Politics on the Move
The Influence of Political Parties on Mobility in Dutch Cities
M.C.J. Dijkstra (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Karin Peters – Mentor (Wageningen University & Research)
JA Anne Annema – Mentor (TU Delft - Transport and Logistics)
J.W.F. Wamelink – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
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Abstract
This thesis explores how political parties influence mobility policy at the municipal level in the Netherlands. While existing literature has primarily focused on national politics, this study investigates how party ideology, political strategies and external factors interact in the local policy-making process. Drawing on partisan theory from a party family approach and the Multiple Streams Framework, the research aims at understanding how mobility challenges are defined, framed, prioritized, responded to and translated into policy. A qualitative comparative case study design was adopted in this study and focused on the municipalities of Leiden and Zoetermeer. These municipalities differ in their political composition and mobility policy approaches. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with local council members, aldermen and civil servants, supported by a review of policy documents and municipal plans. Findings indicate that there is a relationship between the political party composition of a coalition and the direction of mobility policy that is pursued. However, this relationship is influenced by a broader political context. By demonstrating the interplay between party preferences, political strategies and structures and local institutional contexts, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of urban mobility policymaking and the role that local politics play in shaping this.