Robert Alphonse Paul (Bob) Van Straelen (born 3 December 1934[1]) is a Belgian economist and organizational theorist, and Emeritus Professor at the Antwerp Management School, known for his work on large empirical macroeconomic models.
In 1952 he started to study at the Sint-Ignatius Handelshogeschool (later part of the University of Antwerp), where in 1957 he received his degree cum laude.
There in 1968 he was granted a colloquium doctum [1] and in 1971 received his PhD in Economics[3] with a thesis entitled "Prijsontwikkeling en produktiestructuur: proeve tot formulering van een stochastisch model voor produktiecoëfficiënten."
The same year Fernand Nédée (1930–1980), later the founder of the University Institution Antwerp, invited him to join the research center "Studiecentrum voor de Expansie van Antwerpen".
In 1963 he also succeeded Vic van Rompuy as lecturer, and was appointed member of the Federal Planning Bureau in Brussels.