ABSTRACT
Water management in the Netherlands is highly consensus based, which seems to be rooted in the decisionmaking process associated with water resources in the polders since the Middle Ages. At that time, such decisions were made by the water boards, democratic stakeholder organizations consisting of elected representatives from the local communities (see Chapter 8). This decisionmaking system has continued for many centuries and still characterizes presentday water resource governance in the Netherlands. The mode of governance has varied depending on the specific situation, and several periods with a characteristic management structure can be distinguished.
