The topic of this book is an anti-establishment party, Liveable Rotterdam (Leefbaar Rotterdam), that won one third of the votes in the 2002 municipal elections in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. This electoral triumph shocked the established political parties and governmental actors, and initially these were reluctant to cooperate with the newcomer. However, mere months after its victory, Liveable Rotterdam became part of the political executive and several years later changes high on its political agenda were implemented with support from almost all other parties.
This research shows how a political system of consensus and accommodation relates to anti-establishment politics and vice versa. It demonstrates how adversarial politics can result in governing coalitions that are able to achieve results. In this way, this book offers insight not only for people with a general interest in the working of local politics, but also for municipalities facing similar dissensual political parties.
Julien van Ostaaijen (1978) works at the Tilburg School of Politics and Public Administration at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. His field of research is mainly urban and local governance.