Hofstede’s Long-term vs Short-term Orientation

 14 December, 2025

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This week we talked about Hofstede’s dimension of short-term versus long-term orientation in politics and society. The Netherlands has a mix of both orientations. Because the Dutch government is built on coalitions with multiple political parties, governments change regularly and priorities shift from left to center to right and back again. As a result, making strong long-term political decisions is often difficult. Many political choices are therefore focused on the short term. Although there are long-term policies in areas such as sustainability and the economy, the issues most important to Dutch citizens right now are groceries, migration, and housing. These problems require immediate solutions, especially because many people have lost trust in politics and want to see direct results.

Japan’s government, on the other hand, is much more long-term oriented. Japan has been governed mainly by the same party for decades, which creates stability and continuity in decision-making. This makes it easier to focus on long-term goals such as economic planning, education, demographic challenges, and technological development. While this stability can slow down change, it also allows Japan to invest consistently in the future. Compared to the Netherlands, where political priorities can change after each election, Japan shows more patience and persistence in policy-making.

The video by Hofstede explained that long-term oriented societies focus on future rewards, perseverance, saving, and adapting to changing circumstances. Short-term oriented societies place more value on tradition, national pride, and fulfilling immediate social obligations. According to Hofstede’s research, Japan scores high on long-term orientation, while the Netherlands also scores relatively high but still balances this with short-term pressures from society and politics. This helped me understand why Japanese politics often focuses on gradual progress, while Dutch politics reacts more strongly to current social issues.

This is how people feel when they need to do groceries. 



Reacties

  1. Nora15 december 2025 om 22:23

    I think the issues that Dutch citizens are worried about right now, like groceries, migration, and housing, should be a priority, and if ignored, they will affect long-term goals.

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