I grew up in Bristol, and did my BA(hons) in Durham and MSc in Bristol, before coming to Oxford to do my MPhil and DPhil. Most of my studies covered economics and political science. While I was an undergraduate, I had the chance to spend a summer vacation doing voluntary work with refugees and asylum-seekers in the Netherlands, and that inspired a life-long interest in the economic lives and contributions of refugees.

Since that point, I have mainly worked on the political economy of refugee protection, with a focus on Africa and Europe. I work mainly on two broad research questions. First, what explains government responses to refugees, particularly their willingness (or lack of it) to provide socio-economic rights such as the right to work? Second, under what conditions do refugees make positive economic contributions to receiving societies?

I stayed on in Oxford after my DPhil to do a Junior Research Fellowship in International Relations at LMH, and two decades later, I am still at the University. Aside from a year as a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford, I have spent my career in Oxford, mainly in our Department of International Development, although Oxford’s long vacations have enabled me to do plenty of fieldwork in many refugee-hosting countries, particularly in East Africa. I have always tried to translate my research into impact on policy and practice, working regularly with governments, NGOs, and UN organisations, and speaking to the media.

I have served as Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, as Associate Head of the Social Sciences Division, and I am now Pro-Vice-Chancellor (for External Engagement, Sport, and Community). In that role, I lead the University’s external engagement work, collaborating with colleagues to ensure Oxford makes the greatest possible contribution locally, nationally, and globally, while also guiding the University’s overall sports strategy. Given my academic background, I also very involved in Oxford’s University of Sanctuary work.

I got involved in University leadership roles because I wanted to support our amazing University to have the most positive impact possible on the lives of communities beyond Oxford.

As well as writing about refugees and migration, I have a particular interest in social science research methods, and in thinking about the role and purpose of universities in wider society. I am also co-founder of two other Oxford programmes that aim to support graduate student education: the Refugee-Led Research Hub, which supports aspiring social science and humanities researchers from displacement backgrounds, and the SDG Impact Lab, which enables graduate students to collaborate with partner organisations to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

I’ve been involved in lots of other activities during my time in Oxford. As a student I did a lot of debating and was the European and World Masters Debating Champion. In recent years, I have represented England and Great Britain in International Masters athletics, and I am also a UEFA B-licensed football coach, coaching teams at Oxford City FC and OUAFC.

I don’t currently teach undergraduates, although I supervise a small group of DPhil students.

My research focuses on the political economy of refugee protection, with two core strands: explaining variation in state responses to refugees—particularly socio-economic rights—and understanding the economic and political lives of displaced populations themselves.

I have predominantly undertaken mixed methods research in East Africa, with a focus on refugee camps and urban areas in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. A lot of my research has engaged with policy-makers including national governments and international organisations. I use participatory and co-creation methods where feasible withing my work.

https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/people/alexander-betts