About me

Working at the intersection of social sciences, public policy, and creative communication, I combine interdisciplinary research with 'out-of-the-box' thinking and visual arts.

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I am a doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford. I am also a member of the Refugee Economies Programme, the Refugee Studies Centre, Jesus College Oxford, and the Oxford Department of International Development. I grew up in southern Germany and hold a MA in Political Science from Heidelberg  University.

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I am a Heinrich Böll Foundation PhD Fellow and Jesus College Oxford Graduate Scholar.

Research

I am a DPhil candidate at the Oxford Department of International Development. In my research, I explore the economic lives of refugees, as well as the history and politics of refugee assistance and humanitarian aid.  My research is interdisciplinary, combining economics, political science, and history. It draws upon both, qualitative and quantitative methods.

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Publications

• Betts, Alexander, Andonis Marden, Raphael Bradenbrink, and Jonas Kaufmann (2020) “Building Refugee Economies: An Evaluation of the IKEA Foundation’s Programme in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia”. 

• Betts, Alexander, Bradenbrink, Raphael (2020) "The IKEA Foundation and livelihoods in Dollo Ado: lessons from the cooperatives model", RSC Research in Brief 17.

• Betts, Alexander, Bradenbrink, Raphael (2020) "Building economies in refugee-hosting regions: lessons from Dollo Ado, RSC Research in Brief 18.

• Betts, Alexander; Bradenbrink, Raphael; Greenland, Jonathan; Omata, Naohiko, and Sterck, Olivier (2019) "Refugee Economies in Dollo Ado: Development Opportunities in a Border Region of Ethiopia", Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford. 

Right side: Houses in Melkadida refugee camp, Ethiopia. Photo: Raphael Bradenbrink