Raymond Gradus is a Professor of Public Economics and Administration at the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In addition, he is a fellow of the Tinbergen Institute, Netspar (Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging and Retirement) and a chairman of the Committees for Financial Supervision of Dutch Antilles. His research interests are public administration, local government, environmental policy, and social security. He has published more than 50 articles in peer reviewed international journals.