The Economics School of Belgium – A New Vision for Academic Excellence
Updated: Oct 14, 2025
Written by Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
Jonathan Dubrulle is a Healer-Influencer in Madrid who likes to help people create 'paso a paso' a better life.
Rereading my genius dissertation that went unappreciated at KU Leuven, as it was not read, and references were not counted, got me thinking. There is always that horror year at every department, and it was mine. It made things clear that teaching Economics well is not possible with a €100K budget for a four-year program per student. A new school has to be founded, the Economics School of Belgium.
World-leading
Because of the quality needed to do this well, it is not possible to do so in the current format. The Stockholm School of Economics has a budget of €80M for 2000 students. That seems fair to be one of the best in the world, but they have no talent. Leuven does have that tradition to attract talent and to love it. The waste of time with business people at the Faculty of Economics and Business is torturous for everyone. To endure their brain is punishment. It made me realize that there needs to be a new start, with proper funding, for the Economics School of Belgium, located in my hometown, Leuven, Belgium.
Beguinage
I have always been in love with the UNESCO-protected Great Beguinage, a town within Leuven from the 13th century, with a beautiful Baptiste church, a faculty club, and a 4-star hotel. Perfect for conferences and dinners.
Its history is as a village for women who did not want to marry. It includes hundreds of homes, parks, and cobblestone streets. The spirit of safety for young people will attract sensitive souls, the best and brightest, and some mysterious ones.
Principles
The basic principles should be excellence, freedom, private mentoring, social skill development, 360° feedback, and above all, reasonableness of faculty and health. People who are not liked, like I was, should be able to do well. It’s about merit and contribution. They don’t have to be people pleasers or give gifts, but they could be.
Light economics & heavy economics
I envision a school with two programs, one that is more in the light and one that goes more dark. They both can make contributions in their own way. The knowledge and development of people, and in turn society, takes time, not one year. In Economics Light, the focus should be on Development Economics, Sustainability, Law, and International Economics. In the dark, the focus is on Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, and Game Theory. I would call it Heavy Economics.
Selection
Everyone is welcome to apply, and selection is based on potential, viewed by a commission of four, like in the military. Character is pivotal, as is the ability to contribute in whatever way that may be, controversial or not. The key is gratitude for the investments made. Grateful people make a better humanity. Medical examinations do not.
How to get there
The funding should come from the Koning Boudewijn Stichting, private funds, the EU, the regional government, the city of Leuven, and some from students, with scholarships. The faculty can be taken from the dying department, and new ones can be found from Russia, the US, the UK, France, and some exceptions.
One hundred staff members should be enough. Student numbers can be debated. It is possible with the support of King Filip, who would love to have one centre of excellence, better than the College of Europe, which has neither money nor a really talented faculty, but is appreciated, also by me. The staff have a good heart.
In conclusion, let’s start an all-English-speaking Economics School of Belgium with Nobel Prize winners one day. I will help, if requested by the King.
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Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
I’m Jonathan (38y) and a Spinal Flow Practitioner in Madrid. I started as a high-potential at Thomson Reuters when I was 21. After Brussels and Geneva, I started the healing journey in Singapore and fell in love with my Chiropractor. I discovered I was gay in a country where it was still illegal at the time. With a broken heart, I moved to New York City, where I worked in Corporate Strategy. At 24, a revolt of the soul would happen at the Times Square Headquarters, and I was admitted to Bellevue Hospital. Now I have a practice in the center of Madrid. I help clients heal and grow, develop good microhabits, and create strategies to impact the world. Beauty can rise out of ashes.
