Wolter Hassink (1967) is full professor of Applied Econometrics and vice-dean Research and Impact of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance (since September 2023).
Hassink is connected to the UU Future of Work Hub and he is research fellow at IZA (Institute of Labor Economics, Bonn). He received his PhD in Economics from VU Amsterdam (1996) on a PhD thesis about labour market dynamics. He completed his doctoral degree in Econometrics at the University of Groningen (1991).
His scientific research is about a careful application of statistical methods to address societal questions on labour and housing in particular. In the recent years, Hassink published in renowned international journals on labour markets (Covid-19, gender wage differential, labour flexibility, job-to-job mobility, dismissal, recruitment, informal care, sickness absenteeism), social security (WSNP, WGA) and housing market (price setting, house mobility, social housing, commute, mortgages). He is contributing to research on labour markets in the U.S., Turkey, China, Chili, South Africa (jointly with researchers from these countries). Hassink has published in among others ILRReview, Industrial Relations, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of Urban Economics, Oxford Economic Papers, Regional Studies, Social Science & Medicine, The B.E. Journal of Economics & Policy, The World Bank Economic Review.
Hassink has a broad experience in teaching (applied) quantitative methods in economics at all academic levels (Bachelor, Honours, academic Master, Research Master, graduate students, education for professionals). He (co)-supervised ten completed PhD research projects as well as various postdoc projects.
Hassink provided research advice to various professionals organizations. Jointly with professors Arjen van Witteloostuijn and Daniel Oberski, Wolter Hassink leads a team of researchers FIRMBACKBONE (related to ODISSEI), for which he received funding of 1 million euros from PDI-SSH (2020-2025). The team develops an organically growing longitudinal data-infrastructure with information on Dutch companies for academic research, which is accessible to researchers and students from all Dutch faculties of the social sciences and humanities domain.
After his appointment as full professor in 2011, Hassink performed various leading administrative duties at U.S.E. – research director U.S.E. Research Institute, acting head of department U.S.E., head of the section Applied Economics. Moreover, at present he is involved in the further development of Applied Data Science at Utrecht University.
Hassink is member of the board of editors of De Economist. He was one of the founders of TPEdigitaal.