Erasmus School of Economics welcomes over 7,000 Dutch and international students every academic year and provides world class education in economic disciplines and econometrics.
Our Purpose
Enabling leaders of change to make informed decisions that improve the world.
At Erasmus School of Economics, we believe that economics helps us understand the world and make better decisions about its future. Through excellent research and education, we develop and share knowledge that addresses real-world questions and contributes to society.
Our Strategy
Strategy 2031: Building the Future of Economics sets the direction for Erasmus School of Economics for the years ahead. It builds on our academic strengths, the expertise of our community, and our shared ambition to make a meaningful contribution to society.
In a world shaped by rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, and complex societal challenges, we aim to strengthen our impact through research, education, and engagement. Our strategy provides a shared direction while allowing us to remain agile and responsive to a changing world.
The strategy was developed through a broad, participatory process involving colleagues from across the School, students, leadership, and other stakeholders. Their ideas, expertise, and aspirations helped shape our priorities and the future we want to build together.
Our Focus Areas
Our six focus areas highlight the expertise through which Erasmus School of Economics aims to contribute to major societal challenges. They help us communicate our strengths and connect our research and education to the questions that matter to society.
- A sustainable and fair world
- Good governance and resilient organisation
- A healthy society
- Development of reliable data science and AI
- Innovation and entrepreneurship in a global market
- Rigorous policy evaluation and development
These focus areas guide how we present our expertise and societal contribution. They do not encompass all our research and education: we continue to value the scope and diversity of disciplines and topics across our School.
Our History
Erasmus School of Economics’ history goes back to 1913, when the Netherlands School of Commerce was founded through a private initiative with broad support from the Rotterdam business community.
The statutory recognition of higher education in commerce and economics as an academic discipline resulted in 1939 into the Netherlands School of Economics, the predecessor of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The university gained worldwide fame with its education and research in the fields of (business) economics and econometrics and with its renowned professors, such as Johannes Witteveen, who became the first Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Henri Theil, and Jan Tinbergen, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1969.
The school’s Econometric Institute is internationally recognised for its groundbreaking work and has Jan Tinbergen, one of the pioneers of econometrics as a discipline, as one of its founders.
Our Academic Staff
The school has four departments which includes the Econometric Institute and the departments of Economics, Business Economics, and Applied Economics.
The departments are home to our talented academic staff who specialise in various branches such as behavioural economics, health economics, finance, marketing, data science, and many more.