Dissertation
Ministers of State
On 17 April, Evert-Jan Govaers defended the thesis 'Ministers of State. Unknown and desired; from stage to the wings?'.The doctoral research was supervised by Wim Voermans.
- Author
- Evert-Jan Govaers
- Date
- 17 April 2024
- Links
- Ministers of State
In the Netherlands, the title of Minister of State is granted to a select set of senior politicians and administrators, generally towards the end of their career. They are appointed by the monarch, acting on a proposal by the cabinet. In this capacity, they are then asked to perform certain activities or to carry out specific tasks. Both the content of the Minister of State role itself and the appointment process are quite vague. Nevertheless, this exclusive ministerial title has considerable social status.
The aim of this research study is to provide insight into the title of Minister of State. The problem description is as follows:
What development has taken place in the role of Minister of State; what has the legal and political significance of the Minister of State been; and what can be said about the present-day role of Minister of State, in the Netherlands and in various other countries?