Biography

Rutger Claassen is a Professor of Political Philosophy and Economic Ethics at Utrecht University. In his work, he investigates the philosophical foundations of major political and economic institutions, revealing the ethical dilemma’s surrounding them, criticizing them where necessary and investigating proposals for institutional innovation.

Currently, Claassen is working on two main topics:

The first project is about the political theory of business corporations. In this project, he investigates the social and political role of (large) business corporations and debates about corporate governance addressing proposals to render corporations more accountable.

The second project is to develop a political theory of property based on a notion of ownership as ‘democratic stewardship'.

In earlier research projects he investigated the moral limits of markets, the capability approach to social justice and conceptions of autonomy and political freedom.

Claassen currently serves as the co-director of Utrecht University’s Strategic Theme “Institutions for Open Societies” (IOS), in which researchers work together in interdisciplinary teams to address the challenges faced by open societies. He is a member of the Ethics Institute, in which ethicists study a range of contemporary topics, from climate justice to technology ethics, health and wellbeing, social justice and democracy. Claassen is also a member of the Sustainable Finance Lab, a think tank aimed at creating a sustainable financial sector. In the past, Claassen played a key role in developing the interdisciplinary bachelor programme "Philosophy, Politics, and Economics" at Utrecht University. Claassen actively participates in public discussions on political issues through podcasts, newspaper articles, and media appearances. He has provided input for reports and policy papers for various organizations, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Centraal Plan Bureau. For years, he was the co-organizer of a monthly Philosophical Café in Utrecht. For more information, a full CV and some downloads, please visit his personal web page.