The Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies (BRISPO) is an interdisciplinary research centre composed of sociologists, demographers, economists, psychologists, statisticians, and human geographers. Its members conduct research on the socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic dimensions of patterns of social inequality within Belgium, Europe, and beyond.
Recent news
(Male) infertility as a social construct
Lobke Van Ryckeghem discusses in her brief write-up the social construction of (male) infertility.
Abortion trajectories in Belgium unfold
A new article co-authored by Lobke Van Ryckeghem, BRISPO Junior Researcher, was published in SSM – Qualitative Research in Health.
Marloes Hagenaars selected as finalist of the Flemish PhD Cup 2025
Marloes obtained her PhD in Sociology at Ghent University, and now she works as a post-doc researcher at BRISPO. Congratulations!
New article on older adults' internet use co-authored by Petrus te Braak
The article titled "Multidimensional frailty as a predictor of older adults’ internet use: moving beyond the use/non-use dichotomy " was published in 'Exploration of Digital Health Technologies'.
Opinion piece in 'knack' by Deborah de Moortel (in Dutch)
BRISPO sociologist formulates several solutions for dealing with illness in the workplace.
PhD public defense of Wanru Xu
Wanru's thesis, "Escaping the System? Chinese Middle-Class Parents Negotiating Educational Privilege in Alternative Schools", was supervised by Prof. Bram Spruyt.
New article on reconceptualising skill in EU migration policy
The article titled "Beyond Economic and Educated: Reconceptualising Skill in EU Migration Policy Through Contextual Adaptability" by Anton Neronov and Tuba Bircan was published in "International Migration".
Opinion piece in De Standaard: 'Feelings of safety in the city deserve more than indignation'
The opinion piece is based on a recent literature study conducted by Petrus te Braak and Theun Pieter van Tienoven.
Research project Vroeg Geleerd Goes Live: Follow the Website and LinkedIn Page!
The research project Vroeg Geleerd has just launched its website and LinkedIn page where you can follow insights, updates and results from research on relational well-being and bullying in school.
BRISPO Blog post: Exploring Migration and Societal Change Conference
A new blog post, written by our colleagues Iris Egea Quijada, Shabnam Khezri, Anton Neronov, and Fatıma Silpagar, has just been published.
New BRISPO Blog Post: Fieldnotes from ISA 2025
A Reflection from Tulya Su Guven and Fatima Silpagar from the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology in Rabat.
Job opportunity at BRISPO for a PhD student
We are looking for a PhD student for a project on the demographic behaviour of migrant communities in Belgium.
New paper on medical decision-making among patients with a migration background
The article "Preferences and challenges regarding medical decision-making among patients with a migration background in Belgium: a focus group study" by, among others, Amina Yakhlaf and Veerle Buffel, was published in "Archives of Public Health".
New publication by Julie Vanderleyden and Deborah De Moortel on Employment Quality Framework
The article "Employment Quality as a Framework to Understand Precarious Employment and Beyond in Cross-National Contexts: Conceptual, Methodological, and Practical Recommendations" was published in Sociology Compass.
Top photo: Alex Wasey
