Prof. Stefan Dercon
Professor of Economic Policy, Blavatnik School of Government and the Economics Department, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Stefan Dercon is Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and the Department of Economics, University of Oxford, Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies and a Fellow of Jesus College.
From 2011 to 2017, he was Chief Economist of the UK Department for International Development, and from 2020 to 2022, Development Policy Adviser to successive Foreign Secretaries at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He previously held positions at Addis Ababa University, the Catholic University of Leuven and the United Nations University in Helsinki. Professor Dercon is a Fellow of the British Academy and was appointed an honorary Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2018.
His research examines what keeps some people and countries poor, particularly the failures of markets, governments and politics in Africa, and how to achieve change. His books include ‘Gambling on Development: Why Some Countries Win and Others Lose’ (2022) and ‘Dull Disasters? How Planning Ahead Will Make a Difference’ (2016). He studied economics and philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven and holds an MPhil and DPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford, UK.