Overbeek was born in 1949 in Haarlem, and he attended the Murmellius Gymnasium [nl] high school in Alkmaar between 1961 and 1967.
Overbeek completed a PhD at the university, earning his degree in January 1988 with a dissertation entitled Global Capitalism and Britain's Decline.
[2] He retired as professor in December 2014, and he subsequently served as head of the organization sciences department until 2021.
[3] Overbeek ran for the Senate in May 2015 as the SP's 11th candidate, but he was not elected as the party won nine seats.
[4] On 4 October 2016, he was sworn into the Senate as the successor of Tuur Elzinga, who had stepped down for a role at the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV).