hesselmans

This open access book shows how governments can motivate companies to make a positive impact on society and why this is necessary in light of today’s pressing social, economic and environmental challenges and transitions. It shows obstacles companies face in conducting socially responsible business. Focusing on government-business relations in the Netherlands, the book also exposes key policy bottlenecks: the tendency of the Dutch government to hold on to the status quo and shield incumbent firms through tax breaks and lax enforcement. There is a real risk of policies that pamper business: it hampers companies that offer societal innovations for instance for health, education or the labour market. We also show how policies can better capitalise on the innovative qualities of entrepreneurship. Effective government policy makes it worthwhile for companies to alter their business model so that their products, services and production processes benefit society. Our recommendations address the role of government, consumers, financiers and companies themselves. While this work focuses on the Netherlands, it tackles questions that countries face worldwide on how to minimise harmful business conduct and maximise good business solutions. This makes the book broadly relevant to policy makers, business leaders and researchers grappling with the impact of business on society today.

Marthe Hesselmans is a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). She holds degrees in history and humanitarian action and obtained her PhD from Boston University on religion and society. Before her doctoral research, she worked in several international non-profits in the fields of ethnic conflict and community resilience. Marthe holds a fellowship position in Governance of Migration and diversity at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her current work focuses on labour market challenges around health and labour migration.

Bart Stellinga is a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). He studied political science (MSc) and philosophy (MA) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He obtained his doctorate at the University of Amsterdam in 2018. In his academic work he focuses on how policymakers aim to limit financial instability through financial regulation and monetary policy. At the WRR Bart has contributed to publications on the privatization of public sector activities, food policy, financial supervision, and monetary policy.

Ramy El-Dardiry is a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). He studied applied physics (MSc) at the University of Twente and received his PhD from the University of Amsterdam. After spending several years in the private sector he became a researcher at the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) focusing on innovation and digitalization. Ramy is also an author of fiction. He published several short stories and a novel.

Danique François completed two master’s degrees at Leiden University in Political Science (MSc) and International Relations (MA), where she specialized in Political Economy. From 2022 until 2024, she was a research fellow at the WRR. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University. Her research focuses on the relationships between executive politicians, top civil servants and ministerial advisors, examining their interactions and roles in governance.

Catrien Bijleveld holds degrees in Research Methodology and Law, and completed her PhD on the analysis of categorical time series. She is senior researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, professor of Research Methods in Empirical Legal Studies. Additionally, she is professor of Global Justice at Liverpool University’s Faculty of Law within the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, and member of the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy. Her main research interests are in the areas of criminal careers, experimental evaluation, intergenerational continuity in offending, sex offending and crime victimization. She is the author of several textbooks as well as of edited books.