Dr Paulien de Winter awarded SLSA Research Grant

Paulien de Winter, assistant professor in our Faculty's Department of Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Public Administration, has been awarded a Research Grant from the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA). She obtained the grant for her research 'Unravelling the Paradox: Investigating Contrasts in Administrative and Criminal Sanctions in the Dutch Social Security System'.

Administrative and criminal processing

Within the Dutch social security system, fraud under €50,000 is dealt with under administrative law by the municipality. Cases of fraud above that amount are handled criminally by the court. Nevertheless, the general belief among municipal enforcers is that administrative sanctions tend to be more focused on punishing offenders than criminal sanctions.

Examining the field of tension

The research for which De Winter was awarded the SLSA Research Grant focuses on the field of tension between administrative and criminal sanctions for violations of the information obligation under the Participation Act. The central research question is: what differences emerge in the imposition of administrative and criminal sanctions for similar cases of fraud within social security law in the Netherlands? De Winter will answer the question using an analysis of case law and a questionnaire among penalty officials.

SLSA Research Grants

The SLSA Grants Scheme has existed since 1999 and was expanded in 2013 to include the so-called Fieldwork Grants. The purpose of the SLSA grants is to encourage socio-legal research initiatives in a practical way. The deadline for grant applications falls on 31 October every year. Both junior and senior researchers can submit requests for the grant.

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This article was published by the Faculty of Law.