Rolph Eric van der Hoeven (born 23 June 1948) is emeritus professor on employment and development economics at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague and was appointed in 2009 as a member of the Committee on Development Cooperation of the International Advisory Council (AIV) to the Dutch Government.

Dr. van der Hoeven read econometrics at the University of Amsterdam where in 1969 he earned himself a BSc and followed it up with a MSc (Drs.)

Dr. van der Hoeven has worked for over 30 years in various places in the world for UNICEF and International Labour Organization (ILO), where he was most recently manager of the Technical Secretariat of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, established by the International Labour Organization in Geneva.

At the beginning of his career, he worked in Zambia and Ethiopia, highlighted the necessity for developing countries to emphasize the satisfaction of Basic Needs as a prime goal in Development Planning, and advised various countries (Zambia, Swasiland, Tanzania, Niger, Sierra Leone) on how to implement the Basic Needs approach.

He suggested a number of political solutions including counter-cyclical monetary and fiscal policy, stricter financial and bank regulation, progressive tax systems and strengthening social institutions like labor unions.