The decline in student numbers for Fiscal Economics is a national trend. While this is less pronounced in Rotterdam, the numbers have also fallen here in recent years. Enrolment in the bachelor’s programme dropped from around 140 in 2015 to approximately 80 in recent years. However, this year has seen a slight increase.
In 2022, Dean Patrick Groenen commissioned an investigation into organising the programme differently. The reasons were not solely financial but also organisational. The teaching activities for Fiscal Economics have been managed by a private company for over two decades, and the research is mainly focused on the Netherlands. According to the ESE board, this no longer aligned with the faculty’s strategic focus.
Timetabling issues
The solutions explored by a working group were deemed unfeasible by the faculty board. Integrating the courses into both the Erasmus School of Law (ESL) and the ESE would, according to a report, create significant timetabling conflicts. Furthermore, many staff employed by the private company were not sufficiently qualified to work as academic staff at the ESE, as their career paths diverged from a strictly economic focus.
During the investigation into alternative arrangements, student numbers continued to decline, exacerbating financial problems. As a result, in September, the dean submitted a proposal to terminate the programme to the faculty council and programme committee.
‘Enough students’
Peter Kavelaars, who has been a professor of Fiscal Economics at the programme for nearly 30 years, finds the faculty board’s decision ‘very disappointing’. “I feel the faculty hasn’t done enough to save the programme. Yes, we are dealing with declining student numbers, but we still attract 80 students annually for the bachelor’s and 50 for the master’s. That’s more than enough to remain financially viable. And this year, numbers even increased. Our programme is highly regarded.”
Kavelaars dismisses the claim that collaboration with the ESL would cause excessive timetabling issues. “Some adjustments would be necessary, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.” He suspects the real reasons behind the closure are the programme’s profile, which deviates significantly from the international focus of the faculty, and his planned retirement in February 2026. Nevertheless, he accepts the situation and pledges to see it through: “We will finish this together.” Despite his retirement, Kavelaars is likely to continue teaching until the programme officially ends in 2029.
Counter-investigation
The faculty council has approved the proposal to terminate the programme, on the condition that the faculty board continues to seek a solution before making a final decision. The programme committee, however, feels severely sidelined, as it was unaware of the investigation into the programme’s future for two years and thus unable to contribute. The committee believes the faculty board’s arguments – declining student numbers and the practical challenges of integrating courses at ESE and ESL – are unconvincing. The committee now plans to conduct its own counter-investigation.
The proposal to terminate the programme still requires approval from the Executive Board and the University Council.
Students on the programme committee have written an opinion piece and launched a petition to save the programme, which, at the time of writing, has already been signed nearly five hundred times.
