Abstract
This dissertation contributes to the knowledge about Joop den Uyl in his role as prime minister, the opportunities and obstacles of the office of the Dutch prime minister, and the theory of political leadership. Although the Den Uyl cabinet took office over 50 years ago, the performance of prime minister
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Joop den Uyl (1973-1977) continues to puzzle observers of Dutch politics. This study Den Uyl as prime minister aims, however, to contribute not only to our insight into this particular political figure, but to also to provide tools and insights for the study of prime-ministerial political leadership more widely. The analytical focus of this study is on the interplay between the politician and head of government Den Uyl and the social and political context in which he acted. This is reflected in the central research question: How does the interaction between context and person determine the performance and impact of prime minister Den Uyl's political leadership? The study combines two very different theoretical perspectives: political time and leadership trait analysis. The first lens, the one of the typology of the political time, offers a contextual perspective based on the insights of American political scientist Stephen Skowronek, and subsequent adaptations and refinements by other scholars. This typology is used to analyse the opportunities and constraints Den Uyl experienced from the political, economic, and institutional context during his time as prime minister. The second lens, the one of leadership trait analysis (LTA) developed by Margaret G. Hermann, provides a tool for assessing Den Uyl's political personality. The empirical part of the study combines LTA-led personality assessment of Den Uyl with two in-depth case studies describing and analyzing how as prime minister Den Uyl navigated two starkly different leadership challenges: Suriname's drive for independence and the regulation of abortion practices. Using the model of political time, Den Uyl's political position and leadership position in the case at hand is described. Followed by a detailed description of the events with a focus on Den Uyl's actions based on extensive source and archive research. After concluding the actual case description, Den Uyl's performance is analysed based on his LTA in relation to the leadership position. The following conclusions can be drawn from this study. The LTA provided a 'psychological grammar' when interpreting Den Uyl’s performance. However, the crux turned out to be in the psychological interpretation of certain patterns in Den Uyl's performance. The literature addresses the question whether and if so, to what extent Skowronek's model is applicable in the Dutch political constellation. The case research confirms Laing and McCaffrie's presumption that for democracies with a consensus system and inevitable multiparty coalitions, there are inherent limitations to this theory's explanatory power. Deploying this research design sheds new light on Den Uyl's premiership, leading to the conclusion that his leadership was mainly determined by the narrow margin afforded to anyone holding the office of prime minister in the Netherlands.
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