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A profile picture of Tony Venables

Tony Venables

  • Senior research fellow
  • University of Oxford

Roles

Researchers

Tony Venables is a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford and part-time research professor at Monash University, Melbourne.  He is a fellow of the Econometric Society, the Regional Science Association, the British Academy and is the 2026-27 President of the Royal Economic Society.  Former positions include professor of economics at Oxford University and at LSE, and chief economist at the UK Department for International Development.  He has published extensively in the areas of international trade, urban and regional economics, natural resources, and economic development.

Projects

A pink sunset colorfully lightens the clouds and buildings of Kampala. Photo credit: Universal Stopping Point Photography / Moment Open via Getty Images.

Transport in a congested city: A computable general equilibrium model applied to Kampala City

Louise Bernard, Julia Bird, Tony Venables
Project

All contributions

An AI generated event banner featuring a city landscape and the IGC Cities that Work Initiative Logo

Masterclass on Building Cities that Work

19 October 2026 13:00-14:30
Upcoming Event
Luanda, Angola. Photo by Eric Lafforgue via Getty Images.

Delivering urban development: PPPs and other procurement options for urban infrastructure and services

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Shahrukh Wani
Synthesis paper
View of the city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Photo by Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Economics meets urban planning: Developing effective land use plans in fast-growing cities

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Victoria Delbridge, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha
Policy brief
cover image

Water and sanitation provision in urban Africa

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Tony Venables
Data visualisation
Cover image

Carbon intensity of economies

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Tony Venables
Data visualisation
cover image

Green production potential

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Tony Venables
Data visualisation
Technician checks the maintenance of the solar panels, engineering team working on checking and maintenance in solar power plant. Getty Images

Sustainable urbanisation in developing countries: Cities as places to innovate, trade, and work

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Tony Venables
Growth brief
Climate change in cities demonstrated by an urban building surrounded by nature in Hong Kong.

Sustainable urbanisation in developing countries: Cities as places to live

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Tony Venables
Growth brief

Renforcer les finances municipales : l’expérience de Kampala (Ouganda)

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables
Case study

Renforcer les finances municipales : l’expérience de Dakar

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Khady Dia Sarr
Case study

Renforcer les finances municipales : l’expérience de Mzuzu et du Malawi

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Tony Venables, Astrid Haas, Dyson Jangia
Case study

Renforcer les finances municipales : l’expérience de Hargeisa (Somaliland)

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Priya Manwaring, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Ahmedi Yusuf
Case study

Xoojinta booska maaliyadeed magaalooyinka: Caddayn laga sameeyey Hargeysa

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Priya Manwaring, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Ahmedi Yusuf
Case study

Enhancing the financial position of cities: Evidence from Mzuzu

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Dyson Jangia
Case study

Enhancing the financial position of cities: Evidence from Hargeisa

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Priya Manwaring, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Ahmedi Yusuf
Case study

Enhancing the financial position of cities: Evidence from Dakar

Victoria Delbridge, Oliver Harman, Astrid Haas, Tony Venables, Khady Dia Sarr
Case study

Enhancing the financial position of cities: Evidence from Kampala

Victoria Delbridge, Astrid Haas, Oliver Harman, Tony Venables
Case study

How to manage urban density post-COVID-19?

7 October 2020
Past Event

Designed to succeed: Building authorising environments for fast-growing cities

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Astrid Haas, Shahrukh Wani
Synthesis paper
Shanghai International Finance Centre. Photo credit: Qi Yang / Moment via Getty Images.

Urban land use planning for economic growth

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring
Synthesis paper
Dar es Salaam Port

Land use planning for economic growth

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Victoria Delbridge, Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Priya Manwaring
In focus

Fighting COVID-19 in cities: Perspectives from the Cities that Work council

Edward L. Glaeser, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Craig Kesson, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Paul Collier, Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza, Jennifer Musisi, Tony Venables
Video
Lagos State Officials hand out the food relief bags to people of the Agbado and Oke-Odo LCDA community in Lagos on April 1, 2020. - More than 20 million Nigerians on March 30, 2020, went into lockdown in sub-Saharan Africa's biggest city Lagos and the capital Abuja, as the continent struggles to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Photo credit: Benson IBEABUCHI / AFP via Getty Images.
COVID-19 and Cities

Empowering our cities to fight the pandemics of the future

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Astrid Haas, Craig Kesson, Jonathan Leape, Jennifer Musisi, Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Tony Venables
Blog
Cities that Work toolkit cover - urban mobility

Urban mobility: policy decisions for connecting the city

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Michael Blake
Policy toolkit

6th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

9–10 September 2019 Preston Auditorium, World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W. 20433 Washington D.C.
Past Event
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Impôts sur le foncier: pour valoriser des revenus municipaux inexploités

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Michael Blake
Policy brief
Policy options for informal settlements publication cover overlaid over image of cities.

