Projects
Human capital from a household perspective: knowledge investments in early modern Antwerp, Ghent, Lier and Aalst. University of Antwerp
Human Capital, Religiosity, and Economic Development: Evidence from 19th Century France KU Leuven
This research project aims to contribute to the existing literature on the role of cultural factors (such as education and religiosity) for long-term economic development, by answering two crucial questions for both researchers and policy makers: 1. Does mass education matter for economic development? In the existing studies, mass education is generally considered irrelevant for innovation and early industrialization. However, it has always ...
Capital cinema and film flow: An historical research into the distribution, exhibition and experience of cinema in Brussels Ghent University
The proposed research project focuses on key aspects of the film culture and industry in the city of Brussels. The Belgian capital, which was widely renowned for its vibrant film culture (cf. a wide range of commercial film venues, art-house cinemas, festivals, as well as Catholic, socialist and other kinds of ideological film exploitation), was considered to be the heart of the Belgian film industry (cf. production, distribution, ...
Networking in the past: the role of social capital in the success of the neoclassical painter and educator François-Joseph Navez (1787-1869) in nascent Belgium Ghent University
Networking is important, also for an artist in the 19th century. François-Joseph Navez (1787-1869), director of the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles and a neoclassical artist, developed an impressive social network in nascent Belgium. Despite the knowledge we have of Navez’s paintings and his role in supporting the development of a newly forming nation-state through his role as director at the Brussels Academy, we have little knowledge on ...
Liquid Chromatography tandem Mass Spectrometry for Routine Measurement of Steroid Hormones in Human Serum KU Leuven
Steroid hormones are physiologically important molecules that are regularly measured in human serum to aid in the diagnosis or follow-up of a variety of conditions. Routine steroid hormone testing is currently often performed on completely automated platforms within clinical laboratories. The reaction principles behind these methods are invariably antibody-based. Although these assays are easy-to-use, some fundamental weaknesses remain such ...
Our brain as capital': The ethical desirability of moral enhancement Ghent University
This project aims to investigate the moral rightness or wrongness of certain types of moral enhancement. Moral enhancement concerns a specific type of enhancement in w hich biomedical or other interventions are used to upgrade the moral character and behavior of a person. 'Chemical castration' for sexual offenders with pedophilia, or anitpsychotics for the treatment of chronic aggressive behavior, can be described as examples of existing ...
Demographic change, wealth distribution and long-run growth in general equilibrium Ghent University
This project studies the effects on (future) per capita economic growth of different drivers of demographic change and rising inequality in OECD countries. We focus on the effects of (i) declining fertility, (ii) rising life expectancy, (iii) skill-biased technical change and (iv) the intergenerational transmission of heterogeneous innate ability and accumulated financial wealth (bequests).
Methodologically, we construct, calibrate, ...
Capitalism and the Impoverishment of the Lifeworld KU Leuven
Capitalism tends to frame most aspects of human life in economic terms: human beings are seen as human resources, homes as equity, university degrees as investments, etc. While this has long been a theme for Marxist critique, there is also a phenomenological dimension to this framing that has often been overlooked. The claim I want to explore is whether and how this economic framing can impoverish the experience of the world around us. I call ...
New perspectives on intellectual property rights: empirical evidence at the firm-level. KU Leuven
The economic literature in intellectual property rights (IPR) is vast, as IPR policies are often seen as main incentive schemes for innovation in the business sector and thus also economic growth and welfare. This project aims to contribute to the lively debate on IPRs and corresponding policies in three dimensions:
(i) In the debate on the value of patents it is often argued that new patents result in higher market value of firms. ...