Erasmus University Rotterdam

dr. (Willem) W. de Koster

dr. (Willem) W. de Koster
Associate Professor Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences Department of Public Administration and Sociology/ Sociology
Location
Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam
Room
T 15-45
Telephone
+31 10 4082390
Email
dekoster@essb.eur.nl

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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…

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 cultural studies, health economics, political science, public administration, public health 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.

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 boards of two peer-reviewed journals: Sociologie and Sociologos.

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

Address

Visiting address

Burg. Oudlaan 50 3062 PA Rotterdam

Postal address

Postbus 1738 3000 DR Rotterdam