Nationalization of local party systems takes place in several countries. However, in the Netherlands, this process shows signs of reversal. Using data from seven municipal elections between 1998 and 2022, we observe that the local party system nationalization index decreases considerably over time, meaning more independent local parties in the local council. In addition to size, we find that rurality and center-periphery differences are important determinants of reverse nationalization. More specifically, we observe that a greater distance to the political center in the Netherlands is associated with less nationalization. In addition, more localization is found in municipalities that were recently part of a merger, except where a small municipality is merged with a much larger one.
Gradus et al. (Fri,) studied this question.