Change Management Process In The City Of Amersfoort



Change management process in the City of Amersfoort
Public sector modernization

Fall semester – University of Lugano

Table of Contents
Case overview 3
Case analysis
iMain developments in Dutch local government 5
iiTwo different approaches 7
iiiWorkshops: achievements and contributions 8
Case discussion
iHas the process been successful? 9
iiWould a similar approach be possible in Switzerland? 9
References 10

Case overview
The Netherlands are a kingdom with a   population of about 16 million people. Over 50% of the population live in the western part of the country, the so –called Randstad. This area encompasses the cities of Rotterdam, Den Haag, Amsterdam und Utrecht.
The country is a decentralized state with three tiers of government: central government, provincial government (12 provinces) and local government (at the moment there are 478 local authorities). Central government has a representation at provincial level in the person of the commissioner of the queen and at local level in the person of the mayor.
In country like the Netherlands and Germany municipalities are (to a certain degree) autonomous. This means that they have a freedom to develop and experiment. In a country like England however authorities are very much under the influence of decrees from central government.
The most important task of the provinces is to control the local authorities. As such it, for example, sets the framework for urban and country planning.
The local authorities have to respect the laws and regulations set by the two superior levels of government: provincial and central. This means that local authorities are being supervised by provincial and central government. However in reality this supervision has a very low profile. In certain situation municipalities are autonomous and have possibilities to function independent of laws, rules and regulations set by these higher levels of government.
Secondly, municipalities have semi –...