Olivier Sterck
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oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck
@oliviersterck.bsky.social
140 followers 300 following 12 posts

Economist | Associate Professor @University of Oxford and @UAntwerp.

https://oliviersterck.wordpress.com/

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Economics 26%
Political science 17%
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oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · Nov 7
“Let everyone get the same, even if it's just a spoonful,” a refugee told us after hearing she would soon be cut off from food assistance.

Our research on aid cuts and targeting just published in The New Humanitarian.

www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202... (@newhumanitarian.bsky.social)
Why it’s a bad idea to triage refugee food aid when everyone's hungry
Blanket food assistance was stopped in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp in August. The impact has been immediate.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Dollars after taxes that can be used for essential and non-essential spending.
Of course you are welcome to read the paper: it is publicly available here papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4785458
Poverty without Poverty Line
How has global poverty evolved over the past decades? Mainstream poverty measures fail to provide robust answers because they heavily depend on the selected pov
papers.ssrn.com

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Conclusion: stop debating where to draw the poverty line.

There is no line. Having less is always worse.

Start measuring poverty as a continuous reality — not a binary status.

Ask a simple question: How long does it take people to earn $1?

More here:

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Why? Because US inequality is much higher.

Changes in the poverty measure come from two forces: (1) average income and (2) inequality.

In the US, inequality has grown much faster than GDP (except during COVID), pushing poverty up even as income rose.

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
With this new measure, people in the US need 1.4 hours on average to get $1.

Much more than in the UK, France or Germany... Poverty is much higher in the US despite higher average incomes!

[see the exception during Covid, when the US implemented strong anti-poverty measures]

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Poverty is a spectrum, not a switch. In reality, $100/day is better than $75, which is better than $50, which is better than $25…

I developed a measure that reflects this: the time it takes to get $1.

It comes from an idea in physics: poverty = reciprocal of income.

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Now take a lower line of $25/day — similar to the US threshold and close to @maxroser.bsky.social’s. With that line, only 11% of Americans are poor. With the WB extreme poverty line, virtually no poverty.

Same people, same data, opposite conclusion. So what is the “true” number?

There isn't one.

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
The problem is the measure: the poverty headcount (% below the line). Conclusions are too dependent on the line!

Take Green’s line, $140k/year for a family of 4 ($100 pp per day).

With that line, 73% of Americans are “poor”. It tells us more about the line than poverty.

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · 5d
Debates on the 🇺🇸 poverty line are based on a fallacy: that poverty is binary. That below a line, you are poor, above you are fine.

Poverty is continuous and I developed a much better indicator to measure it. A🧵
@washingtonpost.com @ourworldindata.org @adamrose.bsky.social @whstancil.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 9d
The U.S. poverty line for a family of four is $32,150.

However, investor Michael W. Green argues it should be more than four times higher, a threshold that would classify most American households as living “in poverty” by his measure.
An investor called $140,000 the new poverty line. Experts disagreed but said he had a point.
Michael Green’s tally of the costs of raising a family in the U.S. today is going viral, even if some economists scoff at his math.
wapo.st

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 9d
The U.S. poverty line for a family of four is $32,150.

However, investor Michael W. Green argues it should be more than four times higher, a threshold that would classify most American households as living “in poverty” by his measure.
An investor called $140,000 the new poverty line. Experts disagreed but said he had a point.
Michael Green’s tally of the costs of raising a family in the U.S. today is going viral, even if some economists scoff at his math.
wapo.st

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

charlottelbrown.bsky.social
Charlotte Brown @charlottelbrown.bsky.social · 24d
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/poem/2025/11...
“The weight we carry”
Poet Peter Kidi explores the human cost of aid cuts, and the resilience of refugees living between hunger and hope.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

oxfordcsae.bsky.social
CSAE @oxfordcsae.bsky.social · 26d
Why it’s a bad idea to triage refugee food aid when everyone's hungry

@oliviersterck.bsky.social writes in @newhumanitarian.bsky.social about effects of cuts to food assistance in Kakuma Refugee Camp.
@odid-qeh.bsky.social @refugeestudies.bsky.social
Why it’s a bad idea to triage refugee food aid when everyone's hungry
Blanket food assistance was stopped in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp in August. The impact has been immediate.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

iobua.bsky.social
IOB - Institute of Development Policy @iobua.bsky.social · Nov 3
Ready to reimagine sustainability and governance? 🌐
Join these exciting panels at EADI/IOB 2026: “Shaping Sustainable Futures.”
🗓️ Abstract deadline: 21 Dec 2025
📍 Antwerp, Belgium
👉 Details: https://loom.ly/rrhGi2k
#EADI2026 #GlocalSolutions #Inequality #JustTransitions #SustainableFutures

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

eadi.bsky.social
EADI @eadi.bsky.social · Oct 29
Call for abstracts: Harvest Panel:

Hosting Refugees: Glocal Solutions?

📍 @iobua.bsky.social

Conv. by @oliviersterck.bsky.social
www.eadi.org/eadi-events/...
EADI/IOB 2026: Shaping Sustainable Futures: Global Challenges, (G)local Solutions? 29 June – 2 July 2026, Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Andrew Scott , and 8 more

josiahmortimer.bsky.social
Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · Sep 30
Some good news.

