Royal Decoration for Professor Jakob de Haan

On Friday 24 April 2026, Jakob de Haan, Professor of Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Groningen, was awarded a royal decoration. He was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, taking receipt of the accompanying insignia from Marco Out, Mayor of the municipality of Assen.

Jakob de Haan (Delfzijl, 1960) studied Economics in Groningen, earned his PhD at the University of Groningen, and in 1994 was appointed professor in the field of monetary and political economy. The seeds of his interest in monetary policy and public debt were initially planted during his doctoral studies. They took root and grew over the years to form the basis for his many influential contributions to education and to the debate surrounding a range of national and international policy issues. In his professorship, his teaching and research has always centred around the interface between monetary and political economy, addressing topics such as money, inflation, income inequality, interest rates, and central banks.

An impressive body of academic work

De Haan’s keen interest in economics, policy, institutions, and power has resulted in an impressive body of books and academic publications. His publication on monetary policy and how central banks communicate has not only attracted international attention, but it has also actually influenced policy making. His books have allowed a wider public access to his work. Media, politicians, and policymakers regularly approach him for his expert opinion. He gives public lectures and sits on panels addressing various current economic and political issues. In short, his work and his publications have already made a significant societal impact, both in the Netherlands and abroad, his particular strength being his ability to make academic insights accessible to a wider audience. He is regarded nationally and internationally as an outstanding, highly respected economist, ranking among the very best in the Netherlands. His work brings us a better understanding of economic processes and contributes to the formation of better economic policy, thereby enhancing the prosperity and well-being of society as a whole.

Enthusiastic lecturer

De Haan is also regarded as an enthusiastic, committed, and inspiring lecturer. Generations of students have benefitted from his lectures on subjects such as monetary and banking systems, macroeconomics, central banks, public policy, international economics, and political decision making. Former students recall his innovative lectures and in particular the open culture he created – a culture in which students could enter into discussion with each other and learn from one another. To date, De Haan has supervised no fewer than 52 PhD students, including Klaas Knot, who went on to become president of the Dutch Central Bank (DNB). He is always willing to promote the interests of young colleagues and uses his contacts within companies and organizations outside the University to help PhD students onto the next rung of their career ladder.

Valued director in turbulent times

De Haan has always looked beyond the confines of the academic world. His performance as director during the turbulent period in which the faculties of Economics and Business Administration merged was impressive. And as first director of SOM (the internal Research Institute and Graduate School), he oversaw the launch of a highly acclaimed research master’s programme. He was an innovative administrator who attached great importance to the quality of teaching and research and emphasized the need to measure research performance. He brought about an important cultural shift and laid the foundations on which the Faculty’s strong academic reputation now stands. At an international level, he was president of the European Public Choice Society and the Société Universitaire Européenne de Recherches Financières and sat on the editorial boards of several leading academic journals. For many years, he has been a standing member of the Faculty’s Advisory Committee on Internal PhD Candidates, contributing his trademark commitment and critical insight to the assessment of applications from academic staff. And he has instigated the establishment of various international collaborative projects.

Head of research at DNB

Between 2009 and 2022, in a period of far-reaching global change, De Haan combined his professorship with the role of head of academic research at DNB. In that capacity, he headed up a team of around thirty academic staff and was functionally responsible for all the research activities. He boosted research in the fields of payment systems, statistics, and supervision, placing particular emphasis on behaviour and culture: areas that DNB had long neglected. As in his other work, De Haan supervised and motivated numerous young staff members and placement students at DNB. He also oversaw a highly significant part-time project on the involvement of the bank and its directors in slavery. He made a lasting impact on the expansion of DNB’s research activities and contributed to DNB’s reputation and role as a knowledge institute and as an independent economic adviser.

Connector

Everyone who has worked with De Haan describes him as an inspiring role model and a connector par excellence. He has a calm, measured management style and is a persuasive communicator. He has a rare talent for sensing when human interests must take precedence over the blind implementation of a policy measure, even in cases where it was he who introduced the measure. He is always willing to help others, often before they have even asked for help. Those who know him well are full of praise not only for his reputation, leadership, and knowledge but also – and especially – for the vigour with which he has consistently poured his time and knowhow into setting a new generation of young researchers on the path towards a brilliant career.