Josephus Johannes Maria (Jos) van der Lans (born 2 April 1954, in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

) is a cultural psychologist,

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and writer. Between 1999 and 2007 he was member of the Dutch

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

GreenLeft GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...

Background

Van der Lans has a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

background. Between 1960 and 1967 he attended a Catholic primary school in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

(until 1964) and

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. Between 1967 and 1973 he attended a Catholic secondary school in The Hague. He attended the atheneum and specialized in

sciences Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. Between 1973 and 1981 he studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

at the Catholic University Nijmegen. In 1977 he received his candidate's exam (roughly equivalent to a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

) and in 1981 he received his doctoral exam (roughly equivalent to a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. Van der Lans specialized in cultural psychology and

Psychology of religion Psychology of religion consists of the application of List of psychological research methods, psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to the diverse contents of Religion, religious traditions as well as to both religious and Irreligion, ...

. He also took additional courses in

communication studies Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differen ...

and

education studies Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

. He wrote his doctoral thesis about "Youth Culture, Provo and the Youth Movement" . Between 1979 and 1981 he attended courses to become a teacher in

civics Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of u ...

and

science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some ...

. Between 1977 and 1981 he worked as a student-assistant on the faculty of

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

s at different departments. Between 1977 and 1983 he worked as a journalist for the quarterly magazine ''Psychologie & Maatschappij'' (''Psychology and Society''). As a student Van der Lans was active in the student movement and in university politics. Between 1975 and 1977 he was chair of the Nijmegen Student Union and between 1977 and 1978 he was the student member of the board of the subfaculty of psychology. In 1978 Van der Lans joined the

Communist Party of the Netherlands The Communist Party of the Netherlands ( nl, Communistische Partij Nederland, , CPN) was a Dutch communist party. The party was founded in 1909 as the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) and merged with the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party ...

, which he left in 1986 because internal struggles had caused the decline of the party.ARCHIEF VAN JOS VAN DER LANS - POLITICUS
op josvdlans.nl

Journalist and Writer

Since 1981 Van der Lans started to work as journalist. First as a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

for the magazine ''Jeugd en Samenleving'' (''Youth and Society''). Between 1982 and 1987 he was editor of the magazine ''Marge'', the monthly journal for

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

. Between 1983 and 1984 he was part-time teacher in psychology at the Advanced School in

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

. Between 1987 he was assistant

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and later editor in chief of the ''Welzijnseweekblad'', the weekly magazine for social work and the Tijdschrift voor de Sociale Sector, another journal on social work. Between 1987 and 1995 he wrote for '' De Helling'' (''The Slope''), the quarterly of the

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

s of the political parties CPN, the

Pacifist Socialist Party The Pacifist Socialist Party ( nl, Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij, PSP) was a Democratic socialism, democratic socialist Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch socialism, socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It ...

and the

Political Party of Radicals The Political Party of Radicals ( nl, Politieke Partij Radikalen, PPR) was a progressive Christian and green political party in the Netherlands. The PPR played a relatively small role in Dutch politics and merged with other left-wing parties to fo ...

. These parties merged in 1989 to form

, which Van der Lans joined. ''De Helling'' became the quarterly of the think tank of this party. In this period Van der Lans was also active in civil society. He was a member of the Board of the Catholic Youth Organization, Catholic Service Institute for Life Forming. He also was a member of the board of the ''De Helling''. Between 1990 and 1991 Van der Lans was full-time freelancer with his own advice bureau, which worked in the (semi-)

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infra ...

. Between 1991 and 1994 he worked for

De Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

, a major centre-left daily as editor of the opinion & discussion page "Forum". He also worked for the Tijdschrift voor de Sociale Sector and other magazines in the semi-public sector. In 1993 he left De Volkskrant and worked

De Groene Amsterdammer ''De Groene Amsterdammer'' is an independent Dutch weekly news magazine published in Amsterdam and distributed throughout the Netherlands. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four major weeklies, alongside ''HP/De Tijd'', ''Vrij Neder ...

, a left wing weekly (between 1993 and 1999) and for

Vrij Nederland ''Vrij Nederland'' (Free Netherlands) is a Dutch magazine, established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper. It has since grown into a magazine. The originally weekly and now monthly magaz ...

, another leftwing weekly (between 2001 and 2004). At Vrij Nederland he edited the opinion & discussion page "Burning Issues". He also had a column in the Tijdschrift voor sociale vraagstukken (since 1994) and the weekly magazine for parents J/M (between 1997 and 1999). He continued to be active for de Helling as an editor. Between 1995 and 2000 he also was a member of the board of the

think tank. In 2005 Van der Lans wrote ''Koning Burger'' (''King Citizen'') a critical analysis of the relationship between government and citizen. It was followed by ''Ontregelen'' (''De-regulate'') on the position of professionals in the (semi-)public sector.ONTREGELEN
on josvdlans.nl Van der Lans continues to work as a freelancer. He writes several columns: for the magazine of Aedes (the federation of

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

agencies), for DANS (the magazine of the centre for amateur dancing) and the GreenLeft magazine. Furthermore, he is the member of several boards in the semi-public sector, such as organisation advise bureau De Beuk, HVO Querido, a foundation for social work, the Foundation for the interest of

homeless people Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

in Amsterdam ("Stichting Belangenbehartiging Amsterdamse Dak- en Thuislozen"), the Foundation Culture at 't IJ and his own foundation EROPAF! (RIGHT AT IT!), an initiative based around his vision on the role of professionals and citizens in the public sector.

