Short CV

Prof. Ruud Koole (1953) studied History at Groningen University and Political Science at Sciences Po in Paris.

From 1981-1989 he served as Director of the Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen (Groningen University). In 1989 he was appointed assistant professor at the Department of Political Science of Leiden University. In 1992 he defended his PhD thesis titled De opkomst van de moderne kaderpartij: veranderende partijorganisatie in Nederland 1960-1990 (supervisor was prof. Hans Daalder). In that same year he was appointed associate professor.

During his associate professorship, until 2001, he worked abroad for several short periods, i.e., 'Visiting Scholar' at the Center for European Studies, Har­vard Universi­ty (Cambridge, MA) and 'Fellow-in-Residence' at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS) in Wassenaar­. Between 1994 and 1996 he was director of science and research in the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Studies, Leiden University.

From March 2001 till December 2005 he was the national chairman of the Partij van de Arbeid (Dutch Labour Party). By offering a yearly course on local politics he remained connected to the Institute of Political Science of Leiden University.

Per 1 January 2006, he was appointed full professor in political science, especially related to Dutch politics and its institutional development. From 2006-2010 he was the Head of Department of the Leiden Institute of Political Science. Since 2011 he is executive director of the interfaculty research profile area Political Legitimacy of Leiden University.

From June 2011 until June 2015 he was a member of the Dutch Senate. Also, he is, amongst others: vice-chair of the Supervisory Board of BNN-VARA (a public broadcasting organisation); member of the national Referendum Committee; member of the scientific council of the Center for Parliamentary History (CPG - Radboud University - Nijmegen); member of the Royal Commission on the Dutch Parliamentary System.

In 2016 he was appointed member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW).

Research

His research focuses on Dutch political institutions, Dutch political history, political legitimacy and the functioning of political parties in Western-Europe.

Publications

Activities