I am endowed professor of History of Social Security. This chair is part of the Department of Economic and Social History at Utrecht University.
From regulations to groups
My research focuses on the development of social security, both from a national and an international perspective. My special interest lies in the history of social security for specific groups, taking into account the interconnectedness and interdependencies of various social security schemes — from subsistence security, work and reintegration, participation and social support to health care.
I am especially interested in the history of groups on the margins of social security: groups that did not, or did not always, have access to it, such as women, children and younger people, people with disabilities, the self-employed, part-time workers, migrants, refugees, and people experiencing homelessness.
Transnational history
In addition, my research focuses on the transnational dimensions of social security. The history of social security is something countries share and is deeply intertwined across borders. In my work, I analyse which knowledge and practices spread between countries, how these international processes of influence worked and took shape, which actors played important roles in them, and how international dynamics related to national policymaking. I have a particular interest in the role of international organizations and international (in)formal networks.
