
- Location
- Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam
- Room
- T15-45
- dekoster@essb.eur.nl
Profile
As a cultural sociologist, I aim to rigorously scrutinize how social groups give meaning to social issues, how this informs their actions and how it shapes their responses to new information and the (urban) environment they live in.
Scholars and policymakers increasingly recognize that such an eye for culture is crucial for understanding pressing social issues, ranging from societal clashes about democratic institutions and policies to unresponsiveness to information campaigns, and from obesity to resistance to governmental health campaigns.
I aim for interdisciplinary research endeavors addressing contemporary social issues through both quantitative and qualitative methods, ranging from multilevel analyses, survey experiments, Implicit Association Tests and Diagonal Reference Models to qualitative content analyses, focus groups and in-depth interviews. Currently, I collaborate with scholars in arts and culture studies, psychology, public administration, public health, urban geography and sociology.
My research has been supported by grants (Conflict & Security and personal VENI and VIDI grants) awarded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), an EUR Fellowship and several smaller grants.
I am proud that the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities has given me the award for "Best PhD Supervisor".
In addition to my research activities, I teach various courses, among others in Erasmus University's Master specialization Politics & Society (which I co-founded) and the top-rated Research Master in Sociology of Culture, Media and the Arts.
I also serve as board member of the Netherlands Sociological Association, as reviewer for various journals, and on the editorial board of the Dutch-Flemish peer-reviewed journal Tijdschrift Sociologie.
For an up-to-date overview of my research and teaching, please visit my Google Scholar Profile and my personal website.
Research interests: cultural conflict, political attitudes and behaviors, information provision, voting behavior, populism, welfare chauvinism, obesity, health behaviors
- Tim van Meurs, Joost Oude Groeniger, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2022) - An incongruous intervention: Exploring the role of anti-institutionalism in less-educated individual’s limited uptake of nutrition information - Sociology of Health and Illness, 44 (2), 432-450 - doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13430 - [link]
- JJ (Josje) ten Kate, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2022) - Becoming skeptical towards vaccines: How health views shape the trajectories following health-related events - Social Science & Medicine, 293 - doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114668 - [link]
- Thijs Lindner, Willem De Koster & Jeroen Van der Waal (2022) - Different understandings of welfare benefits among the Dutch public: A focus group study - Social Policy and Administration - doi: 10.1111/spol.12816 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - The micro–macro interactive approach to political trust: Quality of representation and substantive representation across Europe - European Journal of Political Research, 60 (4), 954 - doi: 10.1111/1475-6765.12436 - [link]
- Julian Schaap, Jeroen van der Waal & Willem de Koster (2021) - Black rap, white rock: Non-declarative culture and the racialization of cultural categories - Sociological Inquiry - doi: 10.1111/soin.12461 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - Gevoelens van culturele afstand als verklaring voor de opleidingskloof in anti-establishment-opvattingen en -gedrag - [link]
- K (Kjell) Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - A revolt of the deplored?: The role of perceived cultural distance in the educational gradient in anti-establishment politics - British Journal of Sociology, 72 (5), 1448–1463 - doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12892
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - A revolt of the deplored?: The role of perceived cultural distance in the educational gradient in anti-establishment politics
- Vivian Visser, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - Understanding less-educated citizens’ (non-)participation in citizens’ initiatives: Feelings of entitlement and a taste for politics - Current Sociology - doi: 10.1177/00113921211024700 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - A revolt of the deplored?: The role of perceived cultural distance in the educational gradient in anti-establishment politics
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - Winning trust of 'the people': How do substantive representation, populist rhetoric, and perceived cultural distance to politicians shape the educational gradient in political trust?
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - “They don’t know what it’s like to be at the bottom”: Exploring the role of perceived cultural distance in less-educated citizens’ discontent with politicians - British Journal of Sociology, 72 (3), 566-579 - doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12800 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - The education gap in anti-establishment political attitudes and behavior: Scrutinizing the role of perceived cultural distance in the Netherlands
- Joost Oude Groeniger, Kjell Noordzij, Willem Koster & Jeroen Waal (2021) - Dutch COVID-19 lockdown measures increased trust in government and trust in science: A difference-in-differences analysis - Social Science & Medicine, 275 - doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113819 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Joost Oude Groeniger, Willem Koster & Jeroen Waal (2021) - Niet de coronacrisis maar de coronamaatregelen leidden tot meer vertrouwen in de regering - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - “They don’t know what it’s like to be at the bottom”: Exploring the role of perceived cultural distance in less? Educated citizens’ discontent with politicians
- Josje ten Kate, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - "Following your gut" or "questioning the scientific evidence": Understanding vaccine skepticism among more-educated Dutch parents - Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62 (1), 85-99 - doi: 10.1177/0022146520986118 - [link]
- Kjell Noordzij, Willem de Koster & Jeroen van der Waal (2021) - Politiek vertrouwen wordt bepaald door zowel de kwaliteit als het ideologische profiel van het openbaar bestuur - [link]
- Michael Berghman, Julian Schaap, Koen Eijck, Willem Koster & Jeroen Waal (2020) - Learning from Latency in Sociological Research: Using the Implicit Association Test to make sense of Timed-Surveys
- Willem Koster (2010) - 'I Like to Stand up Against Injustice': On a Social Movement Emerged at “Your Guide Against Senseless Speed Controls
- Willem Koster (2010) - European Journal of Political Research (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2010) - Information, Communication and Society (print) (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2010) - Sociologie (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2009) - Information, Communication and Society (online) (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2009) - Sociologie (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2008) - Sociologie (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2008) - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (Journal)
- Willem Koster (2008) - Social Forces (print) (Journal)
4.1 The Social Bases of Politics
- Year
- 2021
- Course Code
- FSWS-710
Master Thesis
- Level
- MA-2
- Year
- 2021
- Year Level
- MA-2
- Course Code
- CS5050
1.1C Introduction to Sociology
- Year
- 2021
- Course Code
- FSWS-1010
Advanced Quantitative Methods
- Level
- MA-1
- Year
- 2021
- Year Level
- MA-1
- Course Code
- CS5005