Abstract
Despite the good reputation of the Netherlands, Dutch empirical research on the extent of both public and private forms of corruption is still scarce. However, the empirical findings that do exist as well as the expert opinions confirm the impression that corruption increasingly has become an alarming phenomenon in Dutch public administration and various lines of businesses. In this essay, I will give a brief overview of current developments with regard to both the corruption problem in the Netherlands and the ways the Dutch try to contain this problem.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The Netherlands is ranked 7th on the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (2011).
- 2.
Guanxi refers to the practice in some East-Asian cultures of building long-term business and political relationships through the exchange of favours. The term is also used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another (Fan, 2002).
- 3.
Blat is a Russian word for informal networks and contacts used to obtain goods and services, especially during the era of Soviet Russia.
- 4.
This case and the first stages of the criminal proceedings have been documented by the investigative journalists Van der Boon and Van der Marel in two books: De Vastgoedfraude. Miljoenenzwendel aan de top van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven, Amsterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam Uitgevers 2010 and De Ontknoping. De Vastgoedfraude voor de rechter, Amsterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam Uitgevers 2012. Also a research group of criminologists, supervised by Henk van de Bunt, scrutinized this case. Their findings are published in the report Bestuurlijke rapportage vastgoedfraudezaak ‘Klim-op’, Rotterdam/Utrecht, Erasmus School of Law/Verwey-Jonker Instituut, 2011.
- 5.
This act, which came into effect on 1 June 2003, allows the refusal or withdrawal of approval decisions and the refusal of participation in public tenders, subsidies or contracts. This is applicable if there is a serious risk that the approval will also lead to criminal acts or to financial benefits which have been or are to be gained through criminal activities. Examples include the licensing of bars, coffee shops, sex establishments and amusement arcades.
References
Bunt, H. G., & Kleemans, E. R. (2007). Georganiseerde criminaliteit in Nederland. Den Haag: Boom Juridische uitgevers.
Cohen, S. (1993). Human rights and crimes of the state: The culture of Denial. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 26(2), 97–115.
Della Porta, D., & Vanucci, A. (1999). Corrupt exchanges. Actors, resources, and mechanisms of political corruption. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Fijnaut, C. (2010) Introduction of the New York Double Strategy to Control Organized Crime in the Netherlands and the European Union, European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, 18, 43–65.
Graaf, G. de, Huberts, L. W. J. C., & Nelen, H. (2008). Is the glass half full or half empty? Perceptions of the scale and nature of corruption in the Netherlands. Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 9(1), 84–94.
Huberts, L. W. J. C., & Nelen, J. M. (2005). Corruptie in het Nederlandse openbaar bestuur; omvang, aard en afdoening. Utrecht: Lemma.
Katz, J. (1979). Concerted Ignorance: The Social Construction of a Cover-up. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 8(3), 295–316.
Kleemans, E. R., Brienen, M., & van de Bunt, H. G. (2002). Georganiseerde Criminaliteit in Nederland. Den Haag: Boom Juridische uitgevers.
Nelen, H. (2005). De strafrechtelijke afdoening van ambtelijke corruptie. Justitiële verkenningen, 31(7), 37–48.
Nelen, H., Ter Luun, B. , & Bruin, A. de (2008). De omgeving van de Rijksgebouwendienst: integriteitsrisico’s bij de koop en huur van vastgoed. Maastricht/Amsterdam: Maastricht University/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Nelen, H., & Huisman, W. (2008). Breaking the power of organized crime? The administrative approach to organized crime in Amsterdam. In: D. Siegel, H. Nelen (Eds.). Organized crime: Culture, Markets and Policies (pp. 207–218). New York: Springer.
Projectgroep Emergo (2011). Emergo. De gezamenlijke aanpak van de zware (georganiseerde) misdaad in het hart van Amsterdam: achtergronden, ontwikkelingen, perspectieven. Den Haag: Boom.
van de Bunt, H. G. (2010). Walls of secrecy and silence. The Madoff case and cartels in the construction industry. Criminology & Public Policy, 9(3), 435–453.
van de Bunt, H. G., & Nelen, H. (2012). Corruption in various shapes and sizes. Some criminological reflections. In: Mededelingen van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Internationaal Recht. International Law and the Fight against Corruption (p. 1–24). Den Haag: Asser Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nelen, H. (2014). Corruption Dutch style. In: Caneppele, S., Calderoni, F. (eds) Organized Crime, Corruption and Crime Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01839-3_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01839-3_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-01838-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-01839-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)