Member of the Senate

Between 1999 and 2007 Van der Lans was a member of the

parliamentary party A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council. Parliamentar ...

in the Dutch

. He spoke on a range of issues: transport, public works and water management; housing, spatial planning and the environment; culture and

economic affairs An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

. Between 2003 and 2007 he chaired the parliamentary committee on Transport, Public Works and Water Management. He voted against his own parliamentary party on the parliamentary approval of the marriage between

Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatri ...

Máxima Zorreguieta Máxima may refer to * ''Máxima'' (magazine) * Máxima FM, Spanish radio station * Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Máxima (born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti; 17 May 1971) is Queen of the Netherlands as the wife of King Willem-Alexander. A ...

out of

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

an sentiments.profile
on parlement.com

Political and social ideas

Van der Lans mainly writes on the

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...

and specifically the role of

and

agencies. He is primarily interested in the relationship between government, citizens and professionals in the public sector. Since 1994 Van der Lans has pled, together with

Paul Kuypers Paul Herman Felix Kuypers (4 June 1939, Elst (Overbetuwe), Gelderland - d. near Ierapetra, Crete, Greece, 9 September 1971) was a Dutch agriculture expert, widely known in Ierapetra as the "Dutchman". He is credited with introducing new planting t ...

in their ''Modern Paternalisme'' (Modern Paternalisme), against the culture of non-interference in social work. Social workers should intervene actively in the life of their clients without becoming moralist (as in the 1950s) or overly persistent (as in the 1970s).Bemoeien werkt
on josvdlans.nl According to Van der Lans this culture of non-intervention is a result of the larger scale of social work and the increased respect for

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

of citizens. Professionals such as teachers, policemen and social workers, should according to Van der Lans be freed from the increased

bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

in the public sector. In the eyes of Van der Lans, the increased bureaucracy is a result of the larger demand of the transparency in the civil service from the politics.Hilhorst, Pieter "Verlamde professionals" in De Volkskrant 8-3-2008. Reproduce
josvdlans.nl
/ref> When professionals free themselves from bureaucracy they can orient themselves to their work on the "front lines of society". They should interfere in the life of their clients with a "right at it"-mentality. Van der Lans is very critical of the role of citizens in the public sector. In his eyes citizens act as "kings": they expect government to solve their problems immediately.KONING BURGER
on josvdlans.nl The government reacts as servant: politicians claim to want to listen to citizens. According to Van der Lans these relations have changed radically: before the politicians were the "kings" and the citizens servants.Koper, A., "Leve de overheid, weg met de burger" in ''De Volkskrant'' 11-11-2005. Reproduced a
josvdlans.nl
/ref> Van der Lans denies that there is a problem of representation in politics: never has politics tried to respond so strongly to the demands of citizens. This has shown the weakness of government however, which cannot deal with all the demands of all the citizens in the short term.

Private life

Van der Lans co-habits. He has four children, two of which are

foster child Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community, Treatment centre, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-ce ...

ren.

Publications

This is a selection of Van der Lans' publicationsFor a full list se
Overview of books
on josvdlans.nl * "Giftige bonbons" ("Poisonous Chocolates" stories, 1986) * "Modern Paternalisme" ("Modern Paternalism" manifest, 1994, with Paul Kuypers) * "De onzichtbare samenleving" ("The Unseen Society" essays, 1995) * "Lage landen. Hoge sprongen. Nederland in beweging 1898-1998" ("Low Countries. High Jumps. The Netherlands on the move 1898-1998" 1998 with Herman Vuijsje) * "Typisch Nederlands. Vademecum van de Nederlandse identiteit" ("Typically Dutch. Handbook on the Dutch identity" 1999 with Herman Vuijsje) * "Het verlangen naar de stad" ("the Desire of the City" 2002 with Herman Vuijsje) * "Het woninkrijk der Bloemstraters" ("The small kingdom of those who lived in the Bloemstraat" 2003) * "Bemoeien werkt" ("Intervention works" 2003 with Nies Medema en Marc Räkers) * "Koning burger - Nederland als zelfbedieningszaak" ("King Citizens - the Netherlands as Supermarket" 2005) * "Ontregelen - De herovering van de werkvloer" ("De-regulate - The return of the professional" 2008)