Dr. Martin van Hees
Professor of Moral and Political Philosophy
VU University Amsterdam
Dean Amsterdam University College

Brief summary of research over last 5 years / academic profile
Martin van Hees holds the chair in Moral and Political Philosophy of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and is Dean of the Amsterdam University College. In his research, he draws on and combines methods and insights from different disciplines, notably economics and philosophy. A central part of his research concerns the analysis of freedom and responsibility, with particular attention to the influence and importance of the institutional contexts in which agents operate. He has focused recently on the political implications of different views regarding the value of freedom. Drawing on tools from logic and decision theory, and integrating the work of the economist Amartya Sen and the philosopher Martha Nussbaum, Van Hees has developed a general framework for the analysis of quality of life. From an equally interdisciplinary perspective, he has provided a methodologically rigorous account of the nature of so-called ‘hard choices’. Van Hees’ work has formed a major impetus to the further development of research and teaching in the interdisciplinary field of Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

International visibility, activities, prizes, scholarships etc.
Van Hees received a prestigious VICI grant for his research on freedom. He held visiting professorships in Germany, China and India, is a fellow of the Human Development and Capability Association and served as a member of its Executive Council (2005-2008). He was editor of Economics and Philosophy (CUP) and is a member of a large number of editorial boards. Since 2013, Van Hees has been an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) and the Royal Dutch Society of Sciences (KHMW). Van Hees became a board member of the KNAW in 2020 (and was re-elected in 2023), and chairs the Academy’s Humanities division. He has also made important contributions to innovation in education: he chaired the board of the International School of Philosophy (2008-2016) and was the founding Dean of the John Stuart Mill College, which offered the first PPE-program in the Netherlands and which received international acclaim for its innovative nature and high quality. In 2023 and 2024 he will chair the accreditation panel for philosophy programs in the Netherlands.

5 key output/publications
1. Van Hees, M. 2022. Freedom. In: B. Ferguson, M. Zwolinski (eds.), Routledge Companion to Libertarianism, Routledge, London.
2. Van Hees, M. 2020. Analyzing Capabilities: Games, Groups and Effectivity. In: E. Chiappero-Martinetti, S. Osmani, & M. Qizilbash (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, p. 293-306.
3. Braham, M., & Van Hees, M. 2018. Voids or Fragmentation: Moral Responsibility for Collective Outcomes. Econ J 128: 612, F95-F113.
4. Van Hees, M. 2013. Rights, goals and capabilities. Politics Philos Econ 12(3): 247-259.
5. Braham, M., & Van Hees, M. 2012. An anatomy of moral responsibility. Mind 121(483): 601-634.

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