Prof. Dirk Wolfson

Organisation	Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Function	Professor
Website	www.eur.nl/fsw/bsk/medewerkers
Session 3.6 Implications for the Science-policy Interface Session 5.1 Policy Experimentation & Academic Accountability

Dirk Wolfson is currently a research fellow at the department of public administration of Erasmus University and a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds a PhD in economics and started his career at the International Monetary Fund. In 1970, he joined the Dutch Treasury as chief of the monetary policy division and, later, chief economist. He began his academic career as professor of public finance at Erasmus in 1975, left again to become rector of the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague and, subsequently, a member of the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). In 1992, he returned to Erasmus University. After retirement, he served a term in the Dutch Senate (Labour Party).

His research interests include economic and social policy, political theory, public administration and methodology of the social sciences. During most of his academic life, he served as a member of the Social and Economic Council (SER). He also consulted widely on economic and development policy with the Dutch government, the Foreign Aid department, EU, OECD, World Bank and the UN, and held non-executive directorships in two financial multinationals and, subsequently, The Dutch Central Bank.

 

Dirk Wolfson is panel speaker in session 3.6, Implications for the science-policy interface and session 5.1, Policy Experimentation & Academic Accountability.

Dirk Wolfson: "Knowledge democracy is a blissful state in which people are well-informed about social problems and politicians behave as honest brokers of individual preference. Real life is different. The present paradigm shift away from laissez-faire creates a window of opportunity to revitalize democracy".