• KU Leuven

Active member

Benedicte Fonteneau is a researcher at HIVA-KU Leuven (Research Institute for Work and Society at the Catholic University of Louvain) in the sustainable development research group. She is a sociologist with over 15 years of accumulated research experience.

Her research focuses on various areas related to development (primarily in Africa) and the various mechanisms for international cooperation, including:

Social protection (social protection health mechanisms, financing and operations of the national social protection systems, socio-political factors of social protection systems, aspects of distribution);

Social economics (theoretical concepts and international perspectives, articulation between economic, social, public and political organisations);

Social movements, civil society and trade unions (structuring of civil society, political influence, workers organisations / the informal economy, international partnerships between trade unions);

complexities related to the process of social change, the development of capacities, effectiveness of aid, planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Since 2014, Benedicte has also conducted research for BeFinD, Belgian policy research group on Financing for Development. Within this inter-university research group (supported by the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and HIVA – KU Leuven, particular attention is focused on research on the dimension of distribution of social protections in low and middle-income demographics, the role of the private sector in development, illicit financial flows and the use and distribution of global public goods.

Benedicte is also co-initiator and co-founder of the MASMUT platform that brings together the Belgian entities and individuals working on supporting mutual health and social protection systems in the South.

Benedicte has also authored and co-authored numerous publications (scientific articles, research reports, books). She was a principle consultant and has overseen numerous evaluations of development interventions (social protection, decent work, food security, capacity development) sponsored by both domestic and international government developmental agencies and NGOs.