Anne Gielen, Professor of Labour Economics and Policy at Erasmus School of Economics, has been awarded a Vici grant worth up to €1.5 million by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). She receives this grant to consolidate her research group over the next five years for her project “Making Money Matter: Rethinking the Design of Income Support to Break the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty”.
The NWO Vici is aimed at senior researchers with academic qualities that clearly exceed what is customary within the international peer group, as well as established leadership- and mentorship skills. The NWO Vici is one of the largest scientific grants for individuals in the Netherlands. The funding enables academics to pursue research of their own choice. It gives innovative research a boost and encourages the promotion of talent at scientific research institutes. Within the domain of Social Sciences and Humanities, a total of 13 NWO Vici grants have been awarded in this round.
Patrick Groenen, Dean of Erasmus School of Economics, sees the Vici grant as a wonderful recognition of Anne's research: ‘I'm very happy for Anne; it will strengthen and deepen her research. This success also shows that the School’s permanent emphasis on quality pays.’ Adhemare de Rijk, Funding Manager Research at Erasmus School of Economics, adds: ‘I am very proud of Anne’s achievement. I know from experience how much effort and dedication it takes to obtain this level of grants, and Anne has convincingly met all the requirements.’
About the research project
Even in countries with generous welfare systems, poverty is still passed on from parents to children, generation after generation. Anne Gielen’s project asks whether the design of income support, not just its level, can help break that cycle. It examines how the timing, security, and generosity of income support shape children’s long-term outcomes, and whether extending program scope to also address broader risks families face is more effective than income provision alone. By applying rigorous causal analysis, the project delivers concrete insights for designing income support programs that not only protect families, but also create real opportunities for upward mobility.
About Anne Gielen
Anne Gielen is a full professor of Labour Economics and Policy at Erasmus School of Economics. She obtained her PhD in 2008 at Tilburg University. She has successfully advanced our understanding of how socio-economic inequality persists within and across generations, supported by, among others, a Marie Curie-IEF (2013), NWO Vidi grant (2018) and a NWO Open Competition SSH – M grant (2024). Her work is grounded in robust empirical methods using natural experiments and rich administrative data and published in top-tier international journals and is widely recognised for its methodological rigor and policy relevance.
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- More information
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media and Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, +31 6 53 641 846.
