Sarah de Lange, new professor of Dutch Politics: ‘We should not take our democratic constitutional state for granted’
‘Dutch politics are changing, but they also are characterised by stability; that tension fascinates me.’ Sarah de Lange studies, among other things, the Dutch party system, and specifically how the rise of extremist parties influences democracy. She will start as a professor in Leiden in mid-October.
Before obtaining your PhD at the University of Antwerp and becoming a university lecturer and then professor at the University of Amsterdam, you studied Political Science here in Leiden. Is there a memory from your student days that you would like to share?
‘My studies in Political Science in Leiden coincided with the rise of Pim Fortuyn. The breakthrough of his LPF party was seen as a political earthquake at the time. Until 2002, commentators thought that the Netherlands were not really susceptible to the advance of radical right-wing populism. Because I was taught in Leiden by world-renowned comparative Political Scientists, not least the late Professor Peter Mair, I learned that the Netherlands was in fact fertile ground for this new political movement and that the Dutch political system offered excellent opportunities for political entrepreneurs.’
‘What I found remarkable about my education in Leiden was the attention given to the individual student. Although I started together with about 75 students, one of the professors insisted on having all students explain on camera what made them unique during the first year of my studies. He watched these videos while working out on his exercise bike, and as a result, he knew everyone by name after a week. Although I don’t use this trick myself, I do think it's very important to get to know students personally and not only to impart insight and knowledge to them, but also to support them in their personal development. Your student days are the ultimate time to discover what you find interesting, what you are good at, and what your areas for development are.’
Closer to The Hague
And how do you feel about returning to your alma mater?
‘What appeals to me enormously about the position I will be occupying in Leiden is the fact that the bachelor’s and master’s programmes focus a lot on Dutch politics, and that students consciously choose Leiden for this reason. Moreover, I find it very appealing to work closer to The Hague. This is relevant for teaching, as it is important for students to become acquainted with political practice, but also for my research. I believe it is incredibly important to translate my research findings into actionable perspectives that can improve our democracy. For example, based on existing research, I have been advocating for years for the voting age to be lowered to 16. Being closer to The Hague allows me to better promote proposals like this.’
Political Scientists end up in a variety of positions. What kept you in academia?
‘All my life, I have loved solving puzzles, whether they be jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, or crime mysteries. And doing research is like solving a puzzle: a certain development takes place which cannot be explained by existing theories, so you have to look for a new explanation and test whether it is correct. I owe this insight in large part to my mentor Huib Pellikaan, who hired me as a student assistant during my Political Science studies in Leiden. He helped me conduct my first real scientific research, took me to my first scientific conference, and together with him and fellow student Tom van der Meer, I published my first scientific article.’
Change and continuity
How would you describe your teaching assignment?
‘As a professor of Dutch Politics, my goal is to understand the transformation that has taken place over the past decades. In doing so, it is important to explain the changes that are taking place, such as the rise of the far right, increased political fragmentation, growing polarisation, and the erosion of the democratic constitutional state. But it is also important to recognise the continuity that still characterizes Dutch politics.’
‘The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics, which I edited together with Tom Louwerse (Leiden University), Paul ‘t Hart (Utrecht University), and Carolien van Ham (Radboud University), shows that the classic characteristics of of our consociational democracy are still visible in the Netherlands.’
‘An important question for the coming years is, of course, whether this has changed significantly since 2024, with the arrival of the Schoof I cabinet. More specifically, in the coming years I want to investigate whether the concept of “unpolitics”, a term introduced by British Political Scientist Paul Taggart, can help us gain a better understanding of the changes taking place in Dutch politics. According to Taggart, “unpolitics” refers to the strategic use of disruptive tactics in politics, usually by new political actors. For example, politicians deliberately use polarising language, conspiracy theories, and science denial. But it also refers to strategies such as dehumanisation or delegitimising election results, which can lower the threshold for the use of political violence. Interestingly, I first encountered the concept of “unpolitics” when Taggart gave a lecture at Leiden University in 2023.’
