The public lecture in 2019 was held by Professor Tony Venables, BP Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies, where he talked about the economics that underpins city performance and discussed the policy challenges that cities face.  "The most successful are centres of innovation and growth, while others fail to create sufficient jobs and provide decent housing. The challenge is greatest in the developing world where, over the next 30 years, the urban population will increase by more than one million people each week."

Our speaker

Prof Tony Venables

Professor of Economics | Oxford University

Tony Venables is Professor of Economics at Oxford University where he directs the Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies and a programme of research on urbanisation in developing countries. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the Regional Science Association and the British Academy. Former positions include chief economist at the UK Department for International Development and professor at the London School of Economics.

He has published in the areas of international trade and spatial economics, including work on trade and imperfect competition, economic integration, multinational firms, economic geography, and natural resources. Publications include The spatial economy; cities, regions and international trade, with M. Fujita and P. Krugman (MIT press, 1999), and Multinationals in the World Economy with G. Barba Navaretti (Princeton 2004).

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RES Annual Public Lecture

Our annual lecture provides an opportunity for school students to watch internationally-renowned economists present their research. Principally aimed at sixth form students, it’s relevant for those studying economics, maths, business studies and geography, and has become an established part of the school calendar.  The annual lecture is held twice, once in London and once at a different location (currently the University of York).