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Benedikt Goderis

Benedikt Goderis

Instituut Gak Fellow

Project title

Modest but adequate? An empirical analysis of Dutch minimum income protection

Research question

How has Dutch minimum income support evolved over the past fifteen years, what have been its main drivers of change, and how effective has it been?

Project description

Poverty reduction and minimum income protection are high on the political agenda in the Netherlands. There are concerns that a large group of people cannot make ends meet, and an increasing number is forced to turn to food banks and other charitable organizations. Minimum income support is relatively generous compared to most other EU member states but most studies have found that it has not been able to structurally reduce poverty over the past decades.

Benedikt Goderis aims to empirically assess the evolution, determinants and effectiveness of Dutch minimum income protection, identify the inherent trade-offs that policymakers face, and better understand the relative contributions of state, local and private actors.

Selected publications

  • Goderis, B. (2024). Safety net of last resort: the evolution, determinants and adequacy of Dutch minimum income support. The Hague: The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP).
  • Goderis, B. & Vlekke, M. (2023). Tax and Benefit Policies to Reduce Poverty in the Netherlands: A Microsimulation Analysis. International Journal of Microsimulation, 16(1), 108-133. https://microsimulation.pub/articles/00277
  • Vrooman, J.C., Goderis, B., Hoff, S., & Van Hulst, B. (2020). Measuring Poverty in the Netherlands: The Generalised Reference Budget Approach. In: C. Deeming (ed.). Minimum Income Standards and Reference Budgets: International and Comparative Policy Perspectives. Bristol: Policy Press. https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/edcollchap/book/9781447352976/ch012.xml