The investigation described in this book is concerned with the following questions: a) Is it possible to determine empirical laws governing past redivisions, which laws can be formulated quantitatively? Do such laws apply to municipalities in a given redivision area only or are they valid for each of the 10 redivisions in the Netherlands that have been examined? b) Is it possible to determine the main factors which have influenced the redivision decisions that were taken with respect to the municipalities involved? c) Can the size of the influence of each of these factors on the final result of the redivision be approximated, or can an estimate be given of the order of sequence of these factors according to the degree to which they have contributed to the redivision decisions taken by the national authorities? d) Supposing that the above questions can be answered in the affirmative, is it possible by using the knowledge obtained and the methods developed, in future cases to formulate recommendations concerning decisions to be taken that are based on certain desired quantitative influences of a number of relevant factors? e) Is it feasible to forecast the outcome of future redivisions? . Zie: Summary