David De La Croix
Biographic Data
| ID | 1010061 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David De La Croix |
| GIVEN NAMES | David |
| FAMILY NAME | De La Croix |
| SIGNATURE | DE LA CROIX D |
| AFFILIATIONS | UCLouvain |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7589-8535 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 37 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 50 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Winners and Losers from the Protestant Reformation: An Analysis of the Network of European Universities
Using a new database of European academics, we build a network of universities that is based on professors’ mobility. We describe how the network was altered following the Protestant Reformation. We focus on fragmentation and on universities’ centrality. Dyadic regressions confirm that geography and vernacular languages were important for mobility, but did not substitute for religion. We compare simulated networks with and without religious ident…
Academic Human Capital in European Countries and Regions, 1200-1793
We present new annual time-series data on academic human capital across Europe from 1200 to 1793, constructed by aggregating individual-level measures at three geographic scales: cities, present-day countries (as of 2025), and historically informed macro-regions. Individual human capital is derived from a composite index of publication outcomes, based on data from the Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae (RETE) database. The macro-regional class…
Geolocalization and the birth-to-death distance
This note compares our experiences of manual vs programmatic geolocalization. As an application, we provide some results on the distance between place of birth and place of death of the RETE scholars, and showcase a map of RETE’s locations as birth sources and death attractors
Strategic Fertility, Education Choices, and Conflicts in Deeply Divided Societies
Fertility becomes a strategic choice for minorities when having a larger share of the population helps to increase power. If parents invest resources to educate their children, then raising fertility for strategic reasons might be at the cost of future human capital. We dispel this view using census data from several developing countries. We show that religious and ethnic minorities in Indonesia, China, and Malaysia tend to invest more in both ed…
Catholic Censorship and the Demise of Knowledge Production in Early Modern Italy
Censorship makes new ideas less available to others, but also reduces the number of people choosing to develop non-compliant ideas. We propose a new method to measure the effect of censorship on knowledge growth, accounting for the agents’ choice between compliant and non-compliant occupations. We apply our method to the Catholic Church’s censorship of books written by members of Italian universities and academies over the period 1400–750. We hig…
Population homeostasis in sub-Saharan Africa
Global population growth remains one of the major challenges of the twenty-first century. This is particularly true for African countries which have been undergoing their demographic transitions. To investigate whether predicted increasing population density and urbanization can help to stabilize African population, we construct a database for 84 georeferenced Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) samples including 947,191 individuals in sub-Sahara…
Scholars and Literati at the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Toulouse (1729-1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of literati whowere members of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Toulouse from its inception in 1729 to its (temporary) dissolution by the French Revolutionary Convention in 1793
Literati at the Académie Française (1635-1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of literati who were members of the Académie Française from its inception in 1635 to its (temporary) dissolution by the French Revolutionary Convention in 1793
Scholars and Literati at the National Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Bordeaux (1712-1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who participated in the National Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Bordeaux from its inception in 1712 to its dissolution in 1793
Scholars and Literati in European Academia before 1800
This note is a progress report on the establishment of a relational database of scholars and literati active in European Academia from the inception of the rst universities to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. This database is a necessary tool to quantify the role of academia in the "Rise of the West", using the methods of economics and statistics
Scholars and Literati at the University of Valence (1452–1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who taught at the University of Valence (France) from its inception in 1452 to its abolishment during the French evolution in 1793
Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Sciences of Turin (1757–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who were members or associates of the Academy of Sciences of Turin from its inception in 1757 to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800)
Scholars and Literati at the “Mersenne” Academy (1635–1648)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who participated in the “Mersenne” Academy in Paris
A soul’s view of the optimal population problem
Leaders and Laggards in Life Expectancy Among European Scholars From the Sixteenth to the Early Twentieth Century
When did mortality first start to decline, and among whom? We build a large, new data set with more than 30,000 scholars covering the sixteenth to the early twentieth century to analyze the timing of the mortality decline and the heterogeneity in life expectancy gains among scholars in the Holy Roman Empire. The large sample size, well-defined entry into the risk group, and heterogeneity in social status are among the key advantages of the new da…
Scholars and Literati at the Academy of the Ricovrati (1599–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who were members or associates of the Academy of the Ricovrati from its inception in 1599 to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800)
Scholars and Literati at the University of Bologna (1088–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who participated in teachingat the University of Bologna from its inception in the 11th century to the eve of the IndustrialRevolution (1800)
Scholars and Literati at the Royal College in Paris (1530–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati taught at the Royal College in Paris, from its inception in 1530 to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800)
Key forces behind the decline of fertility: Lessons from childlessness in Rouen before the industrial revolution
À la découverte des professeurs de l’ancienne université d’Aix, de ses origines à 1793
Alors que les universités médiévales constituent l’une des créations les plus innovantes de la société occidentale, elles sont souvent considérées comme endormies et sclérosées lors de la période moderne. Dans cet article, nous étudions le corps professoral de l’université d’Aix sous l’Ancien Régime, en proposant un regard renouvelé sur cette institution par l’établissement d’une base de données prosopographique inédite sur une longue période (14…
Population density, fertility, and demographic convergence in developing countries
Economic Growth
The Child is Father Of the Man: Implications for the Demographic Transition
We propose a new theory of the demographic transition based on the evidence that body development during childhood is an important predictor of adult life expectancy. This theory is embodied in an OLG framework where fertility, longevity and education all result from individual decisions. The model displays different regimes, allowing the economy to move slowly from an initial Malthusian regime towards the Modern era. The dynamics reproduces the …
