Kurt Ver Beek

Dr. Kurt Ver Beek
Professor of Sociology, Emeritus
Sociology
Spoelhof University Center (Map)
kverbeek@calvin.edu

Education

Kurt Ver Beek joined the faculty at Calvin College in 1996, after completing a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to do his dissertation fieldwork in Honduras studying the context within which indigenous Lencas mobilized in the mid-1990s to petition the Honduran government for improvements in their communities and the impact that mobilization ultimately had in their communities. Prof. Ver Beek completed his BA in Sociology from Calvin College in 1986 and his MA in Human Resource Development from Azusa Pacific University in 1992.

Biography

Kurt and his wife Jo Ann Van Engen first came to Honduras over 30 years ago to serve with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. Ever since, they have called Honduras home. They are currently the directors of Calvin University’s Justice Studies Semester, which studies the concept of justice in relation to history, economics, politics, sociology, and development in Honduras.

In addition to his work with Calvin, Kurt and Jo Ann are founding members of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) in Honduras. ASJ seeks to do justice in Honduras and inspire others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

See Kurt and Jo Ann’s story featured in the Spark.

Academic interests

As part of his role at ASJ, Ver Beek is involved in the design and implementation of violence prevention programs and anti-corruption initiatives. He has helped design campaigns for national education reform, programs to investigate homicides in violent Honduran communities, and reforms to the security and justice sector in Honduras. He is the lead investigator for the organization’s anti-corruption initiative, which audits principal Honduran government institutions and provides technical support to implement reforms.

Throughout his career, Ver Beek has also carried out research on violence prevention, short-term missions, maquilas, and mobilization of indigenous groups (see links below).

Research and scholarship

Anti-corruption in Honduran institutions

Ver Beek is the lead investigator for an agreement between Transparency International, the Honduran Government, and the Association for a more Just Society (ASJ). As part of their agreement, Ver Beek oversaw baseline reports on nine government institutions, as well as regular follow-up evaluations, which looking at compliance with Honduran law and best practices in purchasing, human resources, and statistical reporting.

Archive of anti-corruption research reports in Spanish

Short-term missions

Ver Beek has studied the long-term effects of short-term missions, particularly looking at the impact of short-term missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.

Contributor to “Changed for Life” short term missions curriculum, 2016.

“Lessons from the sapling: Review of quantitative research on short-term missions,” in Effective Engagement in Short-Term Missions: Doing it Right! Ed. Robert Priest: William Carey Library, 2008, pp. 469-496.

The Impact of Short Term Missions: A Case Study of House Construction in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. Missiology: An International Review, October 2006 Special Edition, pp.477-496.

“International Service-Learning: A Call to Caution,” in Commitment and Connection. Ed. Gail Gunst Heffner and Claudia De Vries Beversluis Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002.

Spirituality: A Development Taboo. Development in Practice. Oxfam Publications: London, England. 10:1 (February, 2000) pp. 31-43

Maquilas

Ver Beek has studied Honduras’ maquilas, or garment factories, evaluating the ways in which low-cost labor affects workers both economically and socially.

Maquilas: Exploitation or Emancipation?: An Overview of the Situation of Maquiladora Workers in Honduras. World Development (29:9) 2001.

Maquilas: Saviors or Enslavers? Spark. Calvin College Alumni Association: Grand Rapids, MI. 45:2 (Summer, 1999) pp.32-36

Publications

Call for Justice: From Practice to Theory and Back, with Nicholas Wolterstorff. Cascade Books, 2019.

“The men who murdered a Honduran environmental activist were convicted, offering hope this country is changing” with James Nealon. Dallas News. December 11, 2018.

“Don’t Give Up on Honduras” with James Nealon. Wilson Center. December 10, 2018.

“How U.S. Aid is Contributing to Anti-Corruption Efforts in Honduras” with James Nealon. Wilson Center. August 15, 2018.

“To stop migrant caravans, we need to maintain U.S. aid to Honduras” with James Nealon. Los Angeles Times. April , 2018.