dr. A.G.M. (Bram) Mellink

Bram Mellink (1985) is assistant professor of Dutch History at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on the history of neoliberalism in the Netherlands since 1945, with a particular emphasis on the postwar reconstruction of the Netherlands and the establishment of the welfare state. His research is part of the NWO research program Market Makers. A political history of neoliberalism in the Netherlands (1945-2002). An elaborate description of his research project can be found under the 'research' tab.

Bram's research interests further include the (political) history of individualization and the history of multiculturalism.

Publications (selection)

• 'Politici zonder partij. Sociale zekerheid en de geboorte van het neoliberalisme in Nederland (1945-1958)', BMGN - The Low Countries Historical Review (verschijnt december 2017).
• (with Hieke Huistra) 'Phrasing History. Selecting Sources in Digital Repositories', Historical Methods. A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History 49:4 (2016) 220-229.
• Worden zoals wij. Onderwijs en de opkomst van de geïndividualiseerde samenleving sinds 1945 (dissertation; Amsterdam 2014).
• (with Peter van Dam en Jouke Turpijn, eds.), Onbehagen in de polder. Nederland in conflict sinds 1795 (Amsterdam 2014).
• ‘Tweedracht maakt macht. De PvdA, de doorbraak en de ontluikende polarisatiestrategie (1946-1966)’, BMGN. The Low Countries Historical Review 126:2 (2011) 30-53.

Research and Education

• The ideology of the welfare state and neoliberalism: 'planning for freedom' in Western Europe and the United States
• History of multiculturalism and equality in the Netherlands and Western-Europe
• Dutch political history since the late 18th century
• History and Social Sciences

Founding Freedom: Social Security and the Neoliberal Undercurrent (1945-1975)

Although ‘neoliberalism’ primarily invokes associations with Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, the financial crisis and the demise of social security, neoliberal thought predates the actual establishment of the welfare state.

The research project ‘Founding Freedom’ focuses on the development of neoliberal thought in Western European, most notably in the Netherlands. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Dutch neoliberals fiercely opposed the emerging welfare state. They argued that any government aiming to nourish its citizens from cradle to grave would require a dangerously large amount of socio-economic (and hence) political power. Despite the good intentions of its advocates, the welfare state was therefore bound to re-establish the recently defeated totalitarian state. To secure freedom, neoliberals put their faith in the market. Through the mechanism of free competition, the market would thwart the attempts of any party to exercise excessive influence over others, thus providing individual freedom for all. Rather than delimiting the free market or allowing it to run its course, the state should reinforce the market by fostering the principle of free competition.

‘Founding Freedom’ examines the birth of neoliberal thought in the Netherlands, its dissemination and its influence on socio-economic policy. In doing so, it does not assume a coherent neoliberal ideology, but rather investigates how clashing, but resonating ideas contributed to the development of a neoliberal ‘thought collective’. The research project maps the international development of neoliberal thought, as well as its dissemination within the Dutch political arena, with a particular focus on socio-economic policy within the areas of social aid, social housing and the organization of the labor market.

By embedding the history of the early neoliberal movement in the context of the emerging welfare state, ‘Founding Freedom’ examines the impact of ideas on politics and policy, moving beyond the conventional realms of the political party.