Policy options for informal settlements

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Michael Blake, Priya Manwaring
Synthesis paper
An aerial view of an informal settlement amidst an urban residential area in Bengaluru, India

Housing and informal settlements

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Michael Blake, Priya Manwaring
In focus
Publication cover of informal settlements and housing markets policy brief.

Informal settlements and housing markets

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Michael Blake, Priya Manwaring
Policy toolkit
Access to opportunity publication cover

Accessing opportunities: Policy decisions for enhancing urban mobility

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Michael Blake
Synthesis paper
Yaounde Roundabout

Transport

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Michael Blake
In focus
Photo credits: LSE International Growth Centre (IGC).

Cities that Work launch event at the World Bank

Edward L. Glaeser, Jennifer Musisi, Tony Venables
Video

4th Urbanisation and poverty reduction research conference

8 September 2017 Washington DC
Past Event
Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo credit: Ninaras via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Secure, legally enforceable and marketable land rights for urban development

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Michael Blake, Priya Manwaring
Synthesis paper
Aerial view of the city of Dar es Salaam. Photo credits: Ali Damji via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Land and property taxes for municipal finance

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Michael Blake, Priya Manwaring
Synthesis paper

Land and property taxes: Exploiting untapped municipal revenues

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Tony Venables, Priya Manwaring, Michael Blake
Policy brief
Yaounde Roundabout

Land rights and urban development

Paul Collier, Edward L. Glaeser, Priya Manwaring, Tony Venables, Michael Blake
In focus
Dramatic sky in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Photo credit: crazydiva / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images.

Urban futures for Dhaka and Bangladesh

20 July 2017 Dhaka
Past Event
Photo provided by the LSE International Growth Centre (IGC).

Ed Glaeser public lecture: Making cities work in the developing world

Edward L. Glaeser, Hugh Cole, Tony Venables
Video
Photo credit: Dave Kellam, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Post-Brexit trade and development policy

Richard Baldwin, Paul Collier, Tony Venables
Blog
Photo credit: Dave Kellam, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Post-Brexit trade and development policy

Richard Baldwin, Paul Collier, Tony Venables
Policy brief

Paul Collier &Tony Venables: Why cities matter

Paul Collier, Tony Venables
Video
Sule Paya pagoda the center of Yangon, Myanmar. Photo credit: Boy_Anupong / Moment via Getty Images. [Royalty-free]

Urban Myanmar workshop

23 February 2017 Yangon
Past Event
Photo credit: CDC Global/Flickr, CC BY 4.0.

East and Central Africa Cities Development Forum

24–26 May 2016 Kampala, Uganda
Past Event
Busy street in Dhaka with people riding tuk-tuks. Photo by Francisco Anzola via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Making cities work for development: Perspectives from South Asia

Tony Venables
Blog
African city life. Photo credit: Peeterv / E+.

What policies would make Kampala a great 21st century city?

4–5 November 2015 Kampala, Uganda
Past Event
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Africa Growth Forum 2015: Key transformational challenges in Africa

Tony Venables, Alan Hirsch, Peter Biar Ajak, Herbert M'cleod, John Spray
Audio
Light Rail Transit In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - December 01, 2017. Photo Credit: Emad Aljumah / Moment via Getty Images.

IGC Ethiopia: Urbanisation Workshop

2 July 2015 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Past Event
Kimara, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Growth brief: Making cities work for development

Tony Venables
Growth brief
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Growth Week 2014: Framework Session - Cities

Tony Venables, Wahiduddin Mahmud, Nava Ashraf
Video
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Cities: Places to Live, Places to Work

Tony Venables
Video
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Video: Africa Growth Forum 2013 - Prof Tony Venables

Tony Venables
Video
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Video: Cities - Places to Live, Places to Work

Paul Collier, Tony Venables
Video
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Video: Cities and Economic Development

NK Singh, Tony Venables, Enrico Moretti
Video