Lex Heerma van Voss appointed Professor of History of Social Security

As of 1 July 2014, Lex Heerma van Voss has been appointed Professor of History of Social Security. Endowed by the Instituut Gak, the chair is part of Utrecht University's strategic theme Institutions.

Heerma van Voss (1955), who studied History and Law and took his PhD at Utrecht University, is currently Director of the Huygens ING. He is an internationally renowned researcher in the field of social history who has specialised in the study of long-term developments. Among other things, he studies labour and labour relations in the period from 1500 until now in the context of migration flows in Northern Europe. Heerma van Voss's research within the Institutions theme will focus on the recent history of social security in the Netherlands, from the early nineteenth century onwards.

Institutions

Utrecht University has bundled its research into four interdisciplinary strategic themes, including the theme of Institutions. This area of research explores the manner in which societies derive their strength from the quality of their rules on human interaction, as embodied in institutions. These can be formal rules, such as laws, but also informal rules, such as norms, values, customs and the associated networks and organisations. They enable or constrain an open, democratic and equal society. They also determine the extent to which a society can absorb shocks and how sustainable and future-proof it is.