Dirk J. van de Kaa Award for Social Demography

This Award honors outstanding achievements by an individual scholar in social demography and the interplay of population dynamics and social change.

The Award is dedicated to the groundbreaking contributions of Dirk J. van de Kaa to the study of population including his work on the Second Demographic Transition. It also celebrates his efforts to co-found and build the European Association for Population Studies and serving it as its first President.

The Award is sponsored by the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), where Dirk van de Kaa was founding Director.

Nominations for this Award can be made until two months before a European Population Conference. The next deadline is 1 April 2026!

Rules of Play

• Candidates should have at least 5 years of experience after their PhD.
• Candidates should be member of EAPS at the time of their nomination.
• Candidates may nominate themselves for this award; self-nominations should be supported by at least 3 members of EAPS residing in at least 2 different countries.
• Candidates may also be nominated by a peer and supported by at least 3 members of EAPS residing in at least 2 different countries.
• The Jury may invite nominations as well.
• Nominations should include a short (maximum one page) explanatory statement as well as a curriculum vitae of the candidate.
• The Council of EAPS appoints a Jury of at least three members of EAPS, one of whom will act as Chair.
• The Jury is free to organize its work as it deems appropriate and follows generally accepted scientific principles and criteria.
• The Jury will explicitly account for years of experience, and will also account for justified leave periods.
• Jury proceedings are confidential. The Jury submits a written report to the EAPS Council indicating the successful laureate and the motivation of the Jury.
• The Dirk J. Van de Kaa Award brings a cash benefit of Euro 1000 and a certificate.
  

Laureates

2024

Aart C. Liefbroer, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW), Netherlands

2022

Tomas Sobotka, Vienna Institute of Demography, Austrian Academy of Sciences / Wittgenstein, Austria

2020

Daniele Vignoli, University of Florence, Italy

2018

Anna Matysiak, University of Warsaw, Poland

2016

Brienna Perelli-Harris, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

2014

Arnstein Aassve, Bocconi University, Italy