Kristof De Witte

photo

Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)

Naamsestraat 69 - box 3503

3000 Leuven

KU Leuven map

room: 01.04

website

Unit

Belongs to (according to the corporate view):

Functions

Curriculum Vitae

 

orc_idhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-0505-8642

Kristof De Witte is a full professor (gewoon hoogleraar) in Education Economics and Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics and Business at KU Leuven, Belgium, and he holds the chair in ‘Effectiveness and Efficiency of Educational Innovations’ (bijzonder hoogleraar) at United Nations University (UNU-MERIT) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Kristof De Witte is further a Fellow member of the CESifo Network. At KU Leuven he is program director of the ‘Master in Economic Education’, and the founding member and director of the research group ‘Leuven Economics of Education Research’.


The research interests of Kristof De Witte comprise education economics, performance evaluation, and political economy. Among his more than 120 Web of Science publications, he published 87 papers in Q1-journals from which 35 papers in top-10% journals and 13 papers in top-5% journals. Thanks to a research grant portfolio of more than EUR 11M, he has a strong track record in leading and coordinating large research projects (including 3 Horizon Europe projects). Stimulated by interdisciplinary research funding, his work touches upon multiple disciplines which is reflected in publications in the leading journals from various academic fields, including ‘American Sociological Review’, ‘The Economic Journal’, ‘Perspectives on Psychological Science’, ‘World Development’, ‘Educational Research Review’, ‘Journal of Urban Economics’, ‘European Journal of Operational Research’, ‘Government Information Quarterly’, ‘Economics of Education Review’, and ‘Labour Economics’.


Kristof De Witte shows a deep commitment to public dissemination of his research. To increase societal impact, he is actively disseminating his research output to field journals, policy journals and media. De Witte’s work has been frequently featured (on average more than once per week since 2020) in national and international media including CNN, the New York Post, the Washington Post, La Presse and El Pais. He served as a member of the ‘economics education’ and ‘financial literacy’ curriculum in Flanders. Multiple of his papers have had a documented impact on policy making through invited seminars at and citations by the European Commission, European Parliament, the OECD, the UK Parliament, and the Flemish Parliament. He contributed to the ‘European Commission Expert Group on quality investment in education and training’. He is an associate editor for ‘International Transactions in Operational Research’, and former guest editor in three academic journals.


De Witte is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the ‘2021 Pioneer Award’ of KU Leuven (10,000 euro), the ‘2020 Laureate of the Academy’ award from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (10,000 euro) and the ‘2021 CELSA Service to Society Award’ (honorific), two international prizes for his doctoral dissertation (Biennial "Edgard Milhaud" Prize of CIRIEC – 10,000 euro; Annual “Hans-Jürgen-Ewers-Prize”– 2,500 euro), eight paper prizes, an award for his undergraduate thesis, and an award at the end of secondary education. De Witte was keynote speaker at 19 academic conferences. Under his supervision, 20 PhD’s were successfully defended. He spent academic visits at, among others, Columbia University, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung and Aston University. His Google Scholar citation page counts more than 9,300 citations, an h-index of 50 and an i10-index of 120, while his ResearchGate Interest Score amounts to 4,000. According to IDEAS (last 10 years publications ranking), he is ranked among the top 5% economists world-wide. 

Personal websites

 

  • Economics of Education
  • Public Sector Efficiency
  • School dropout
  • Operations Research
  • Non-parametric Production
  • Political Economy

