Samenvatting

In this chapter the autor explores the contours and possible effects of the WMO for the local government level. First she gives a short overview of the main features of the WMO (PAR. 2.5). Then she describes the challenges that local government is confronted with, especially the political decisions that have to be taken at the local level (PAR. 2.3). The question to be answered is whether or not the WMO means an impulse for local democracy in the Netherlands. To that purpose, two quick comparisons are made (PAR. 2.4): with other decentralisation operations in the Netherlands, and with the decentralisation of social care and welfare in Sweden. These comparisons make it possible to determine two main conditions for creating an impulse for local politics, which are presented in PAR. 2.5. The article ends by some concluding remarks on the effect of the WMO on the local democracy in the Netherlands.