Vacancy

• MA/MSc degree in economic history; interest in, and ideally some familiarity with sociology 
• Interest in the topic of social cohesion and in collaborating in a broad research consortium with academic and non-academic stakeholders
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary research, including analytical and theoretical dimensions
• Professional competence in English and Dutch
• Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative research methods, if the candidate is less familiar with one, willingness and commitment to learn
• A strong  academic record, as evidenced by grade transcripts and relevant coursework
• Strong motivation to publish articles in international academic journals and to write a PhD dissertation
• We look for team players who want to play an active role in an inter- and transdisciplinary research community and training programme

This PhD project explores how various forms of care arrangements have interacted and changed over time in the Netherlands during the long 20th century and studies the reasons behind these developments. It adopts an institutional lens that emphasizes the dynamic relationships among families, for example the gendered division of care within households, local communities, organizations and the state in the provision of care. Care institutions – whether informal or (semi-) formal – do not evolve in isolation; rather, they continuously influence one another. Yet relatively little is known about how these institutions have co-evolved – that is, whether they have changed in complementary or divergent ways over time, and if so, why. This project therefore examines the dynamic interactions among care institutions within the broader historical trajectories of changing norms (e.g., gender norms on care and work), political ideologies (concerning government responsibility for care provision), economic conditions (such as privatization, costs of care) and demographic trends as potential explanations of this change.

The project integrates insights from history and sociology by engaging with institutional theories from both disciplines, including institutional sociology, historical institutionalism and new institutional economics.

Institutional Change in the Organization of Care

Demographic changes – such as population ageing, declining birth rates and the rise of single-person households – are placing increasing pressure on how care is organized in modern societies. Growing demand and costs in the care sector, combined with labour shortages in care, are challenging Western governments’ ability to provide high-quality care. These demographic and structural shifts raise important questions about how care is organized among governments, within families (e.g., between partners, parents and children), through local initiatives (e.g., informally via broader social networks, neighbours, care collectives, municipalities) and among market actors (e.g., entrepreneurs, insurance companies, formal health providers).

Historically, the organization of care in the Netherlands has undergone significant transformation. In the early modern period, social services such as insurance for widows, sickness benefits, poor relief and elderly care were largely informal – provided by families or charitable organizations – or semi-formal, organized through institutions such as churches, mutual aid societies and local governments such as city-states, as can still be seen in certain migrant communities today. Over time, many of these functions were gradually taken over by the state through the development of welfare programmes. Today, increasing pressure on traditional care provisions has led to growing expectations of and reliance on family members (in an era marked by individualism), informal caregivers (often women and women of colour working under insecure conditions), municipalities and citizen-led initiatives.

These shifts, however, can generate new challenges, such as tensions between governmental regulations and local organizations, rising gender inequalities in the household and labour force and detrimental well-being outcomes for informal caregivers. The magnitude and nature of these effects will differ between sub-populations in society. This raises important questions about how to foster connectedness, collaboration and solidarity among families, governments and local organizations so that they can complement one another in providing care.

Project Focus

This PhD project explores how and why various forms of care arrangements have interacted and changed over time in the Netherlands during the long 20th century. It adopts an institutional lens that emphasizes the dynamic relationships among families (e.g., the gendered division of care within households), local communities, organizations and the state in the provision of care. It studies the dynamic interactions among care institutions within the broader historical trajectories of changing norms (e.g., gender norms related to care and work), political ideologies (concerning government responsibility for care provision), economic conditions (such as privatization, costs of care) and demographic trends as potential explanations of this change.

The project integrates insights from history and sociology by engaging with theories from both disciplines, including institutional and organizational sociology, historical institutionalism and new institutional economics. For instance, on the one hand, sociological research shows that with the rise of participatory society initiatives in the Netherlands, people increasingly rely also on non-kin relationships for informal care and seek ‘balanced exchanges’ rather than positioning themselves solely as recipients of informal care. Norms surrounding the welfare state’s role in providing care also shape household-level gender relations and influence who provides care, illustrating how policy affects behaviour and the organization of care at both local and family levels. On the other hand, historical research – especially work on path dependency and institutional complementarity – would suggest a different relationship direction.

This project examines why certain actors – namely, families, local initiatives (e.g., citizen-based initiatives, associations, municipalities), private initiatives (entrepreneurs, market-based solutions) and the state – have gained prominence in care provision while others have declined over time, and how their respective trajectories have influenced one another. By adopting a multilevel approach and integrating historical and sociological perspectives, the project analyses the evolution of care institutions in the Netherlands throughout the 20th century to clarify the tensions and interactions among their different layers of society. In doing so, it aims to understand how changes in the organization of care have affected solidarity, cooperation and responsibility among citizens, families, the state and non-family networks.

Research Sub-Questions

1. How has the (relative) role of families, local organizations, private initiatives and the state in providing care in the Netherlands changed over the 20th century?
2. In what ways have changes in the organization of care by the family, local organizations, private initiatives and state policies interacted and influenced one another in shaping the organization of care?
3. How has the interplay between cultural norms, political ideologies and broader historical trajectories – such as market and demographic changes – shaped the organization of the Dutch care system?

The PhD project will use a mixed-methods approach. Using IPUMS International microdata and historical Dutch census data, it will analyse changes in the family, focusing on changes in families’ role as a care provider, such as multigenerational living arrangements or women’s work. At the mesolevel, it will rely on the archives of local care organizations. At the macrolevel, the project will draw on data from sources such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and secondary sources to provide information on market-based solutions and state-level programmes (e.g., social spending) as well as broader contextual changes (e.g., economic growth, demographic changes).

The project will conduct a cohort analysis of surveys (e.g., European Values Survey), parliamentary notes and newsletter archives to study the co-evolution of ideologies and norms around solidarity and responsibility for care among family members, market-based solutions, the state and non-family networks, which are essential for understanding the evolution of organizations around care and vice versa.

Suanet, B., & van Tilburg, T. G. (2019). Balance in social support exchange and discontinuation of young-old’s personal relationships in three birth cohorts. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(11–12), 3371–3388.

Van Leeuwen, Marco H. D. (2016). Principles and practices of mutual insurance, 1550-2015. In Mutual insurance 1550-2015: From guild welfare and friendly societies to contemporary micro-insurers (pp. 247–279). Palgrave Macmillan UK.