Gerrit Voerman Professor of the Development and Functioning of the Dutch and European Party Systems

On 1 January 2011, Dr Gerrit Voerman was appointed Professor by the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen. He holds the new chair in Development and functioning of the Dutch and European party systems. In the Netherlands, Voerman is the expert in the field of political parties and their histories. As professor, he will further investigate the development of political parties from a historical, constitutional and politicological approach.

Gerrit Voerman (Kampen, 1957) studied history at the University of Groningen and gained his PhD in 2001 with a thesis entitled ‘De meridiaan van Moskou. De CPN en de Communistische Internationale (1919-1930)’. [The Moscow Meridian. The CPN and the Communist Internationale (1991-1930)]. Voerman has headed the Documentation Centre for Dutch Political Parties (DNPP) of the University of Groningen since 1989.

Publications

He publishes extensively on political parties. In recent years he has been editor of a series on the political parties represented in the Dutch House of Representatives. Publications so far include ‘Zestig jaar VVD’ [Sixty years of the VVD] (2008; with P. van Schie), ‘Van de marge tot de macht. De ChristenUnie 2000-2010’ [From periphery to power. The ChristenUnie 2000-2010] (2010; with J. Hippe) and ‘Van de staat naar de straat. GroenLinks 1990-2010’ [From state to street. GroenLinks 1990-2010] (2010; met P. Lucardie). ‘De conjunctuur van de macht. Het Christen Democratisch Appèl 1980-2010’ [The economics of power. The Christen Democratisch Appèl 1980-2010] will appear next month. In addition, Voerman has written numerous books, including ‘Verloren illusie, geslaagde fusie? GroenLinks in historisch en politicologisch perspectief’ [Lost illusions, successful merger? GroenLinks in a historical and politicological perspective ](1999; with P. Lucardie and W.H. van Schuur), and ‘Om de stembus. Verkiezingsaffiches 1918-1998’ [Around the voting box. Election adverts 1918-1998] (2002; with D.J. Elzinga).

Research

Voerman is currently researching party culture in an international perspective and the relationship between Dutch parties and the European parties of which they form part. He is also preparing a book on the PvdA, and about ‘Nederlandse populisten’ [Dutch populists] (with P. Lucardie).