On the algebraic stringy Euler number

We are interested in stringy invariants of singular projective algebraic varieties satisfying a strict monotonicity with respect to elementary birational modifications in the Mori program. We conjecture that the algebraic stringy Euler number is one of such invariants. In the present paper, we prove this conjecture for varieties having an action of a connected algebraic group G and admitting equivariant desingularizations with only finitely many G-orbits. In particular, we prove our conjecture for arbitrary projective spherical varieties.