ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a synopsis of the chronological account of the cases as a starting point. The similarity in all the Dutch cases is the conflict between a higher authority, which tries to pursue a policy or to change a policy, and a lower authority, which perceives its interests and autonomy to be threatened. The similarity in the Polish cases is the conflict between the local community and/or interest groups on the one hand and public administration in the person of the State on the other. Part of the differences between the Dutch cases and the Polish cases can be explained by looking at them from the viewpoint of the policy systems. The Polish cases show an increasing mobilisation of citizens and pressure groups during the course of the conflict. Taking the cases as a whole, effectiveness could be examined by asking whether the result is satisfying or, at the least, acceptable to the parties involved.
