Jacobus Franciscus Haccoû

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jacobus Franciscus (J.F.) Haccoû (27 December 1903 – 20 June 1972) was a Dutch economist, a professor of Business Economics at the University of Amsterdam, and the first director of SEO Economic Research. He is best known for his work on the futures market and for studies about the economy of the Dutch East Indies.

Born in Amsterdam, Haccoû earned his MA in Economics from the University of Amsterdam in 1926 and his PhD cum laude in 1940 with the thesis De termijnhandel in goederen (The futures exchange in goods) under Théodore Limperg.

In 1950 he became Professor of Business Economics, focusing on the doctrine of external organization at the University of Amsterdam. From 1950 to 1966 he was the first director of the Foundation for Economic Research at the university, now SEO Economic Research; he was succeeded by Joop Klant.

In the late 1950s he was shortlisted for Rector of the University of Amsterdam, but the position went to Joris in ’t Veld. In 1959 he was appointed president of the National Productivity Center for fishing companies.

Haccoû’s main focus was business economics, but his interests were broad. He studied Amsterdam markets and wholesale trade, Dutch international trading companies, economic policy in the Dutch East Indies, and postwar emigration from the Netherlands. He also wrote about stock trading on major U.S. stock exchanges and its history as part of SEO Economic Research projects.

Earlier, in 1935, he presented a study of economic policy in the Dutch East Indies, and in the early 1960s he published The Economy of the Dutch East Indies: Its Struggle and Progress. A 1966 review noted his work on the significance of government policy and private enterprise, showing how external capital and management helped expand production, especially after the 19th century. Western investment in sugar, tea, and rubber boosted development, opened up the country, and improved employment, education, and public health.

Haccoû wrote several books and articles reflecting his wide range of interests.