Tony Hawk
Legendary Skateboarder & World Champion | Entrepreneur | Founder, The Skatepark Project | NYT Bestselling Author | 16x X Games Medalist
Paul Collier
World-Renowned Development Economist | Professor at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government | Bestselling Author of The Bottom Billion & The Future of Capitalism
Paul Collier is one of the world's leading development economists and a professor at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government. His bestsellers The Bottom Billion and The Future of Capitalism reshaped global debates on poverty, fragile states, and building an economy that works for everyone. A former World Bank research director and adviser to governments, he offers a rigorous, hopeful vision for renewing 'left behind' places and reforming capitalism.
Want to book Paul Collier as a speaker for your event? Please provide the info below and we’ll get in touch within 24h:
Paul Collier biography
Economics speaker Paul Collier is one of the most influential economists of his generation, a thinker who has spent his career on the world’s hardest problems: why some nations and communities stay trapped in poverty, and how they can escape it. A professor of economics and public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, Sir Paul Collier combines rigorous research with a moral urgency that has made him one of the most respected and widely read voices in global development.
Collier first reached a global audience with The Bottom Billion, his landmark study of the world’s poorest people, which won the Lionel Gelber and Arthur Ross prizes and reframed how governments and institutions think about aid, conflict, and development. He went on to write a series of influential books, including Exodus, on migration; The Plundered Planet; and The Future of Capitalism, in which he diagnosed the deep social and economic rifts, between prosperous cities and struggling regions, the educated and the left behind, that are straining democracies worldwide.
A New Economics for Neglected Places
His most recent book, Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places, turns his development expertise toward the regional inequality tearing at wealthy countries, from South Yorkshire, where he grew up in a working-class family, to communities around the world. Its message is ultimately hopeful: places long left behind can catch up, through collective learning, local agency, and moral leadership. A former director of research at the World Bank, Collier has advised governments and international organizations on development, migration, and post-conflict recovery, and was knighted for his contribution to policy change in Africa.
As a speaker, Paul Collier is authoritative, provocative, and refreshingly practical, translating decades of frontier research into clear ideas that leaders and policymakers can act on. He speaks on the future of capitalism and how to make it work for everyone, global poverty and development, migration, and the renewal of struggling regions and communities. Audiences leave with a deeper, evidence-based understanding of the forces reshaping the global economy, and a hopeful, actionable sense of what can be done about them.
Paul Collier Speaking Videos
Fragile States, Better Security and Management of Natural Resources | Paul Collier | TEDxOxford
Sir Paul Collier - The Future Of Capitalism | Nudgestock 2019
Paul Collier Keynote Topics
Drawing on his influential book, Paul Collier examines the deep divides straining modern societies, between thriving cities and left-behind regions, the highly educated and everyone else, and argues that capitalism can be reformed to work for all, not just a few. He offers a pragmatic, evidence-based vision for restoring shared prosperity and social trust, blending economic rigor with moral clarity. Essential thinking for leaders navigating inequality, populism, and social fracture.
Why do some places, from struggling towns in wealthy nations to the world's poorest regions, keep falling further behind? Drawing on his newest book, Collier diagnoses the causes of regional decline and delivers a hopeful, practical message: neglected places can catch up, through collective learning, local empowerment, and moral leadership. A powerful keynote for policymakers, business leaders, and anyone invested in inclusive growth.
In the landmark work that made him world-famous, Collier identified the roughly one billion people trapped in the world's poorest, most fragile countries, and the "traps" that keep them there. In this keynote, he explains why traditional aid so often fails, what actually drives development, and how governments, businesses, and institutions can genuinely help the world's poorest escape poverty. A rigorous, myth-busting look at one of humanity's great challenges.
Collier is one of the world's leading authorities on migration and fragile states, having advised governments and international organizations on both. In this talk, he cuts through the heated politics to examine what migration really does to sending and receiving countries, why some states remain trapped in conflict, and what a smarter, more humane, and more effective global approach would look like. Clear-eyed, evidence-based, and free of ideology.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Paul Collier
Why Paul Collier?
Booking Paul Collier brings audiences one of the world's most respected and original economic thinkers, a scholar whose work has shaped how governments, institutions, and business leaders understand poverty, development, migration, and the future of capitalism. He pairs the authority of a top Oxford economist and former World Bank research director with a rare gift for making complex ideas clear, and a moral seriousness that cuts through political noise. Provocative yet practical, he leaves audiences with a deeper understanding of the forces reshaping the global economy and genuine, evidence-based ideas for what to do about them. He is ideal for events on economics, global affairs, capitalism and inequality, and public policy. To bring Paul Collier to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Paul Collier?
Sir Paul Collier is a British development economist widely regarded as one of the most influential of his generation. He is a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, and a former director of the Development Research Group at the World Bank. He is best known for his bestselling books The Bottom Billion, on the world's poorest countries, and The Future of Capitalism, along with Exodus, The Plundered Planet, and his most recent work, Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places. He has advised governments and international organizations on development, migration, and post-conflict recovery, and was knighted for his services to promoting research and policy change in Africa.
What is Paul Collier's book The Bottom Billion about?
The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It (2007) is Paul Collier's landmark, award-winning book about the roughly one billion people living in the world's poorest and most fragile nations. Collier argues that while much of the developing world is catching up, a group of around sixty countries, home to the "bottom billion," remains trapped in poverty by a set of recurring traps: conflict, dependence on natural resources, being landlocked with bad neighbors, and poor governance. Rather than relying on aid alone, he sets out a mix of practical tools, from trade and security to governance and investment, that richer nations and institutions can use to help these countries escape. The book reshaped global development debates and made "the bottom billion" a widely used term.
What topics does economics speaker Paul Collier cover?
Paul Collier speaks on the future of capitalism and inequality, global poverty and development, renewing "left behind" regions and communities, and migration and fragile states. His keynotes suit events on economics, global affairs, public policy, business strategy, and the future of the global economy. To book Paul Collier as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Paul Collier as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Paul Collier as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Paul Collier's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Paul Collier or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Paul Collier speaking fee?
Paul Collier speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Paul Collier to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Paul Collier.
How can I contact Paul Collier?
We only work with Paul Collier on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Paul Collier and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Paul Collier speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Paul Collier for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Paul Collier for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Paul Collier is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Paul Collier for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
