Dr. J.W. (Jan) de Pous
Honorary supervisor Prof. Dr. Th.A. Stevers - 1977 –Faculteit Economische Wetenschappen
Jan Willem de Pous (Aalsmeer, 1920–The Hague, 1996) was a Dutch politician of the Christelijk-Historische Unie (merged into the CDA). De Pous was Minister of Economic Affairs, who was very much set on reaching consensus (his nickname was Jan Compromis).
After a lectureship at the VU, he became a member of the Council of State at a relatively young age. As Minister of Economic Affairs (1959–1963) in the De Quay government, he was one of the driving forces behind the introduction of the free wage policy. His policy in this regard was favored by a boom in the economy and the discovery of natural gas.
After his ministry, he was Chair of the SER for more than twenty years, during which time he was reproached by left-wing parties for having too many ancillary positions in business. De Pous thought that these supervisory directorships were necessary to keep in touch with society. The list of ancillary positions was not limited to the business community, but varied from Chair of the Algemeen Haags Comité to member of the Council for Preachers' Pensions.
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