The Open University

Professional biography

Socio-Economist, with research interests in economics of gender, labour and household economics, fiscal and social policy.

Research interests

His most recent research project was with the Internaitonal Laboru Organization (ILO) to simulate the costs and benefits of investing in care services and care leaves for parents across 82 economies around the world (2021-22), including the design of a public-facing user-friendly costing tool at country-level for various simualted 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) and member of the module team for You and your Money: personal finance in context (DB125).

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)

Publications

Journal articles

Simulating employment and fiscal effects of public investment in high-quality universal childcare in the UK (2022-02)
de Henau, Jérôme
International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 16, Article 3(1)

A Care-Led Recovery From Covid-19: Investing in High-Quality Care to Stimulate And Rebalance the Economy (2021)
de Henau, Jérôme and Himmelweit, Susan
Feminist Economics, 27(1-2) (pp. 453-469)

Unpacking within-household gender differences in partners’ subjective benefits from household income (2013-06)
Himmelweit, Susan and de Henau, Jerome
Journal of Marriage and Family, 75(3) (pp. 611-624)

Examining public policy from a gendered intra-household perspective: changes in family-related policies in the UK, Australia and Germany since the mid-nineties (2013)
de Henau, Jerome and Himmelweit, Susan
Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 3(7) (pp. 1222-1248)

Maybe baby: comparing partnered women's employment and child policies in the EU-15 (2010-01)
De Henau, Jérôme; Meulders, Danièle and O'Dorchai, Síle
Feminist Economics, 16(1) (pp. 43-77)

Asymmetric power within couples: the gendered effect of children and employment on entitlement to household income (2008-12)
De Henau, Jerome
Brussels Economic Review / Cahiers Economiques de Bruxelles, 51(2/3) (pp. 269-290)

Book chapters

Costing a Feminist Plan for a Caring Economy: The Case of Free Universal Childcare in the UK (2017)
De Henau, Jérôme
In: Bargawi, Hannah; Cozzi, Giovanni and Himmelweit, Susan eds. Economics and Austerity in Europe: Gendered impacts and sustainable alternatives (pp. 168-188)
ISBN : 9781138646087 | Publisher : Routledge

Comparing welfare regimes by their effects on intra-household inequalities (2013-02)
de Henau, Jerome and Himmelweit, Susan
In: Ferri, Mireia and Monsonis-Paya, Irene eds. Sustainability and transformation in European Social Policy. (pp. 117-146)
ISBN : 978-3-0343-0901-1 | Publisher : Peter Lang

Financial togetherness and autonomy within couples (2012-05-31)
Bennett, Fran; de Henau, Jerome; Himmelweit, Susan and Sung, Sirin
In: Scott, Jacqueline; Dex, Shirley and Plagnol, Anke eds. Gendered Lives: Gender Inequalities in Production and Reproduction (pp. 97-122)
ISBN : 978-1-84980-626-8 | Publisher : Edward Elgar | Published : New York

Gender equality and taxation. A UK case study (2010-05-14)
de Henau, Jerome; Himmelweit, Susan and Santos, Cristina
In: Grown, Karen and Valodia, Imraan eds. Taxation and gender equity. A comparative analysis of direct and indirect taxes in developing and developed countries. Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking (pp. 261-298)
ISBN : 978-0-415-49262-1 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon

Within household inequalities across classes? Management and control of money (2010)
Bennett, Fran; De Henau, Jerome and Sung, Sirin
In: Scott, Jacqueline; Crompton, Rosemary and Lyonette, Clare eds. Gender Inequalities in the 21st Century: New barriers and Continuing Constraints (pp. 215-240)
ISBN : 978 1 84844 438 | Publisher : Edward Elgar | Published : Cheltenham

Other

The gendered employment gains of investing in social vs. physical infrastructure: evidence from simulations across seven OECD countries (2020)
de Henau, Jérôme and Himmelweit, Susan
IKD Working Paper No. 84, The Open University

Investing in Free Universal Childcare in South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay: A comparative analysis of costs, short-term employment effects and fiscal revenue (2019-02)
De Henau, Jérôme; Budlender, Debbie; Filgueira, Fernando; Ilkkaraçan, Ipek; Kim, Kijong and Mantero, Rafael
UN Women, New York.

Employment and fiscal effects of investing in universal childcare: a macro-micro simulation analysis for the UK (2019)
de Henau, Jérôme
IKD Working Paper No. 83, The Open University

Investing in the Care Economy – Simulating employment effects by gender in countries in emerging economies (2017-01)
De Henau, Jérôme; Himmelweit, Susan and Perrons, Diane
International Trade Union Confederation

Investing in the Care Economy. A gender analysis of employment stimulus in seven OECD countries (2016-03)
De Henau, Jérôme; Himmelweit, Susan; Lapniewska, Zofia and Perrons, Diane
International Trade Union Confederation

Costing a feminist plan for a caring economy: the case of free universal childcare in the UK (2015-11)
de Henau, Jérôme
Economics Department, The Open University

Gender analysis of the changes in indirect taxes introduced by the coalition government, 2010-2011 (2011-06)
de Henau, Jerome and Santos, Cristina
Women's Budget Group, United Kingdom.

Struggle over the pie? The gendered distribution of power and subjective financial well-being within UK households (2007-10)
de Henau, Jérôme and Himmelweit, Susan
Economics Department, The Open University

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