-1821), went against the tide and demanded that public officials be humble, neutral, and fair (i.e., bureaucratic) custodians of the people's interests rather than "despotic" usurpers (cf. Zwitser, 1987, pp.…”

“…The Patriot critique of the Repelaers of their world, and their attempt to reform the local town councils, which failed in 1787, had been explicitly meant to decrease the need for informal ways of delegating and using political power and authority. Despite the fact that Repelaer was reinstated as a confidant in 1787, the seeds of a major moral change for the future had been sown (Kerkhoff, 2013a(Kerkhoff, , 2013b(Kerkhoff, , 2014.…”