Time for reflection
The Dutch cabinet is stuck in an endless loop of short-term decisions, without any kind of vision or mission. A recent article in the “Financieel Dagblad” (article) painfully exposes how the outgoing cabinet is considering a grab from the National Growth Fund to plug budget deficits. This is symptomatic of a deeper problem: the lack of a comprehensive vision for our society. Surely now is the time for reflection!
A lack of vision and multiple missions
This is not the first time the government has considered such a short-sighted move. Think of the grab from natural gas revenues in the past. It is a repetition of moves, a vicious cycle of visionlessness. The polarised political struggle has led to a group of individuals who have completely lost the community perspective.
The bureaucratic trap
Several articles on the National Growth Fund point to the bureaucratic swamp into which the Growth Fund is in danger of getting bogged down. A process that requires several parties to consider an investment proposal, which slows down and complicates the process. Not only is this inefficient, but it also undermines the fund’s potential to serve as a catalyst for fundamental change through innovation. In doing so, it falls into a bureacratic trap.
A political grab bag
The National Growth Fund is known in political The Hague as a ‘grab fund’. This is a painful echo of the past, where funds like the Economic Structure Enhancement Fund (FES) ended up becoming a plaything of political wishes. It is a warning we should not ignore. Short-term politics should not stick its grappling arms into the Growth Fund as if it were a grab bag. The fund should be allowed to focus on increasing social impact and long-term perspective.
Increase problem-solving capacity
Daily practice and scientific research show that a society’s ability to solve problems is crucial for its well-being and broad prosperity. The National Growth Fund can enhance this capacity by investing in programmes and projects that offer innovative solutions to complex issues. But no, the government is opting for the easy way out, thus perpetuating the very issues it wants to solve. Politicians constantly choose the path of polarisation, looking away from a change perspective based on intention and ‘design on first principles’; and thus staying away from paying attention to increasing the problem-solving capacity within our society.
An international comparison
It is shameful that while countries like Germany, France and Norway have clear programmes and open budgets for their investment funds, the Netherlands remains stuck in vague goals and a lack of control. We risk being left behind in the international race towards innovation and prosperity that directly benefits all our citizens. Investment in the resilience of our society and innovations should go hand in hand.
A multifaceted approach for today’s future
To realise a hopeful vision, we need to go beyond single projects and focus on systemic, regenerative change. This requires an animated approach that goes beyond traditional political structures. We can start by establishing a ‘counterpart’ to short-term politics; a ‘Council for Future-proof Governance’. Provided, of course, that it consists of inspired and knowledgeable individuals capable of guiding transformational and transitional change. This council should not only report to parliament, but also actively collaborate with citizen councils, citizen panels, civil society organisations and the business community to develop an integrated vision for the future.
The council’s relationship with the House of Representatives and Politics
From a transition and transformation perspective, the Future Governance Council serves as an independent but not isolated body. It should serve a bridging function between the Lower House, the executive, and other stakeholders such as citizens’ councils, citizens’ panels and civil society organisations. The council should report regularly to the Lower House, but also have the freedom to initiate independent research and make recommendations beyond the current political agenda.
Safeguards against short-term politics
To ensure that the Future Governance Council remains free from the influence of short-term politics, there are several mechanisms that could be put in place. Council members should be appointed for fixed terms that do not coincide with political election cycles. The Council should have an independent budget and consist of a diverse group of experts and citizens from different disciplines and backgrounds.
The Council and the Judiciary — a comparison
Like the judiciary, which serves as an independent check on the executive and legislative powers, the Council for Future-proof Governance could play a similar monitoring role. However, while the judiciary focuses mainly on interpreting and enforcing existing laws, the Council would focus on shaping and ensuring future regenerative policies and addressing complex, systemic problems.
The way forward: hopeful and directional solutions
If we really want to break with the soulless politics of the past and present, we need to look at new forms of governance and leadership. Transformational leadership, participatory governance, adaptive leadership, regenerative leadership, ethical leadership and systems thinking can show us the way to future-proof governance. These perspectives extend beyond short-term politics and may offer more hope. They provide a framework for the kind of integrated vision and mission we so desperately need.
Oh yes….or, we’ll just keep it simple
Let’s face it, it doesn’t all have to be so complicated. The government can also choose to just do its job: shape a broad societal vision for the future and establish safeguards that guide future political-administrative choices. Instead of getting bogged down in short-term politics and soulless decision-making, politics can focus on what really matters: the well-being and broad welfare of society as a whole. So, dear politicians and policymakers, just do what you are meant to do: “Do Your Job!”
Time for reflection and inspiration
It is time to bring soul back into national governance. It is time for reflection and to choose political-administrative leadership that dares to invest in the future, instead of plundering from the future. It is already time to choose a cabinet that has the guts to shape a vision beyond the next election. It is time to break with the soulless politics of the past and choose a future that inspires and challenges.
It is up to us to bring back inspiration during and after the elections. Let us choose a future that serves us all, instead of one that divides and pits us against each other. Let us choose a Netherlands that dares to dream, innovate and invest in its people and its future.