Selection of projects

Full projects list in the research portal

Recent publications

  • launch Perdana, A., De Witte, K., Groot, W., Villanueva, A.C. with Perdana, A. (corresp. author) (2026). Labor supply and migration as household coping strategies: a meta-analysis. WORLD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, 42, Art.No. ARTN 100779. doi: 10.1016/j.wdp.2026.100779 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Dipierro, A.R., De Witte, K., Toma, P. with De Witte, K. (corresp. author) (2026). Nonparametric efficiency and artificial intelligence techniques in higher education: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, 33 (3), 1427-1464. doi: 10.1111/itor.70070
  • launch Nelissen, H., De Witte, K. with Nelissen, H. (corresp. author) (2026). The heterogeneous treatment effects of compulsory education age reforms: a causal forest approach. EMPIRICAL ECONOMICS, 70 (5), Art.No. ARTN 70. doi: 10.1007/s00181-026-02915-4
  • launch De Cort, W., De Witte, K. (sup.) (2026). The Right to Learn at Risk? On the Causes and Solutions to Teacher Shortages and Tutoring Markets. openaccessvia repository
  • launch Daza Obando, L., Groot, W., Ramirez Cortes, F., De Witte, K. with Daza Obando, L. (corresp. author) (2026). The Impact of Natural Hazard Events on Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, 38 (2), 216-236. doi: 10.1057/s41287-025-00737-1
  • launch Polanco Jimenez, J.A., De Witte, K. (sup.), Bernal, G. (sup.) (2026). Causal Essays on Development, Policy, and Human Capital Formation.
  • launch De Witte, K., Pastor, J.M., Soler, A., Vicente, I. with De Witte, K. (corresp. author) (2026). Gender Roles and Socioeconomic Disparities in Early School Leaving: Evidence From EU-SILC Microdata. EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS. doi: 10.3102/01623737261415845
  • launch Mergoni, A., Camanho, A., Soncin, M., Agasisti, T., De Witte, K. with Mergoni, A. (corresp. author) (2026). The influence of School principals' management on school efficiency: Evidence from Italian schools. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, 329 (1), 260-272. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2025.06.020 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Palmaccio, S., Mazrekaj, D., De Witte, K. (2026). Fertility Outcomes of Adult Children With Divorced Parents: Evidence From Population Data. Demography, 63 (1), 291-322. doi: 10.1215/00703370-12487209 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Zheng, T., Sun, B., De Witte, K. with Sun, B. (corresp. author) (2026). Do Municipal Amalgamations Work? A Systematic Literature Review. URBAN AFFAIRS REVIEW. doi: 10.1177/10780874251410080
All publications Search publication
  • Y05315 Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • Y05314 Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • HEM08A Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • O0H79A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Brussel)
  • O0H78A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Antwerpen)
  • O0H80A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Kortrijk)
  • D0Q49A Vakdidactiek economie
  • D0Q31A Vakdidactiek economie
  • D0Q28A Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • D0Q29A Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • Y05335 Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Antwerpen)
  • D0Q48A Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Leuven)
  • HEM05A Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Brussel)
  • O0G67A Doorgroeistage economie
  • D0Q20A Initiatiestage economie
  • D0Q21A Ingroeistage economie
  • HEM09A Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • O0H40A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Antwerpen)
  • O0H41A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Brussel)
  • O0H42A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Kortrijk)
  • O0G70A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Leuven)
  • O0G71A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Leuven)
  • Organizer of compulsory seminar series for new PhD students and assistants at Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, 2012-…
  • Programmadirecteur: Chairman of Programme Committee (Permanente Onderwijs Commissie) Specifieke Lerarenopleiding Economie / educactieve master in de economie at KU Leuven (teachers training programme in economics) (2015 - )
  • Organization of annual ‘Workshop for economics teachers in secondary education’ (Studiedag Leraren Economie) (2010 - )
  • Editor of dissemination and communication initiative ‘Leuvense Economische Standpunten’ (with Anneleen Forrier) (2022-…)
  • School of Education interfacultaire adviescommissie (KU Leuven internal promotion committee) (2024- )
  • Beco (Beoordelingscommissie): Faculty of Economics and Business Advisory Committee for hiring, tenure and promotion of faculty members (2024- )
  • President of the ‘Fund for Financial Literacy’ by King Baudouin Foundation (2020 - 2024).
  • Vlaamse Brede Heroverweging (Flemish Board Review) - Beleidsdomein Onderwijs en Vorming: Expert in evaluation of education spending (2021). Spending review of Flemish education funding.
  • Member of the ’G53 Financial Literacy and Personal Finance Research Network’ (www.g53network.org)
  • European Commission Expert Group on quality investment in education and training (2021-2022). Providing support to authorities to make the best use of available funds through mutual learning and the exchange of best practices regarding investment in education infrastructure.
  • Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO) - Begeleidingscommissie Onderwijszorgarrangementen (2023-2027).
  • ‘Commissie van Wijzen’ (Commission installed by the Flemish Minister of Education to make proposals on how to improve Flemish compulsory education) (2022-2023).