London is meeting legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution for the first time – almost 200 years earlier than predicted – following the Mayor’s "world leading air pollution policies," City Hall announces.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone - and similar policies - really do work.

Reposted by Andy Sumner, Olivier Sterck, Kristof Titeca , and 3 more

iobua.bsky.social
IOB - Institute of Development Policy @iobua.bsky.social · Sep 24
The Flemish government’s unexpected decision not to renew IOB’s agreement puts €2.64M funding, 32 jobs, key programmes and global partnerships at risk. Support us! https://bit.ly/saveIOB

#saveIOB #developmentpolicy #developmentpolicy #iobcommunity

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · Aug 26
Cut to the bone: The cost of ration cuts and delivery delays in Kenya's refugee camps: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202... (@newhumanitarian.bsky.social)
Cut to the bone: The cost of ration cuts and delivery delays in Kenya's refugee camps
New research demonstrates the overwhelming impact reducing rations has on local camp economies and people’s survival.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Reposted by Diane Ravitch, Olivier Sterck

marlenagraves.bsky.social
Marlena Graves MDiv, PhD @marlenagraves.bsky.social · Jul 30
The truth here is so ever relevant, is so simple and profound. I think I might pop it into my next book. Sharing yet again:

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

oxfordcsae.bsky.social
CSAE @oxfordcsae.bsky.social · Jul 25
🌟NEW CSAE Working Paper 'The Welfare & Market Effects of Delays in Humanitarian Assistance'
✒️ @oliviersterck.bsky.social @uantwerpen.be, @odid-qeh.bsky.social & CSAE, & Vittorio Bruni
@refugeestudies.bsky.social
📚Read it there (click ORA Record): www.csae.ox.ac.uk/publication/...
CSAE Working Paper series graphic with red and grey background and document icon. Includes CSAE logo

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

oxfordcsae.bsky.social
CSAE @oxfordcsae.bsky.social · Jun 30
How do cash transfer programmes affect businesses & prices in a refugee camp?

Listen to @oliviersterck.bsky.social & @antoniadelius.bsky.social discussing the project in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya on the CSAE Research Podcasts series www.csae.ox.ac.uk/cash-transfe...

@oxfordecondept.bsky.social
CASH TRANSFERS AND MICRO-ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE IN A REFUGEE CAMP IN KENYA PODCAST
CSAE Research Podcast Episode 13
www.csae.ox.ac.uk

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · Jun 18
🌍 As global crises multiply, major donors are cutting back—leaving millions without the aid they urgently need. 🚨

theconversation.com/what-happens...

#BusinessAndEconomy
What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
Aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity.
theconversation.com

oliviersterck.bsky.social
Olivier Sterck @oliviersterck.bsky.social · Jun 18
What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
theconversation.com/what-happens...
What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
Aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

refugeestudies.bsky.social
Refugee Studies Centre @refugeestudies.bsky.social · Jun 17
New research by Vittorio Bruni & @oliviersterck.bsky.social shows that #aid cuts in #refugee camps severely affect food intake and overall welfare, while also straining local food and credit markets.

voxdev.org/topic/instit...
What happens when humanitarian aid is cut or delayed?
Humanitarian aid systems are under mounting pressure, with key donors like the US and UK cutting funding despite growing needs. New research in one of the world’s largest refugee camps shows that aid ...
voxdev.org

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

voxdev.bsky.social
VoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · Jun 16
Evidence from Uganda and Ethiopia suggests that host prejudice against refugees increases when refugees are perceived as direct job competitors, but not necessarily when actual competition exists.

Read today's article to learn more:
Main results

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

iobua.bsky.social
IOB - Institute of Development Policy @iobua.bsky.social · Jun 11
🆕 What happens when humanitarian #aid is cut or delayed?

New research from a major refugee camp in #Kenya shows sharp impacts on food security, overall welfare, and local markets.

Read more on ‪VoxDev, with Vittorio Bruni & Olivier Sterck (@oliviersterck.bsky.social‬)
🔗 voxdev.org/topic/instit...
Displaced Person camp in Northern Nigeria. © 2018 European Union (photo by Samuel Ochai) [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

oxfordcsae.bsky.social
CSAE @oxfordcsae.bsky.social · Jun 11
"The 20% aid cut in Kakuma didn’t just reduce what & how much refugees eat; it also triggered a cascade of effects across households & markets."

The CSAE's @oliviersterck.bsky.social discusses the impact of aid cuts and delays on people in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.
voxdev.org/topic/instit...

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

voxdev.bsky.social
VoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · Jun 11
New research in one of the world’s largest refugee camps shows that aid cuts have had dramatic impacts on food consumption and security.

Read the full article to learn more:
Impact of aid cuts on prices over time

Reposted by Olivier Sterck

voxdev.bsky.social
VoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · Jun 11
🆕 What happens when humanitarian aid is cut or delayed?

Today on VoxDev, Vittorio Bruni (University of Oxford) & Olivier Sterck (University of Antwerp) demonstrate how aid cuts are having dramatic impacts on food security in one of the world's largest refugee camps: voxdev.org/topic/instit...
What happens when humanitarian aid is cut or delayed?
Humanitarian aid systems are under mounting pressure, with key donors like the US and UK cutting funding despite growing needs. New research in one of the world’s largest refugee camps shows that aid ...
voxdev.org