David de la Croix

David de la Croix
Name	David de la Croix
Birth date	1964
Birth place	Mouscron, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Fields	Economics, Economic History, Demography
Alma mater	Université catholique de Louvain, Université libre de Bruxelles, University of California, Berkeley
Institutions	Université catholique de Louvain, Université catholique de Louvain Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies
Known for	Research on demographic transition, human capital, economic growth, historical macroeconomics

David de la Croix is a Belgian economist and economic historian known for contributions to the study of demographic transitions, human capital accumulation, and long-run economic growth. He has held academic positions at European universities and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and books that bridge quantitative macroeconomics, demography, and history. His work interfaces with scholars and institutions across economics, history, and demography, influencing debates on fertility, education, and institutional development.

Early life and education

Born in Mouscron, Belgium, he pursued undergraduate and graduate studies at Université catholique de Louvain and completed doctoral work with exposure to research environments including University of California, Berkeley and Université libre de Bruxelles. During formative years he interacted with scholars linked to schools associated with New Classical Economics, Growth theory, and Demographic transition literature. His education involved engagement with methodologies from Macroeconomics, Economic history, and Demography, situating him amid intellectual networks connected to figures in Development economics, Population studies, and historical analysis.

Academic career and positions

He has held faculty appointments at Université catholique de Louvain where he served in departments connected to economics and interdisciplinary studies, collaborating with institutes such as the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre-adjacent teams and international centers for demographic research. His career includes visiting positions and collaborations with departments at Universität Zürich, London School of Economics, and research seminars linked to National Bureau of Economic Research, Centre for Economic Policy Research, and university-based centers in Paris, Madrid, and Rome. He has supervised research projects funded by agencies including programs associated with the European Research Council and national science foundations.

Research contributions and publications

His research portfolio spans theoretical and empirical studies on the interplay among fertility, education, and economic growth, producing influential models on the microfoundations of the demographic transition. He has developed and extended endogenous growth frameworks that incorporate mechanisms related to intergenerational human capital transmission, marrying techniques from Overlapping generations model, Endogenous growth theory, and quantitative historical analysis. His publications address historical episodes comparable to analyses in works on the Industrial Revolution, Second Demographic Transition, and comparative long-run development across regions such as Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and North America.

He has authored articles in journals that publish advances in macroeconomic theory and economic history, engaging with literatures tied to Solow growth model extensions, fertility responses studied in Beckerian models, and human capital accumulation debates linked to scholars who worked on Galor's Unified Growth Theory and models of skill-biased structural change. His empirical contributions utilize datasets assembled from historical censuses, parish records, and educational registers, comparable to sources used in studies by researchers at institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Institute for Fiscal Studies, and national statistical agencies. He has also co-authored books and chapters that synthesize mathematical modeling with archival evidence, contributing to comparative studies alongside works that examine the role of institutions in development by authors connected to Acemoglu-related literatures.

Teaching and mentorship

In classroom settings he has taught courses on macroeconomic theory, economic growth, and economic history, offering seminars that draw upon approaches used in graduate programs at Harvard University, Princeton University, and Oxford University. He has supervised doctoral dissertations that intersect with topics addressed by researchers affiliated with Centre for Economic History groups and doctoral consortia in Europe. His mentorship includes advising students who later joined faculties or research institutes such as European Central Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and national central banks, reflecting a pathway shared by alumni from prominent doctoral programs.

Awards and honors

He has received recognition through competitive grants and fellowships from organizations including the European Research Council and national academies, and has been invited to speak at named lectures and plenaries in conferences sponsored by bodies such as the Economic History Association, European Historical Economics Society, and leading departments across Europe and North America. His awards align with distinctions often granted by university-level prizes and research councils that acknowledge contributions to quantitative history and macroeconomic theory.

Selected public engagement and policy work

Beyond academia, he has contributed to public debates and policy discussions on demographic change, pension systems, and education policy, engaging with platforms and policy units connected to the European Commission, Belgian Federal Government advisory panels, and think tanks operating in Brussels and other capitals. He has participated in workshops that include stakeholders from international organizations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and has provided input relevant to public reports on population aging, labor markets, and long-term fiscal projections.

Category:Belgian economists Category:Economic historians Category:Living people Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni