Ben Vollaard

About

Ben Vollaard (PhD RAND Graduate School, Santa Monica, CA) is a social science researcher who studies the choices we face when it comes to protecting nature, in other words, securing our future. He is Professor of the Economics of Environmental Crime at Tilburg University and Academic Director of the MSc in Economics. He won the Tilburg School of Economics and Management Research Valorization Award multiple times.

Past positions include graduate fellow at the RAND Corporation, reporter at NRC and economist at the Dutch equivalent of the Council of Economic Advisors (CPB).

That's us, with Saturn in the foreground (photo courtesy of NASA).

All economic activity takes place within ecosystems, and all life is interconnected. The challenge lies in balancing the benefits of economic activity (food, housing, health) against the environmental costs (biodiversity loss, climate change). A common approach to achieving this balance is to set rules and regulations, but their effectiveness is often unclear. Compliance is often uncertain, and even when compliance is achieved, the rules may not be sufficient to solve the problem.

In one strand of my work, I develop and test research designs designed to uncover traces of hidden, illegal behavior in a variety of contexts. The aim is to provide causal, rather than merely suggestive, evidence of wrongdoing. Where possible, I collect first-hand evidence of the environmental consequences of the fraud.

In addition to forensic economics, I synthesize what is known about a particular environmental problem, show the trade-offs and work with stakeholders to develop ways of tackling the problem. I focus on major environmental challenges that receive relatively little attention, such as the harm from bottom trawling in the North Sea.

Dutch news

Geinterviewd over Noordzeevisserij voor tv-programma ''Wat houdt ons tegen?", wo 19 nov, 23.05 uur, NPO2.

Grant Universiteitsfonds voor nieuwe manier om tot zinnige straffen voor milieufraude te komen! Kan 't idee nu eindelijk testen (nov 2025).

Meest betekenisvolle 👼 activiteit op de uni ooit:  leesgroep met studenten! In 't mooiste gebouwtje op campus bediscussiëren we Bregmans 'Moral ambition' (okt 2025).

Wat willen politieke partijen met de zee? Partijprogramma's doorgelicht in de ZeeWijzer, met de Sustainable Ocean Community (okt 2025).

Lezing over fraude ontdekken voor eenheid bestrijding ondermijnende criminaliteit (nov 2025).

Diploma-uitreiking MSc Economics class of 2025 (okt 2025).

Tilburgs MSc Economics leidend in studententevredenheid, boven EUR/ RU/VU/UvA/MU, blijkt uit de nieuwe Nationale Studenten Enquête (mei 2025).

Zolang niet meer Nederlanders beseffen dat we voor ons deel van de Noordzee hebben te zorgen, gaan korte termijn economische belangen altijd boven natuurbehoud, opinieartikel in NRC (apr 2025).

Glyfosaat en kindersterfte: VMR-blog over een studie die meer aandacht verdient (mrt 2025).

Samen naar lokaal gebruik bestrijdingsmiddelen kijken, artikel in Nieuwsblad De Kaap (feb 2025).

Studenten leren goed te leven, het kan! Artikel in universiteitsblad Univers (jan 2025).

Blik in de bodemsleepnetten van platviskotters, ESB (dec 2024). Artikelen in RD, Visserijnieuws, Trouw, de Volkskrant, Noordhollands Dagblad. Engelse vertaling. Korte video van inhoud bodemsleepnet (bron).

VIDE-workshop samen met ambtenaren over kansen voor evaluatieonderzoek (okt 2024).

Interview over zelfscan-diefstal in Univers: het onpersoonlijke van de zelfscan maakt vergoeilijken kleine diefstal makkelijker (okt 2024).

Diploma-uitreiking MSc Economics class of 2024 (okt 2024).

Artikel in Nederlands Juristenblad 'De lerende strafrechter' over effectief straffen (juli 2024).

Praatje bij School voor Journalistiek over het Wilde Tuin project (jun 2024).

Geinterviewd over visserijplannen nieuwe kabinet, Financieel Dagblad (mei 2024).

Work in progress: marine environment (latest first)

📑 Subsidies do not make North Sea fisheries sustainable & Overfishing primary driver of the decline of North Sea fisheries, forthcoming Dec '25.

📑 A look inside the bottom trawl nets of flatfish cutters, ESB Dec '24, with Aart de Zeeuw. 📺 Articles in RD, Visserijnieuws, Trouw, de Volkskrant, Noordhollands Dagblad. English translation. Short video of bottom trawl net contents (source).

📑 Social scientists should join the debate: 'Aanslag op zeeleven vormt uitdaging voor economen', ESB Jan '24, with Andries Richter.

📑 Evidence for widespread use of a harmful fishing practice, the use of illegal, small-mesh nets, which contribute to the destruction of marine life through bottom trawling. The study was based on surveillance missions of the Coast Guard patrol vessel (the Barend Biesheuvel). The data show that fishing crews operate strategically in response to impending inspections. Publication in JEEM, 2023, with Stephan Kastoryano. 📺 Contribution to Keuringsdienst van Waarde, articles in Visserijnieuws (reaction secretary LNV), de Volkskrant, questions from members of parliament (+ answers secretary) Fall '22 en Spring '23. Article 'Binnenzakken kosten dure tong' + profile in Visserijnieuws Special Zakelijke Dienstverlening.

📑 Evidence for illegal discharges of oily substances from shipping in the North Sea. Publication in JEEM, 2017. YouTube video of one of the surveillance flights. The study was based on the universe of Coast Guard surveillance flights (the Dorniers 228). The data show that when ship crews dump oily substances into the sea, they do so after sunset - when they are sure they will not be convicted in court even if they are caught. 📺 Coverage in de Volkskrant. Minutes meeting Members of Parliament, questions about the study in the Belgian Senate.

📑 Oil pollution in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, in: Angela Carpenter (ed.), Oil pollution in the North Sea, 2015 (with Kees Camphuysen).

... and read how the fridge at our economics department is teaching us a lesson.

Publications

Punishment to promote prosocial behavior: a field experiment, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2024 (with Daan van Soest).  Featured in Omroep Brabant and ESB-special 'Circulaire Economie'.

Illegal fishing practices and nautical patrol, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2023 (with Stephen Kastoryano). Featuring Coastguard patrol vessel Barend Biesheuvel (location). Vox column, interview on Faculti.net. Nederlandstalige samenvatting.