Research

Below, you can find my academic publications in peer-reviewed journals, along with an overview of ongoing and past research projects.

[1] Castro, D., & Bleys, B. (2024). Unravelling motives and time use of additional leave in a flexible benefits plan: a mixed-methods case study in Belgium. HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS, 11, 1466. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03965-8 

[2] Nguyen Thi Dieu, L., Defloor, B., Speelman, S., & Bleys, B. (2024). Does adaptation to saltwater intrusion improve the livelihoods of farmers? Evidence for the central coastal region of Vietnam. SUSTAINABILITY, 16(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146216 

[3] Van der Slycken, J., & Bleys, B. (2024). Is Europe faring well with growth? Evidence from a welfare comparison in the EU-15 (1995–2018). ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.108054 

[4] Van der Slycken, J., & Bleys, B. (2023). Towards ISEW and GPI 2.0 : dealing with cross-time and cross-boundary issues in a case study for Belgium. SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH, 168(1–3), 557–583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03142-5 

[5] Nguyen Thi Dieu, L., & Bleys, B. (2023). Determinants of farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies : a case of saltwater intrusion and rice production in the central coastal region of Vietnam. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATE CHANGE. IMPACTS AND RESPONSES, 16(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.18848/1835-7156/cgp/v16i01/1-20 

[6] Castro, D., & Bleys, B. (2023). Do people think they have enough? A subjective income sufficiency assessment. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107718 

[7] Van Ootegem, L., Verhofstadt, E., Defloor, B., & Bleys, B. (2022). The effect of COVID-19 on the environmental impact of our lifestyles and on environmental concern. SUSTAINABILITY, 14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148437 

[8] Defloor, B., Bleys, B., Verhofstadt, E., & Van Ootegem, L. (2022). How to reduce individuals’ ecological footprint without harming their well-being : an application to Belgium. SUSTAINABILITY, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095232 

[9] De Groeve, B., Bleys, B., & Hudders, L. (2022). Ideological resistance to veg*n advocacy : an identity-based motivational account. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996250 

[10] De Groeve, B., Rosenfeld, D. L., Bleys, B., & Hudders, L. (2022). Moralistic stereotyping of vegans : the role of dietary motivation and advocacy status. APPETITE, 174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106006 

[11] Compernolle, T., Eswaran, A., Welkenhuysen, K., Hermans, T., Walraevens, K., Van Camp, M., … Piessens, K. (2022). Towards a dynamic and sustainable management of geological resources. SPECIAL PUBLICATION - GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, 528. https://doi.org/10.1144/sp528-2022-75 

[12] Nguyen Thi Dieu, L., & Bleys, B. (2021). Applying analytic hierarchy process to adaptation to saltwater intrusion in Vietnam. SUSTAINABILITY, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042311 

[13] De Groeve, B., Hudders, L., & Bleys, B. (2021). Moral rebels and dietary deviants : how moral minority stereotypes predict the social attractiveness of veg*ns. APPETITE, 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105284 

[14] Van der Slycken, J., & Bleys, B. (2020). A conceptual exploration and critical inquiry into the theoretical foundation(s) of economic welfare measures. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106753 

[15] Schalembier, B., Bleys, B., Van Ootegem, L., & Verhofstadt, E. (2020). How the income of others affects the life satisfaction of materialists. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR & ORGANIZATION, 174, 64–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.03.022 

[16] McElwee, P., Turnout, E., Chiroleu-Assouline, M., Clapp, J., Isenhour, C., Jackson, T., … Santos, R. (2020). Ensuring a post-COVID economic agenda tackles global biodiversity loss. ONE EARTH, 3(4), 448–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.09.011 

[17] Verhofstadt, E., Bleys, B., & Van Ootegem, L. (2019). Comparing the Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA) to a conventional happiness question without anchoring. APPLIED RESEARCH IN QUALITY OF LIFE, 14(1), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9589-5 

[18] Schalembier, B., Bleys, B., Van Ootegem, L., & Verhofstadt, E. (2019). How relative income affects work hours preferences. APPLIED ECONOMICS, 51(51), 5545–5558. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2019.1613512 

