Contact information
Valentin Seidler is a political economist and development & migration specialist with extensive experience in international organizations, including the International Red Cross Movement. His career has spanned across Africa, South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia. He earned his PhD in Economics in 2011 and has since collaborated with prestigious institutions such as the University of Vienna, Princeton University, the University of Warwick, and the University of Groningen.
Valentin Seidler has successfully managed large-scale, multi-stakeholder programs focused on international development and conflict prevention. He has also served as the International Red Cross representative to the EU Commission in Brussels. His research interests focus on fostering innovation in international cooperation, peacebuilding, labor migration and asylum policy.
As a policy advisor and expert, Valentin Seidler has recently completed a study on the role of the Austrian dual education in international cooperation for the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce (WKO). He is an active member of an expert group led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Skills-Mobility Programs in Austria.
His past research includes a collaborative project with WorldPop UK, the University of Edinburgh, and Tufts University, on the reliability of demographic data in African countries for policymaking. This study, funded by the Austrian National Bank's Anniversary Fund, revealed systematic biases in subnational distribution of data errors, which particularly affect remote 'last mile' populations, thereby hindering effective development planning and implementation.
Previously, Valentin Seidler has also explored the historical role of 20,000 colonial officers in the institutional reforms of British colonies prior to independence. Conducted with UC Berkeley, Radboud University Nijmegen, and Witten-Herdecke University, this research provides insights into why development policies and reforms often fail, creating only the illusion of progress without delivering substantial benefits. This project received funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).