Stefan Dercon is Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford. He also serves as Director of the university’s Centre for the Study of African Economies.

Dercon combines an academic career with extensive public policy experience in the United Kingdom, including serving as Chief Economist of the Department for International Development (DFID) from 2011 to 2017, as well as advising successive UK Foreign Secretaries.

His research focuses on the underlying causes of poverty and underdevelopment, examining the failures of markets, governments, and political systems, alongside pathways for sustainable economic and institutional transformation.

His 2022 book, Gambling on Development: Why Some Countries Win and Others Lose, explores these themes through a combination of academic research and practical experience in policymaking and international development.