April 10, 2023

Multilevel governance & community development: The district approach in the Netherlands

Els TiemanHead of the department for district

approach

Multilevel conference2 December 2010

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Overview presentation

• Headlines of the district approach

• Roles of various parties in the district approach

• Forms of collaboration between different governmentlevels

• Case Tennet, Maastricht

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Headlines district approach • Urgency

o 40 districts are in the danger zoneo Growing divide o Gap between these and other areas is widening o Average income is 25% lower o Accumulation of problems, general policy fails

• GoalsO Indicators on average level: work, education, safetyO Dissemination of the knowledge and results

• Methodo Partnership between municipalities and central government o Integrated approach with a large number of players o Shared responsibilityo Approach is centered around the residents of the 40 districtso Geographically focused

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Major parties involved

• Central Government 

• Municipalities

• Housing corporations

• Residents of the 40 communities

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Roles of the different government levels• National Government:

o Roles of program management for the communities: o Inspiring the local level o Boosting the process o Creating preconditions for a successful local programo Supporting municipalities o Dissolving limitations within and between different

government levels o Mediator between local parties

• 7 Experiments• Community of practice with local project manager• Outcome and output monitor

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Role mayor stakeholdersMunicipalities (18)

• Together with corporations: primarily responsible for coordination and implementation of the program for the selected districts

• Empowerment of residents

Housing corporations (70)• Important financial partner• Together with municipality: primarily responsible for

coordination and implementation of the program for the selected districts

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Residentso Involvement partly in control and response o Have a budget for initiatives (95 million euro's in 2008-

2011)

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Other parties involved

o All stakeholders at local and regional levels who collaborate in implementing the district approach: police, healthcare, schools, social workers, small and medium size enterprises, employment office, large corporations, etc.

o Knowledge centers(government funded), organizing conferences and workshops on the local level

o A national alliance that already includes more than 60 public institutions and organizations all working in the effort to improve the districts

o A group of scientists analyses the approach and advise the national goverment

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Formal multilevel-governance (1)Formal instruments:

• Charters: Agreements on joint efforts between 18 municipalities and central government (12-16 ministers)

• Community action plans: Agreement between municipality, residents, housing corporations and other local stakeholders

• Aedes Agreement (financial agreement between national government and housing corporations on financing communities program by housing corporations) (2.5 billion for 10 years)

• Accountability: municipalities justify performance and progress in the city council, National government justifies the progress in the 40 districts in the National parliament

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Formal multilevel-governance (2)• Horizontal: Monitoring within national government:

o Regular meeting between the General Director of the ministries involved

o Linking Pinso Consultations between directors and managers of

different ministrieso Monitoring by the municipality

• Vertical: Monitoring:o Regular meeting between Minister, aldermen and

directors of housing corporationso Visits of Minister to the districts o Account managers

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Fluid Multilevel-governance• This includes problems in a district that transcends

district/municipality level, taking a different level of government or a commercial company.

o National and local level are jointly committed

o Role National government: involved outsider and mediator

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Case Fluid multilevel-governance: Tennet (1)

• Problem district of Maastricht Nord East

• National government and municipality made an agreement in charter: National government will seek finance for constructing a high voltage power line and a railway tunnel

• Purpose: Strengthen the link between 2 small neighborhoods by gathering all facilities (school, sport facilities, shops etc) in a new area

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Case Fluid multilevel-governance: Tennet (2)• Financial support is needed from a multitude of parties

• Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment• Municipality of Maastricht• Province of Limburg• Housing corporation• Tennet (Transmission System Operator and

administrator of the national high-voltage grid )

• All parties agreed to finance, except for Tenneto Reason: a different agreement between the Ministry

of Economic Affairs and the former Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the environment

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Case Fluid multilevel-governance: Tennet (3)• National role:

• Mediator between Ministry of Economic Affairs, State Institute of Public Health and environment and Tennet

• Bottlenecks:• Convincing every party involved • To come to one point of view within the national

government, with all its different interests• Length negotiation process: one year already

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Conclusions on multilevel-governance• Long term involvement

• Successful approach

• Based on shared responsibility and mutual dependency

• Shared goal and an integrated approach with a multitude of stakeholders

• Dissemination method and knowledge

• Results on:• Decrease unemployment, early school leavers, pollution and small

destruction• Residents have more trust in future

• Questions?

April 10, 2023