[19] De Groeve, B., Bleys, B., & Hudders, L. (2019). Okay to promote eating less meat, but don’t be a cheat : the role of dietary identity, perceived inconsistency and inclusive language of an advocate in legitimizing meat reduction. APPETITE, 138, 269–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.031 

[20] Bleys, B., Defloor, B., Van Ootegem, L., & Verhofstadt, E. (2018). The environmental impact of individual behaviour : self-assessment versus the ecological footprint. ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR, 50(2), 187–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916517693046 

[21] Vanstockem, J., Vranken, L., Bleys, B., Somers, B., & Hermy, M. (2018). Do looks matter? A case study on extensive green roofs using discrete choice experiments. SUSTAINABILITY, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020309 

[22] De Groeve, B., & Bleys, B. (2017). Less meat initiatives at Ghent University : assessing the support among students and how to increase it. SUSTAINABILITY, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091550 

[23] Verhofstadt, E., Van Ootegem, L., Defloor, B., & Bleys, B. (2016). Linking individual’s ecological footprint to their subjective well-being. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 127(7), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.03.021 

[24] Bleys, B., & Whitby, A. (2015). Barriers and opportunities for alternative measures of economic welfare. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 117, 162–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.06.021 

[25] Verhofstadt, E., Bleys, B., & Van Ootegem, L. (2015). Reference-dependency of happiness ratings. JOURNAL OF HAPPINESS STUDIES, 16(6), 1437–1454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-014-9567-7 

[26] Bleys, B. (2013). The regional index of sustainable economic welfare for Flanders, Belgium. SUSTAINABILITY, 5(2), 496–523. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5020496 

[27] Bleys, B. (2012). Beyond GDP: classifying alternative measures for progress. SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH, 109(3), 355–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9906-6 

[28] Bleys, B. (2008). Proposed changes to the index of sustainable economic welfare: an application to Belgium. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 64(4), 741-751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.10.013 

I am currently involved in the following (mostly interdisciplinary) research projects:

Horizon Europe

• ToBe: Towards a sustainable wellbeing economy: integrated policies and transformative indicators (2023-2026, call: HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01 (RIA), Project leader for Gent University, Task leader for T2.1 and T2.2

• MERGE: Measuring what matters: Improving usability and accessibility of policy frameworks and indicators for multidimensional well-being through collaboration (2024-2027, call: HORIZON-CL2-2023-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-02 (CSA), Project leader for Ghent University, Task leader for T4.2 and T5.2

FWO-SWO (Strategic Basic Research of the Research Foundation - Flanders)

• DIAMONDS: Dynamic Integrated Assessment Methods for the Sustainable Development of the Subsurface (2023-2027), co-lead for WP1 together with Tine Compernolle (University of Antwerp)

• DEER: Demand-side measures to Enhance well-being and foster Environmental footprint Reduction (2024-2028), WP4 leader on the socio-economic impacts of, and public support for demand-side solutions and policy instruments

BELSPO

• COLORBEL: Evaluating Collective Working-Time Reductions in Belgian companies (2023-2025), PI of the project

BOF (UGent's Special Research Fund)  PhD scholarship

• Bakou Mertens (BOF, 2021-2025, co-supervisor with Koen Schoors, EB21)

Past research projects include various projects with FWO and BOF (both scholarships and projects), International Thematic Networks (Ghent University) and scientific work commissioned by the Flemish Environment Agency. The research funding I acquired for the Department through the various research projects ans scholarships listed above amounts up to about  2 million euros - with total project funding over all partners in these projects exceeding 10 million euros.

I currently (co)supervise 3 PhD students in Economics - Bakou Mertens, Claire Soupart and Milan Vervoort, and 2 post docs - dr. Mariateresa Silvi and dr. Hannelore Peeters.

Former PhD students include dr. Damaris Castro (Ghent University, Flemish Government - Department of Education),  dr. Ben De Groeve (LIFE Institute for Climate, Energy and Society - Austria), dr. Thi Dieu Linh Nguyen (Hue University - Vietnam) and dr. Jonas Van der Slycken (VUB, Ghent University & Artevelde Hogeschool).

Next to these supervision tasks, I am also member of the doctoral guidance committe of several students both at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, at other UGent faculties and other universities (UAntwerpen and UHasselt). In the past I was member of numerous doctoral examination commities both within Ghent University and in other institutions (e.g., UCLouvain, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).