Fertility, Education, Growth, and Sustainability
Fertility choices depend not only on the surrounding culture but also on economic incentives, which have important consequences for inequality, education and sustainability. This book outlines parallels between demographic development and economic outcomes, explaining how fertility, growth and inequality are related. It provides a set of general equilibrium models where households choose their number of children, analysed in four domains. First, …
Missing daughters, missing brides
Public versus private education when differential fertility matters
The Child is Father Of the Man: Implications for the Demographic Transition
We propose a new theory of the demographic transition based on the evidence that body development during childhood is an important predictor of adult life expectancy. This theory is embodied in an OLG framework where fertility, longevity and education all result from individual decisions. The model displays different regimes, allowing the economy to move slowly from an initial Malthusian regime towards the Modern era. The dynamics reproduces the …
How powerful is demography? The Serendipity Theorem revisited
Population density, fertility, and demographic convergence in developing countries
Corruption et allocation optimale de l'investissement public
Dans cet article, nous examinons un des canaux par lesquels la corruption freine la croissance : la distorsion de l'investissement public en faveur de certains types de dépenses pour lesquels la recherche de rente est plus aisée et plus facilement dissimulée. Pour étudier cette distorsion, nous proposons un modà ̈le de croissance optimale oÃ1 un planificateur choisit la composition des dépenses publiques sous une contrainte d'incitation qui reflà…
Catholic Censorship and the Demise of Knowledge Production in Early Modern Italy
Censorship makes new ideas less available to others, but also reduces the number of people choosing to develop non-compliant ideas. We propose a new method to measure the effect of censorship on knowledge growth, accounting for the agents’ choice between compliant and non-compliant occupations. We apply our method to the Catholic Church’s censorship of books written by members of Italian universities and academies over the period 1400–750. We hig…
A soul’s view of the optimal population problem
On the Golden Rule of capital accumulation under endogenous longevity
Education funding and regional convergence
Growth and the relativity of satisfaction
Growth and the relativity of satisfaction
Optimal growth when tastes are inherited
Myopic and perfect foresight in the OLG model
Education funding and regional convergence
Vintage Human Capital, Demographic Trends, and Endogenous Growth
Inequality and Growth: Why Differential Fertility Matters
We develop a new theoretical link between inequality and growth. In our model, fertility and education decisions are interdependent. Poor parents decide to have many children and invest little in education. A mean-preserving spread in the income distribution increases the fertility differential between the rich and the poor, which implies that more weight gets placed on families who provide little education. Consequently, an increase in inequalit…
Public versus private education when differential fertility matters
Corruption et allocation optimale de l'investissement public
Dans cet article, nous examinons un des canaux par lesquels la corruption freine la croissance : la distorsion de l'investissement public en faveur de certains types de dépenses pour lesquels la recherche de rente est plus aisée et plus facilement dissimulée. Pour étudier cette distorsion, nous proposons un modà ̈le de croissance optimale oÃ1 un planificateur choisit la composition des dépenses publiques sous une contrainte d'incitation qui reflà…
On the Golden Rule of capital accumulation under endogenous longevity
Migrations des travailleurs pauvres: Une Vision Mondiale
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The Trade-off Between Growth and Redistribution: Elie in an Overlapping Generations Model
How powerful is demography? The Serendipity Theorem revisited
Fertility, Education, Growth, and Sustainability
Fertility choices depend not only on the surrounding culture but also on economic incentives, which have important consequences for inequality, education and sustainability. This book outlines parallels between demographic development and economic outcomes, explaining how fertility, growth and inequality are related. It provides a set of general equilibrium models where households choose their number of children, analysed in four domains. First, …
Missing daughters, missing brides
The Child is Father Of the Man: Implications for the Demographic Transition
We propose a new theory of the demographic transition based on the evidence that body development during childhood is an important predictor of adult life expectancy. This theory is embodied in an OLG framework where fertility, longevity and education all result from individual decisions. The model displays different regimes, allowing the economy to move slowly from an initial Malthusian regime towards the Modern era. The dynamics reproduces the …
Economic Growth
Population density, fertility, and demographic convergence in developing countries
Key forces behind the decline of fertility: Lessons from childlessness in Rouen before the industrial revolution
À la découverte des professeurs de l’ancienne université d’Aix, de ses origines à 1793
Alors que les universités médiévales constituent l’une des créations les plus innovantes de la société occidentale, elles sont souvent considérées comme endormies et sclérosées lors de la période moderne. Dans cet article, nous étudions le corps professoral de l’université d’Aix sous l’Ancien Régime, en proposant un regard renouvelé sur cette institution par l’établissement d’une base de données prosopographique inédite sur une longue période (14…
Scholars and Literati at the University of Bologna (1088–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who participated in teachingat the University of Bologna from its inception in the 11th century to the eve of the IndustrialRevolution (1800)
Scholars and Literati at the Royal College in Paris (1530–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati taught at the Royal College in Paris, from its inception in 1530 to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800)
Scholars and Literati at the National Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Bordeaux (1712-1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who participated in the National Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Bordeaux from its inception in 1712 to its dissolution in 1793
Scholars and Literati in European Academia before 1800
This note is a progress report on the establishment of a relational database of scholars and literati active in European Academia from the inception of the rst universities to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. This database is a necessary tool to quantify the role of academia in the "Rise of the West", using the methods of economics and statistics
Scholars and Literati at the University of Valence (1452–1793)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who taught at the University of Valence (France) from its inception in 1452 to its abolishment during the French evolution in 1793
Scholars and Literati at the Academy of Sciences of Turin (1757–1800)
This note is a summary description of the set of scholars and literati who were members or associates of the Academy of Sciences of Turin from its inception in 1757 to the eve of the Industrial Revolution (1800)
Economics (21 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Demography (13 works) · Economic Growth and Productivity (13 works) · Population (13 works) · Economic growth (11 works) · Fertility (11 works) · Political science (11 works) · Historical and Literary Studies (9 works) · Mathematics (9 works)