About me

orc_idhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-0505-8642

Kristof De Witte is a full professor (gewoon hoogleraar) in Education Economics and Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics and Business at KU Leuven, Belgium, and he holds the chair in ‘Effectiveness and Efficiency of Educational Innovations’ (bijzonder hoogleraar) at United Nations University (UNU-MERIT) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Kristof De Witte is further a Fellow member of the CESifo Network. At KU Leuven he is program director of the ‘Master in Economic Education’, and the founding member and director of the research group ‘Leuven Economics of Education Research’.


The research interests of Kristof De Witte comprise education economics, performance evaluation, and political economy. Among his more than 120 Web of Science publications, he published 87 papers in Q1-journals from which 35 papers in top-10% journals and 13 papers in top-5% journals. Thanks to a research grant portfolio of more than EUR 11M, he has a strong track record in leading and coordinating large research projects (including 3 Horizon Europe projects). Stimulated by interdisciplinary research funding, his work touches upon multiple disciplines which is reflected in publications in the leading journals from various academic fields, including ‘American Sociological Review’, ‘The Economic Journal’, ‘Perspectives on Psychological Science’, ‘World Development’, ‘Educational Research Review’, ‘Journal of Urban Economics’, ‘European Journal of Operational Research’, ‘Government Information Quarterly’, ‘Economics of Education Review’, and ‘Labour Economics’.


Kristof De Witte shows a deep commitment to public dissemination of his research. To increase societal impact, he is actively disseminating his research output to field journals, policy journals and media. De Witte’s work has been frequently featured (on average more than once per week since 2020) in national and international media including CNN, the New York Post, the Washington Post, La Presse and El Pais. He served as a member of the ‘economics education’ and ‘financial literacy’ curriculum in Flanders. Multiple of his papers have had a documented impact on policy making through invited seminars at and citations by the European Commission, European Parliament, the OECD, the UK Parliament, and the Flemish Parliament. He contributed to the ‘European Commission Expert Group on quality investment in education and training’. He is an associate editor for ‘International Transactions in Operational Research’, and former guest editor in three academic journals.


De Witte is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the ‘2021 Pioneer Award’ of KU Leuven (10,000 euro), the ‘2020 Laureate of the Academy’ award from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (10,000 euro) and the ‘2021 CELSA Service to Society Award’ (honorific), two international prizes for his doctoral dissertation (Biennial "Edgard Milhaud" Prize of CIRIEC – 10,000 euro; Annual “Hans-Jürgen-Ewers-Prize”– 2,500 euro), eight paper prizes, an award for his undergraduate thesis, and an award at the end of secondary education. De Witte was keynote speaker at 19 academic conferences. Under his supervision, 20 PhD’s were successfully defended. He spent academic visits at, among others, Columbia University, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung and Aston University. His Google Scholar citation page counts more than 9,300 citations, an h-index of 50 and an i10-index of 120, while his ResearchGate Interest Score amounts to 4,000. According to IDEAS (last 10 years publications ranking), he is ranked among the top 5% economists world-wide. 

Personal websites

Research topics

  • Economics of Education
  • Public Sector Efficiency
  • School dropout
  • Operations Research
  • Non-parametric Production
  • Political Economy

