Paul Collier

Paul Collier is one of the world’s most influential development economists, a professor at Oxford University, and the bestselling author of The Bottom Billion, which transformed the global conversation about poverty and economic development. His research on the poorest countries and their pathways to growth has shaped policy at the highest levels of government and international organizations.

Redefining How We Think About Global Poverty

As Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford and former Director of the Development Research Group at the World Bank, Collier has spent decades studying why certain countries remain trapped in poverty while others break through to sustained growth. The Bottom Billion identified four key traps that keep the world’s poorest people stuck, including conflict, natural resources, landlocked geography, and bad governance. The book was named one of the best books of the decade by The Economist and earned widespread acclaim for making complex economics accessible to general audiences.

A Trusted Voice on Economics, Migration, and Policy

Collier has authored numerous additional books including The Plundered Planet, Exodus on migration, and The Future of Capitalism. He was knighted in 2014 for services to promoting research and policy change in Africa. A fellow of numerous academic institutions, he has advised governments and international bodies on issues ranging from climate change to post-conflict recovery. His keynotes provide leaders with frameworks for understanding the economic forces reshaping global development, inequality, and the future of capitalism.

Emerging markets

Wars, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places

The Plundered Planet: How to reconcile prosperity with nature

Paul effectively demonstrates the value, and the virtue, in combining compassion with wise investment strategies

World’s Leading Expert on Global Poverty Solutions