Prof. F. de Vries
Foundation
Advancing Socioeconomic Insight for Policy and Progress
About Us
The Prof. F. de Vries Foundation aims to stimulate and propagate socioeconomic knowledge and research. Our goal is to create and spread theoretical knowledge relevant to policymaking. We organise lectures hosted by some of the most prestigious economists in the world.
The foundation was founded in 1954 by Jan Tinbergen in honour of Professor Frans de Vries. Jan Tinbergen funded the foundation with his 1969 Nobel Prize money. He is one of the founding fathers of econometrics and a dear friend to Professor Frans de Vries. Professor Frans de Vries is one of the most influential Dutch economists in history. He made significant contributions to both academia and socioeconomic policymaking. Our foundation builds on his legacy and aims to advance socioeconomic insight for policy and progress.
Lectures & Past Speakers
Since 1955, we organise lectures on economic topics of great societal relevance. These lectures are hosted by prestigious economists worldwide. Our lectures are a platform to share forward economic ideas that can be applied to future policymaking.
Over the decades we have had many great speakers. Our lecturers include professors, Nobel Prize winners and chief economists. The first reading was hosted by James Meade. Meade published greatly on the theory of International Economic Policy. Other notable speakers in the early years include Bob Shiller, Richard Nelson, Harold Demsetz, János Kornai, Bob Solow, and Branko Milanovic.
In more recent years, this tradition continued with speakers such as Anat Admati, Esther Duflo, Olivier Blanchard, and Guido Imbens. In 2024, Mariana Mazzucato hosted a reading on ‘The Common Good: from correcting market failures to shaping the economy to meet bold objectives.’ Interested in our upcoming lectures? Keep an eye out on our agenda.
Agenda
May
13
Lecture of 2026: Prof. Joel Mokyr (Northwestern University; Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences 2025) will deliver the Prof. F. de Vries Lecture in Amsterdam. In his lecture, Mokyr will reflect on the foundations of long-term economic growth, emphasizing the role of useful knowledge, technical capabilities, and institutions that foster technological progress. The program will feature reflections by Jutta Bolt (University of Groningen and Lund University) and Maxim Februari (writer and legal philosopher). For the full programme and to register, please visit our partner, KNAW.