Bas ter Weel, SEO’s Managing Director and Professor at the UvA's Amsterdam School of Economics, explains what the research agency does and why that activity is important in a social context.

Some history

In 1949, economists at the University of Amsterdam founded SEO Economic Research. This makes it one of the oldest economic research agencies in the Netherlands. Initially, the research agency focused on helping the City of Amsterdam rebuild its economy after World War II. ‘In the 1990s, SEO became an independent foundation. Even so, we still have strong links with the Amsterdam School of Economics today. For example, we work together on research and PhD projects’.

‘Our activities these days include much more than research for the city of Amsterdam. In the course of those 75 years, we have grown into a research agency that conducts research worldwide’, Ter Weel adds.

What does SEO do?

SEO conducts empirical research. This type of research entails collecting data by looking at what you can see or measure in practice. ‘You don't buy an outcome when you come to us, you buy independent research’, Ter Weel says. So the outcome of the research is always reliable.

Sugar tax

SEO’s studies are often used by the government. For example, the agency might be asked to investigate the true effectiveness of a grant scheme or tax levy. A case in point: the government wanted to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables and reduce their sugar intake. They intended to achieve this by assigning a lower VAT rate to fruit and vegetables. SEO was then asked to investigate whether this approach would work. ‘As it turned out, a lower VAT rate had almost no effect. That surprised several people who thought that consumers would buy more if the price went down. The same research study indicates that a higher tax on products containing sugar is more effective in promoting a healthier diet’, Ter Weel explains.

Based on SEO’s research, the government was in a position to make an informed decision. In line with this example, the agency has conducted many other research studies that help the government make good choices and make society a little better each time.

Opportunity Atlas

In 2021, SEO developed the Opportunity Atlas. This atlas shows what opportunities for getting out of poverty are available to residents of various municipalities in the Netherlands. It also helps councillors and policy-makers identify which problems are most important in their communities. In addition, they see which municipalities are struggling with the same problems. By providing this information, the atlas helps municipalities create policies that give children equal opportunities.

Making good choices

The government and the business community are not the only parties who benefit from SEO’s research studies. For 25 years, the firm has conducted research on higher education and employment. ‘What are your job prospects after completing a specific course of study? We investigate this for students across a range of degree programmes offered by vocational and higher education institutions. For example, we look at how quickly graduates get jobs and how their salaries develop over a 10-year period. This is how we help young people choose a degree programme. We give them information about their employment prospects after completing a particular course’, Ter Weel clarifies.

Ter Weel sees the research into education and employment as one of the most important activities undertaken by SEO: ‘You help young people make a good choice. We also regularly receive feedback from parents who tell us that their child made a choice that suited him or her better because of our research’.

Research helps sharpen focus

According to Ter Weel, the public debate is increasingly disconnected from the facts. ‘Even though they are more important now than ever’, he comments. SEO's research helps get the facts on the table and provides focus. ‘What are we talking about and how big is this issue really? This also helps us in the changes we are facing today. For example, the research provides support when considering sustainability, the digitalisation of society and the pressures on our healthcare system. After all, we can't do everything at once. If we want to actually achieve all the goals associated with those themes, we need to invest. But you have to do that in a specific sequence and to a specific extent. Economic research helps determine what needs doing first’.