Democracy is not perfect, but it is the fairest system
For a Political Scientist, ‘society’ is an object of study. Do you also see the citizens and politicians you research as conversation partners?
‘As a researcher, I think it is incredibly important to share my findings with a wide audience. Even before I ever published my first scientific article with colleagues from Leiden, I wrote an article for the newspaper Trouw to explain the rise of Fortuyn. And throughout my career, I have tried to serve a wide range of outlets in order to reach as many groups of citizens as possible. I speak with equal enthusiasm about my research on AT5 as I do on CNN, and I am just as happy to give official advice to the Dutch House of Representatives and the cabinet as I am to visit a secondary school in the east of the country to take part in a debate.’
‘What I find most important during debates and lectures is to impress upon citizens that the democratic constitutional state is something valuable that we should not take for granted. It is certainly not a perfect system. For example, some groups of citizens are less well represented than others. But it is the fairest political system we know. And the system that best protects citizens' rights against arbitrariness and tyranny by the government.’
We are in the midst of the campaign for the Dutch parliamentary elections. And, of course, politics in the Netherlands is currently going through a turbulent period. How do you view the current developments? What are your expectations for the upcoming elections?
‘Political Scientists do not have a crystal ball and cannot predict the outcome of elections, especially in a country like the Netherlands where voters are no longer tied to a single party. Research shows that many Dutch voters only make their final decision in the last days of the campaign, or even in the voting booth, just before casting their vote. What is likely, however, is that we will face a very complicated government formation process after the elections. During the campaign, various parties have been explicit about the fact that they do not want to cooperate with certain parties because of differences in policy or a lack of mutual trust.’
‘From a democratic point of view, this is positive, because it allows voters to take these preferences into account when deciding how to vote. However, it does make it difficult to form a majority cabinet in the current fragmented landscape. For this reason, I have been advocating for years that we experiment with a minority government, which seeks changing majorities depending on the policy area in which reforms are to be implemented.’
Should we be concerned about our democracy?
‘It has long been thought that relatively new democracies, such as Hungary and Poland, are particularly susceptible to erosion. But this is also true for established democracies, and the Netherlands are not an exception. We saw signs of this during the Schoof I government. There are two important reasons why the decline is not as rapid as in Italy or the United Kingdom, for example. Firstly, our proportional electoral system ensures a fragmented party landscape and broad coalitions. This makes it less easy for one or two parties to take measures that undermine the democratic constitutional state. At the same time, other parties must stand firm, and during the Schoof I cabinet it became clear that they often find it difficult to do so. Secondly, we are fortunate that the Senate has a different composition than the House of Representatives, and as a result, a number of harmful measures have been withdrawn or voted down. But it is important to realise that this composition is likely to change in 2027. The question is whether this House will then still act as the conscience of the constitutional state.’
Academic freedom is under pressure
You are known as a scientist who does not shy away from public debate and dares to take a stand. Doesn't this conflict with the objectivity we expect from a researcher?
‘When I participate in public debate, I do so on the basis of my expertise. I share insights from scientific research and how we can apply them to current developments. So I don't give my opinion. Rather, I interpret events, processes, and outcomes. In doing so, I make use of my academic freedom, an essential part of the democratic constitutional state that also protects academics in the public sphere. Unfortunately, this principle is under considerable pressure. For this reason, I also conduct scientific research into how developments in politics affect academic freedom, and in particular how they contribute to threats and intimidation of scientists.’
Learning from students
Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to in your new job as professor of Dutch Politics?
‘It won’t be until February, but I am especially looking forward to teaching Leiden Political Science students for the first time. When I was a student here, the programme was only offered in Dutch, whereas now there is a hugely diverse and international student population. The great thing about such a group of students is that, as a comparative Political Scientist, I learn a lot from the students about politics in their countries of origin and their views on Dutch politics.’