Influence of the Social Support Act on the reform of local welfare policy in the Netherlands

在荷兰福利国家改革的背景下，权力下放是其现代化的主要政策之一。本研究旨在考察2007年颁布的《社会支持法》的影响，特别是其关于权力下放对荷兰地方福利政策和行政系统的规定。本研究发现，该法扩大了市政当局福利管理人员的自由裁量权。它还在当地公民参与建立各自社区的“社会凝聚力”方面发挥了作用。与此同时，该法案受到了批评。例如，已指出各市之间福利服务及其质量的差距越来越大。另一个有争议的问题是服务使用者权利的减少。这一变化是由于家庭护理服务的覆盖范围从社会保险转移到市政提供，这是基于税收预算。

In the context of Dutch welfare state reform, decentralisation is one of the main policies of its modernisation. This study aimed to examine the influence of the Social Support Act enacted in 2007, particularly its provisions on decentralisation on local welfare policies and the administrative system in the Netherlands. This study found that the Act has extended the discretion of welfare administrators in municipalities. It has likewise played a role in involving local citizens to establish ‘social cohesion’ in their respective communities.Meanwhile, the Act has received critical reviews. For example, the increased differences of the welfare service and its quality among the municipalities have been pointed out. Another controversial issue is the diminished rights of service users. This change was brought by the transfer in coverage of domestic care service from social insurance to municipal provision, which is based on the tax budget.