Projects

Publications

Recent publications

  • launch Perdana, A., De Witte, K., Groot, W., Villanueva, A.C. with Perdana, A. (corresp. author) (2026). Labor supply and migration as household coping strategies: a meta-analysis. WORLD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, 42, Art.No. ARTN 100779. doi: 10.1016/j.wdp.2026.100779 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Dipierro, A.R., De Witte, K., Toma, P. with De Witte, K. (corresp. author) (2026). Nonparametric efficiency and artificial intelligence techniques in higher education: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, 33 (3), 1427-1464. doi: 10.1111/itor.70070
  • launch Nelissen, H., De Witte, K. with Nelissen, H. (corresp. author) (2026). The heterogeneous treatment effects of compulsory education age reforms: a causal forest approach. EMPIRICAL ECONOMICS, 70 (5), Art.No. ARTN 70. doi: 10.1007/s00181-026-02915-4
  • launch De Cort, W., De Witte, K. (sup.) (2026). The Right to Learn at Risk? On the Causes and Solutions to Teacher Shortages and Tutoring Markets. openaccessvia repository
  • launch Daza Obando, L., Groot, W., Ramirez Cortes, F., De Witte, K. with Daza Obando, L. (corresp. author) (2026). The Impact of Natural Hazard Events on Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, 38 (2), 216-236. doi: 10.1057/s41287-025-00737-1
  • launch Polanco Jimenez, J.A., De Witte, K. (sup.), Bernal, G. (sup.) (2026). Causal Essays on Development, Policy, and Human Capital Formation.
  • launch De Witte, K., Pastor, J.M., Soler, A., Vicente, I. with De Witte, K. (corresp. author) (2026). Gender Roles and Socioeconomic Disparities in Early School Leaving: Evidence From EU-SILC Microdata. EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS. doi: 10.3102/01623737261415845
  • launch Mergoni, A., Camanho, A., Soncin, M., Agasisti, T., De Witte, K. with Mergoni, A. (corresp. author) (2026). The influence of School principals' management on school efficiency: Evidence from Italian schools. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, 329 (1), 260-272. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2025.06.020 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Palmaccio, S., Mazrekaj, D., De Witte, K. (2026). Fertility Outcomes of Adult Children With Divorced Parents: Evidence From Population Data. Demography, 63 (1), 291-322. doi: 10.1215/00703370-12487209 openaccessvia repository
  • launch Zheng, T., Sun, B., De Witte, K. with Sun, B. (corresp. author) (2026). Do Municipal Amalgamations Work? A Systematic Literature Review. URBAN AFFAIRS REVIEW. doi: 10.1177/10780874251410080
All publications Search publication
  • Y05315 Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • Y05314 Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • HEM08A Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • O0H79A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Brussel)
  • O0H78A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Antwerpen)
  • O0H80A Vakdidactiek economie (campus Kortrijk)
  • D0Q49A Vakdidactiek economie
  • D0Q31A Vakdidactiek economie
  • D0Q28A Masterproef Educatieve master in de economie
  • D0Q29A Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • Y05335 Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Antwerpen)
  • D0Q48A Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Leuven)
  • HEM05A Onderwijsonderzoek economie (Brussel)
  • O0G67A Doorgroeistage economie
  • D0Q20A Initiatiestage economie
  • D0Q21A Ingroeistage economie
  • HEM09A Onderwijsonderzoek economie - Voorbereiding masterproef
  • O0H40A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Antwerpen)
  • O0H41A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Brussel)
  • O0H42A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Kortrijk)
  • O0G70A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Leuven)
  • O0G71A Vakdidactische toepassingen (Leuven)
  • Organizer of compulsory seminar series for new PhD students and assistants at Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, 2012-…
  • Programmadirecteur: Chairman of Programme Committee (Permanente Onderwijs Commissie) Specifieke Lerarenopleiding Economie / educactieve master in de economie at KU Leuven (teachers training programme in economics) (2015 - )
  • Organization of annual ‘Workshop for economics teachers in secondary education’ (Studiedag Leraren Economie) (2010 - )
  • Editor of dissemination and communication initiative ‘Leuvense Economische Standpunten’ (with Anneleen Forrier) (2022-…)
  • School of Education interfacultaire adviescommissie (KU Leuven internal promotion committee) (2024- )
  • Beco (Beoordelingscommissie): Faculty of Economics and Business Advisory Committee for hiring, tenure and promotion of faculty members (2024- )
  • President of the ‘Fund for Financial Literacy’ by King Baudouin Foundation (2020 - 2024).
  • Vlaamse Brede Heroverweging (Flemish Board Review) - Beleidsdomein Onderwijs en Vorming: Expert in evaluation of education spending (2021). Spending review of Flemish education funding.
  • Member of the ’G53 Financial Literacy and Personal Finance Research Network’ (www.g53network.org)
  • European Commission Expert Group on quality investment in education and training (2021-2022). Providing support to authorities to make the best use of available funds through mutual learning and the exchange of best practices regarding investment in education infrastructure.
  • Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO) - Begeleidingscommissie Onderwijszorgarrangementen (2023-2027).
  • ‘Commissie van Wijzen’ (Commission installed by the Flemish Minister of Education to make proposals on how to improve Flemish compulsory education) (2022-2023).