Professor Bo Rothstein has resigned from his post at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, citing the school's billionaire founder Leonard Blavatnik's financial support for Donald Trump's inauguration as 'incomprehensible and irresponsible'. Rothstein, a professor of government and public policy, said the donation contradicted the school's mission to improve governance worldwide.
Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born billionaire who gave £75 million to establish the school, donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration committee. A spokesman for Blavatnik clarified that neither he nor his companies contributed to Trump's presidential campaign, but Rothstein maintained that any support for Trump was unacceptable given the president's policies.
In his resignation letter, Rothstein stated that Trump's governance style is 'completely contrary' to his own research on 'quality of government', which he argues is essential for human wellbeing. He added that Trump's policies are antithetical to the school's goals of improving public policymaking globally.
Oxford University defended Blavatnik, noting that he did not contribute to Trump's campaign, though he donated to other Republican candidates. The university had previously faced criticism for accepting Blavatnik's donation, with some academics accusing it of associating with associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Blavatnik, the UK's richest man in 2015 with an estimated wealth of £17.1 billion, made his fortune through Access Industries, which invested in Russian aluminium and businesses after the fall of the Soviet Union. He became a US citizen in 1984 and a UK citizen in 2010.
