Stefan Dercon has been appointed Policy Advisor to the newly created Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the UK government.

The Foreign Secretary has appointed Stefan to the role to provide challenge, insight and strategic advice on official development assistance (ODA) and development policy. 

Stefan, who is currently Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford, is a former Chief Economist at DFID. He will advise the Foreign Secretary on the FCDO’s development portfolio, aid allocation decisions, individual ODA submissions and also provide advice on the impact and effectiveness of FCDO strategy.