“Investing in early child development can play a key role in creating more equal opportunities.”

Thomas van Huizen is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University School of Economics (USE). His research interests are in applied microeconomics, with a special interest in education, labour and public policy. His recent work focuses mainly on the nature, causes and consequences of inequalities in children’s human capital. A central question in his research is how child care, preschool and education can contribute to more equal opportunities. Currently, he is the principal investigator of the multidisciplinary project EVENING (2019-2024), a large scale impact evaluation of a nationwide expansion of the Dutch preschool education program for disadvantaged children. The central question addressed in EVENING is to what extent the preschool reform evens the playing field and promotes social mobility.

Thomas received his PhD in economics from Utrecht University in 2012, worked at the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis in 2014 and was a visiting researcher at Trinity College Dublin, the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy and the University of Oslo. Thomas was involved in the European projects CARE (2014-2016) and ISOTIS (2017-2019). He has published his research in leading academic journals such as Labour Economics, Economics of Education Review, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, European Sociological Review, Social Science Review and Child Development.

Thomas is the coordinator of the Master Programme "Economic Policy", where he also teaches one of the core modules on labour market policies. He is also a member of the U.S.E. Board of Graduate Studies (GBU), the Programme Committee of the UU Strategic Theme "Dynamics of Youth" and the Academic Expertgroup on Basic Skills (Ministry of Education).

Position paper on child care for a round table meeting at the Dutch parliament (in Dutch):

Position paper kinderopvang Tweede Kamer rondetafelgesprek (4 oktober 2022)

In the media (selection):

De Correspondent: Kinderopvang bijna gratis? Doe het dan voor álle kinderen – en geef ouders langer verlof, zegt deze econoom

De Volkskrant: Opinie: Vertrouw meer op schooladvies van leerkracht dan op de scores van de eindtoets

Trouw: Vooral rijke gezinnen gaan profiteren van de (bijna) gratis kinderopvang

FD: Voor lage inkomens dreigt kinderopvang juist duurder te worden

NRC: Kabinet maakt kinderopvang voor lage inkomens juist duurder

The Economist: How America should spend on child care

De Correspondent: Dezelfde Cito-score en toch een ander schooladvies? Zo gek is dat niet, zegt deze econoom