The Potential of the Dutch Corporate Governance Model for Sustainable Governance and Long Term Stakeholder Value

Abstract

This paper addresses the question how the Dutch regulatory and institutional setting enables policy coherence, specifically with regard to safeguarding stakeholders interests and promoting sustainable governance. To address this question, we engage with idiosyncratic theoretical notions in the Dutch corporate governance model. We follow the evolution of these notions in statutory company law and case law, their development in the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, and their relation to the Enterprise Chamber as a unique institution. We establish how these theoretical views and practical institutions present significant means by which stakeholder concerns may be represented in the operation of company law and corporate governance more broadly and provide a number of ways in which these institutions and their operation can be further developed.

Keywords: company law; corporate governance; long-termism; stakeholders; stakeholder value; sustainable governance; sustainability

JEL Classification: L1, L2, L50, K2, K30