Olaf van Vliet is Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics and at the Institute of Public Administration, Leiden University. He is also Head of the Department of Economics.

More information about Olaf van Vliet

Olaf van Vliet is Professor at the Department of Economics and at the Institute of Public Administration, Leiden University. He holds the chair in economics, with a focus on comparative welfare state analysis. This chair is endowed by the Gak Institute. He is also Head of the Department of Economics.

Olaf van Vliet conducts research and teaches in the areas of labour economics and political economy. Thereby, his focus is on welfare state reform, flexibilisation of the labour market, the effects of globalisation and technological change (such as digitalisation and automation), labour migration, and income inequality.

Education

• PhD Department of Economics, Leiden University
• BSc + MSc Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• BA + MA Public Administration, Leiden University

Main positions

• Full Professor of Economics
• Head of Department of Economics
• Deputy Academic Director of the Institute of Tax Law and Economics
• Principal Investigator of Horizon Europe research programme TransEuroWorkS – Transforming European Work and Social Protection: A New and Proactive Welfare State Fit for the Future World of Work
• Programme leader research programme Social Citizenship & Migration
• Project leader research project Flexibilisation, globalisation and technological change: consequences for labour markets and social security
• Member Academic Executive Board of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Center on the Governance of Migration and Diversity
• Coordinator of the MSc programme Economics and Governance

Main other positions

• Board member, Dutch Institute for Social Security (NISZ)
• Member of Advisory committee on Policy evaluation of pilot residence regulations startup employees, Research and Documentation Centre (WODC)
• Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Member of the Council of Deans in Economics and Business
• Chairman Expert Committee on Labour, Statistics Netherlands
• Chair of Advisory committee for the policy study on Location choice of knowledge migrants, job seekers, self-employed persons and start-ups, Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) (2023-2024)   
• Associate Editor Political Economy, Frontiers in Political Science
• Member of the Board of Directors, IMISCOE (International Migration Research Network)
• Board member, Dutch Society for Social Security (NGSZ) (2014-2024)
• Member of the Board of Trustees, Europa Institute, Leiden University
• Member of the academic advisory board, Knowledge Center Labour Migration (2021-2024)
• Member of the editorial board of Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsrecht in Context
• Chair of the scientific committee of the conference New Paper Sessions
• Member Young Academy Leiden (2019-2022)
• Member of the advisory board ‘Monitor De Staat van de Haagse Economie’, Municipality The Hague
• Member Advisory committee research project Labour migration and labour market tightness, Radboud University
• Work package leader, research consortium (EU FP7) NEUJOBS – Employment 2025: How multiple transitions will affect the European Labour Market (2011-2015)
• Programme leader of the research programme Reforming Social Legislation (2016–2019)
• Member of the Research Board of Leiden Law School (2016–2019)

Fellow

• Visiting Professor, Central University of Finance and Economics (Nov. 2015)
• Visiting Scholar, Harvard University (Sept.–Dec. 2013) 
• Research Fellow Leiden Law School (2011-)
• Teaching Fellow Leiden University College (LUC) The Hague (2011-)
• Visiting Research Associate, Marquette University (Sept.–Dec. 2010)

Teaching 

• Political Economy in the International Perspective / MPA (coordination)
• Socio-Economic Policy: Theory and Institutions (coordination)
• MA theses MPA
• Coordination track MPA Economics & Governance

Datasets

• Unemployment Replacement Rates Dataset
• Social Assistance and Minimum Income Levels and Replacement Rates Dataset
• Sectoral Income Inequality Dataset

Publications