World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Social Sciences and Humanities

D-Index
41
Citations
15773
World Ranking
4868
National Ranking
59

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2014 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1999 - Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1993 - Member of Academia Europaea

Overview

What is he best known for?

The fields of study he is best known for:

  • World War II
  • Law
  • Social science

His scientific interests lie mostly in Demographic transition, Economic growth, Cohabitation, Fertility and Demographic economics. His biological study spans a wide range of topics, including Economic history, Rationality, Appropriation, Interpersonal relationship and Normative. His Economic growth study incorporates themes from Political economy, Positive economics, Interpretation, Social system and Social control.

His Cohabitation research incorporates elements of Development economics, Historical demography and Demographic analysis. Ronny Lesthaeghe performs multidisciplinary study on Fertility and Postponement in his works. His Demographic economics research is multidisciplinary, incorporating perspectives in Religiosity, Social psychology, Total fertility rate, Value and Birth rate.

His most cited work include:

  • The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition (747 citations)
  • [The second demographic transition in Western countries: an interpretation] (613 citations)
  • Cultural Dynamics and Economic Theories of Fertility Change (557 citations)

What are the main themes of his work throughout his whole career to date?

Ronny Lesthaeghe spends much of his time researching Fertility, Demographic transition, Demography, Demographic economics and Cohabitation. His Fertility research incorporates themes from Developed country, Total fertility rate, Breast feeding, Developing country and Socioeconomic status. His studies deal with areas such as Autonomy, Development economics, General partnership and Secularization as well as Demographic transition.

Ronny Lesthaeghe works mostly in the field of Demography, limiting it down to topics relating to Family planning and, in certain cases, Breastfeeding. Ronny Lesthaeghe combines subjects such as Economic growth, Religiosity and Value with his study of Demographic economics. His Cohabitation research integrates issues from Economic geography, Latin Americans, Kinship, Social class and Census.

He most often published in these fields:

  • Fertility (33.55%)
  • Demographic transition (25.16%)
  • Demography (22.58%)

What were the highlights of his more recent work (between 2008-2020)?

  • Cohabitation (16.77%)
  • Demographic transition (25.16%)
  • Demographic economics (18.06%)

In recent papers he was focusing on the following fields of study:

Ronny Lesthaeghe focuses on Cohabitation, Demographic transition, Demographic economics, Fertility and Latin Americans. The study incorporates disciplines such as Social stratification, Development economics, Census and Economic geography in addition to Cohabitation. He has researched Demographic transition in several fields, including Race, Brazilian population, General partnership, Kinship and Social class.

His Demographic economics research includes elements of Economic growth, Genealogy and Secularization. His Fertility research includes themes of Total fertility rate and Demography. His Latin Americans course of study focuses on Homosexuality and Normative.

Between 2008 and 2020, his most popular works were:

  • The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition (747 citations)
  • The second demographic transition: A concise overview of its development (166 citations)
  • The Latin American Cohabitation Boom, 1970 - 2007. (88 citations)

Best Publications

  • The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition

    Ron Lesthaeghe

  • From the First to the Second Demographic Transition: An Interpretation of the Spatial Continuity of Demographic Innovation in France, Belgium and Switzerland

    Ronny Lesthaeghe;Karel Neels

  • Cultural Dynamics and Economic Theories of Fertility Change

    Ron Lesthaeghe;Johan Surkyn

  • [The second demographic transition in Western countries: an interpretation]

    Ronny Lesthaeghe

  • A Century of Demographic and Cultural Change in Western Europe: An Exploration of Underlying Dimensions

    Ronny Lesthaeghe

  • The second demographic transition: A concise overview of its development

    Ron Lesthaeghe

  • Value Orientations and the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) in Northern, Western and Southern Europe: An Update.

    Johan Surkyn;Ronny Lesthaeghe

  • The Second Demographic Transition in the United States: Exception or Textbook Example?

    Ron J. Lesthaeghe;Lisa Neidert

  • On the social control of human reproduction

    Ronny Lesthaeghe

  • Reproduction and social organization in sub-Saharan Africa

    Ron J. Lesthaeghe

  • Modes of production, secularization and the pace of the fertility decline in Western Europe, 1870-1930

    Ronny Lesthaeghe;Chris Wilson

  • The decline of Belgian fertility, 1800-1970

    Ron J Lesthaeghe

  • On Theory Development: Applications to the Study of Family Formation

    Ron Lesthaeghe

  • Is Low Fertility a Temporary Phenomenon in the European Union

    Ron Lesthaeghe;Paul Willems

  • The Latin American Cohabitation Boom, 1970 - 2007.

    Albert Esteve;Ron Lesthaeghe;Antonio López-Gay

  • Value changes and the dimensions of familism in the European community

    Ronny Lesthaeghe;Dominique Meekers

  • Recent trends in fertility and household formation in the industrialized world.

    R. Lesthaeghe;G.B.D. Moors

  • The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update

    Ron Lesthaeghe;Ron Lesthaeghe

  • Child-spacing in tropical Africa: traditions and change

    Hilary J. Page;Ron J. Lesthaeghe

  • Living Arrangements, Socio-Economic Position, and Values Among Young Adults: A pattern description for Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and West-Germany, 1990

    Ronny Lesthaeghe;Guy Moors

  • The Decline of Belgian Fertility, 1800-1970.

    Ron J. Lesthaeghe

Frequent Co-Authors

S. Philip Morgan
S. Philip Morgan University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
John Bongaarts
John Bongaarts Population Council
Barbara Entwisle
Barbara Entwisle University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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