From growth to conditions: local choices shape the business climate

A side-by-side comparison of the economic sections in the election platforms of the five largest parties in the five largest cities in 2022 and 2026 reveals a clear shift in what concerns municipal parties. For this analysis, we examined issues within five economic categories that frequently appear in election platforms and receive political attention at both the local and national levels. Locally, the economy is increasingly viewed as a system that must be actively managed and stimulated. Municipalities make choices about what types of businesses they want to accommodate within their limited space—or, conversely, which ones they want to restrict in favor of other sectors.

In 2026, political parties are more frequently linking economic themes to concrete challenges such as scarce space in industrial parks, slow permitting procedures, accessibility, grid congestion, and the question of which businesses are suitable for the city. As a result, the emphasis is shifting toward decisions regarding space, infrastructure, energy, and business location policies. In a more precisely tailored local narrative, municipalities determine what type of economic activity they wish to facilitate and which functions take priority within the limited urban space.

This shift is evident in both tone and content and is also reflected in the data.

When we systematically analyze the programs, we see that certain economic themes appear much more frequently in 2026 than in 2022. Regulatory burden and permitting, for example, are mentioned much more often: an increase of two-thirds. Local parties appear to be heeding the call from national politics, as reflected, for example, in the Wennink Report and the Regulatory Burden Action Plan. In line with this, the programs show increased focus on space for businesses. In contrast, there is a notable decline. The labor market and talent, one of the most frequently mentioned topics in 2022, declines in 2026, with a decrease of nearly 30 percent.
What stands out is that a number of themes in 2026 not only appear more frequently but are also explored in greater depth than before in local programs. For themes such as grid congestion, accessibility, permitting for large-scale projects, and, in a broader sense, a region’s future-proofing, there is less reliance on The Hague, and local plans are being explored in greater depth. Topics such as geopolitical resilience, with more than three times as many mentions compared to 2022, are also finding their way into local programs.

These figures tell an interesting story. The focus is shifting from who works and how much, to where and under what conditions work can still take place. As a result, economic development is increasingly centered on the business climate: the availability of space, grid capacity, accessibility, permits, and other local conditions that determine whether economic activity in a municipality remains possible. Whereas municipalities previously focused primarily on stimulating and attracting business, the focus is now shifting toward organizing, setting limits, and prioritizing.

For organizations, this means the landscape is changing. The question is no longer whether a municipality is open to business activity, but what kind of economy it wants to facilitate and under what conditions. It appears that this approach is also increasingly being demanded by national policymakers and is thus becoming a permanent modus operandi for local governments to position themselves effectively vis-à-vis the national government. This calls for a different approach to positioning. Businesses and sectors that continue to articulate their interests in general terms are less well-aligned with the debate. Those who wish to exert influence will need to translate their narrative into concrete issues surrounding land use, energy, mobility, and regulation. In doing so, they must take into account how new economic activity fits within the trade-offs a municipality must make and how the municipality wishes to distinguish itself.

With the publication of most coalition agreements this month, timing remains a crucial factor. Now that the broad outlines have been established, the focus of influence is shifting to the details: implementation agendas, budgets, council proposals, and policy programs. It is precisely during this phase that organizations can highlight what new municipal priorities mean for the business climate, where opportunities or bottlenecks arise, and what contribution they themselves can make to the local economic agenda. And now that national politics, due to increasing complexity, is increasingly looking to local solutions for tangible results, the key to policy change lies more than ever at the local level.

For this analysis, the economic sections of the election platforms for the 2022 and 2026 municipal elections of the five largest political parties in the five largest Dutch municipalities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven) were examined. For each platform, the section on the economy, entrepreneurship, the business climate, or a comparable policy area was selected. Next, using keyword analysis, the number of references was counted within five predefined economic themes: the labor market and talent, regulatory burden and permitting, space for businesses, innovation and digitization, and sustainability and energy transition. These categories were chosen because they recur consistently in both local economic agendas and national political discussions. A total of fifty election platforms were analyzed (25 platforms from 2022 and 25 platforms from 2026).