Historical Economics
Historical economics applies economic theory and econometric methods to the study of economic history.
The research area has expanded internationally in recent years, partly as a consequence of the rapidly increasing amount of digitized historical maps and archival records, but also in response to a stronger focus in economics on the deep roots of institutional and economic development.
Research in historical economics at the Department of Economics is primarily quantitative and includes topics on long-run cultural and institutional persistence, the economics of crime in a historical context, the impact of Christian missions on female gender norms in Africa, effects of historical infrastructure investments in roads and railways, the introduction of cadastral reforms and their association with economic growth, historical climate change and political stability, etc.
Research includes both micro- and macro-level analyses, often exploiting historical natural experiments.
Researchers in Historical Economics
Contact
For questions about the research area at the department, please contact Ola Olsson.