A New Social Contract

This article is about the manifesto. For the related political party, see New Social Contract.

A New Social Contract (Dutch: Een nieuw sociaal contract) is a manifesto written by Dutch politician Pieter Omtzigt with a contribution by philosopher Welmoed Vlieger. It was published on 23 February 2021. When Omtzigt wrote it, he was number 2 on the candidate list of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) for the 2021 Dutch general election. In the book, Omtzigt described his political vision.^[1] The book serves as the basis for the political party New Social Contract, which Omtzigt founded for the 2023 Dutch general election.^[2]

Een nieuw sociaal contract

Author	Pieter Omtzigt Welmoed Vlieger
Audio read by	Lykele Muus [nl]
Language	Dutch
Subject	Manifesto
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Uitgeverij Prometheus
Publication date	23 February 2021
Publication place	Netherlands
Pages	221
ISBN	9789044648058

Content

The lead chapter of A New Social Contract is a personal interview with Omtzigt conducted by Vlieger.^[3] This is followed by chapters on the European Union, on the use of models, and the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. Subsequently, Omtzigt argues for a new social contract in order to have more countervailing power within the government. Omtzigt makes ten proposals for this in the book, including:

• the establishment of a Dutch constitutional court vested with the power of constitutional review
• the institution of a regional electoral system
• improved social security measures
• greater use of think tanks in lieu of research institutes

Reception

A New Social Contract sold 18,000 copies within two weeks.^[4]

The book appeared in the weekly rankings of The Bestseller 60 [nl] for twenty weeks in 2021, peaking in second place.^[5] It reached first place in August 2023, when the book reappeared on the list after Omtzigt had founded his eponymous political party.^[6]

A New Social Contract earned Omtzigt almost €150,000 in 2021. Omtzigt has indicated that he intends to donate the net amount – after deducting a salary and income tax – to the food bank and clothing bank in his hometown of Enschede, Overijssel.^[7]

See also

• Social contract
• New Social Contract

References

1. Hanna, Marc (22 May 2021). "Een Nieuw Sociaal Contract: Omtzigts Belangrijkste Politieke Lessen En Aanbevelingen". Interruptie (in Dutch). Christian Democratic Youth Appeal. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
2. "Partij Nieuw Sociaal Contract opgericht". Pieteromtzigt.nl (in Dutch). 20 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
3. Lammers, Esther (13 March 2021). "Pieter Omtzigt als Kuifje in de politiek". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
4. "Pieter Omtzigt schreef het populairste politieke boek". NRC (in Dutch). 8 March 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
5. "Een nieuw sociaal contract". Debestseller60.nl (in Dutch). Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
6. "Boek Pieter Omtzigt is na twee jaar plotseling weer een bestseller". NOS (in Dutch). 30 August 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
7. Bhikhie, Avinash (15 August 2023). "Baudet en Omtzigt maximaal gekort op Kamersalaris om neveninkomsten". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2023.