Dr Jerome De Henau

Professional biography

Economist, with research interests in feminist economics and economics of gender, labour and household economics, fiscal and social policy, and political economy.

Research interests

His recent research projects revolve around estimating the fiscal costs and fiscal and social benefits of investing in high-quality universal care services. A current project (2025-2026) is with the Brookings Institution in Washington to examine climate adaptation measures and care investment in Bangladesh (with Caren Grown, Ipek Ilkkaracan and Laura Martinez).

Another recently completed project was a collaboration with the Internaitonal Labour Organization (ILO) to simulate the costs and benefits of investing in care services and care leaves for parents across 118 economies around the world (2021-24), including the design of a public-facing user-friendly costing tool at country-level for various simulated scenarios of universal care services and leave policies and their employment and fiscal effects. (see working paper explaining the methodology and results aggregated at regional levels here).

Previous research projects include:

• Simulating employment effects of investing in universal childcare policies in various emiddle and low-income economies (South Africa, Turkey, Uruguay, North Macedonia, Senegal, Rwanda, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and Tanzania), funded by UN Women (2018 to 2021)
• Investing in the Care Economy, funded by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC - 2016 and 2017)
• Gender and intra-household entitlements. A cross-national longitudinal analysis (GenIX - 2009-2013);
• Within-Household Inequalities and Public Policy (WHIPP) as part of the Gender Equality Network (GENet) funded by the ESRC (2006-2010);
• Investigating parenthood and employment in Europe (project Pepsi, funded by the Belgian Federal government 2006-2008);
• Fertility in Europe and the influence of employment conditions and Public Policies (project MOCHO, funded by the European Commission 2001-2004);
• Long term care organisation in Belgium (2002-2003);
• Gender inequality in Academia (2001-2003).

Teaching interests

Chair of the presentation of the module Economics in practice (DD226).

Previously involved in production and preentation of the following modules:

• DB125 You and Your Money
• DD321 Economics for a changing world

Impact and engagement

Member of the Policy Advisory Group of the Women's Budget Group, an independent think tank of 1000 academics, activists and campaigners whose aim is to analyse gender impacts of economic, fiscal and social policy in the UK and promote gender equality. Topical policy briefings as well as in-depth gender analysis of government budgets and spending announcements are available on the Group's website.

External collaborations

Consultancy for ILO, UN Women, ITUC.

International links

Member of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE)