Beugelsdijk, Prof. Sjoerd

Sjoerd Beugelsdijk is a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Groningen. He studied economics at Tilburg University, and was appointed professor in 2009. Focusing mainly on economic globalization and cultural similarities and differences, Beugelsdijk’s research is at the intersection of economics and sociology. The Stanford list included Beugelsdijk in its ranking of most influential researchers worldwide. Furthermore, Beugelsdijk has spent several periods working at universities in Denmark, Italy, and the United States. In 2019, he co-authored the Social and Cultural Planning Office’s report on national identity.

In 2021, he wrote the popular science book ‘De Verdeelde Nederlanden’ on the polarization of the Netherlands. Beugelsdijk: ‘People no longer listen to each other but will condemn each other’s views. This kind of polarization will paralyse society. According to Beugelsdijk, people have been thinking more and more in terms of profit, market and personal responsibility since the 1980s. “There is much more thinking in terms of numbers and statistics, also in our welfare state. This particularly harms the vulnerable groups, as we see with the childcare benefit affair and compensation for earthquake damage for the people of Groningen.” Beugelsdijk sees a divide in Dutch society as a result. Yet he is hopeful. ‘I can see that the problems I just mentioned are increasingly being identified and recognized. By political parties, the academic world, and societal organizations’

Previously in the news (mainly in Dutch)

• Repeated temporary funding erodes the public sector
• “I understand the desperation of people who don't feel heard”
• How can we unify the Netherlands again ? ‘We need to listen to each other again’
• How to deal with increasing polarization in the Netherlands?
• ‘Constant prosperity for all is not possible, because we are running into the limits of growth’
• How can social cohesion be preserved in the Netherlands?
• ‘Freedom is more than the sum of individual rights’
• ‘The Netherlands can prevent polarization going as far as it has in the US’
• 'Less polarization. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes for once. Being right because you are entitled to your right is not how it works.
• Democracy Week kicks off: ‘Trust in politics is thin’
• Professor Sjoerd Beugelsdijk on division: ‘Keep your mouth shut more often’

Contact and further information

See profile page

Publications