ABSTRACT
This chapter is a reflection on the studies that we have conducted in recent years concerning the relationship between policy governance and front-line governance. 1 Attention to front-line governance is consistent with the re-evaluation of the operational side of public governance that began in the Netherlands and other Western countries in 2000 (Tops 2003; Hill and Hupe 2002). This process of re-evaluation did not come out of the blue; it was a reaction to a crisis in which public administration had landed. In the Netherlands, the name of Pim Fortuyn is associated with this crisis (Cuperus 2003; Pels 2004; Couwenberg 2004; Wansink 2005). His criticism of the incumbent political elite was appealing to many. According to Fortuyn’s line of reasoning, these elites had squandered the quality of public administration by neglecting the position and interests of operational professionals (e.g. officers, teachers, nurses). Fortuyn’s star rose quickly on the political scene in the Netherlands. His chances for a national breakthrough were excellent, but he was assassinated on 6 May 2002, shortly before the national elections. Nonetheless, his party experienced a landslide victory in the elections.
