research proposal economic history

Economics 764 Topics in Economic History

Boston University Fall 2021 MW 11:00-12:15 Professor James Feigenbaum [email protected]

Introduction

Economics 764 is the first course of the two-semester PhD sequence in economic history. The primary goal of the economic history sequence is to train graduate students to do serious research in economic history. We will read recent and classic papers in the field, talk about new ideas and questions, hunt for new old data, and learn empirical methods used in economic history research.

New old data has made a huge impact on economic history and many of the papers we will read this semester make use of new data. The cost of data collection has fallen and the availability of big data for historical research has grown. At the individual data, the complete count federal censuses, 1850 to 1940, allow us to observe the entire population, zooming in on people or locations of interest. The names revealed in the complete count and other sources enable us to (if we are careful) record link people from one historical source to another, creating new historical longitudinal data. Other researchers are turning maps and text into data. As you start thinking about your own future research in economic history, I hope you’ll be inspired or provoked by the work we read this semester.

Martin Fiszbein takes over for the second half of the course. Bob Margo will teach EC765 in the spring (I think).

We will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 to 12:15 in SSW 315 (this is just the usual seminar room in the economic department, right down the hall from my office).

Requirements

• During my half-semester, everyone will present papers from the syllabus (you make the slides) two times. We’ll assign classes/papers during the first meeting of the class.
• In addition, regular attendance and class participation will be expected (but see COVID notes below).
• 1 or 2 papers will be required reading each class (which exactly, TBD), the others are encouraged and listed for reference.
• I really like to meet with students to talk about research ideas. In the past, I have done this formally every week or every two weeks but this class is likely to be the largest phd course I’ve ever had. So, let me just say that short (15 minute) one-on-one meetings are very much encouraged.
• Schedule them here: https://calendly.com/feigenbaum
• You should have a question (or two), an idea on the empirical strategy, and a sense of why we should care about the answer. If you have a guess as to what data would work or might exist, that’s great, but please don’t spend a lot of time on these ideas before the meeting and definitely don’t review the literature! If we workshop the idea a bit and you still like it, then go out and invest more time in the methods, the literature, the data, etc.
• Don’t worry if these ideas are good or bad or clever or not. One key skill you can learn in grad school is how to generate and kill ideas with maximum velocity. These meetings are meant to help hone that skill.
• Writing a complete original research paper during a semester-long course is very hard (and in economic history, with a premium on collecting new old data, it is nearly impossible).
• In EC764, you will write one research proposal. These are due at the end of the semester and they could be based on my half of the course or Martin’s or neither, so long as there is some history in there somewhere. More details to come.

Suggestions

When your schedule allows it, attend the Economic History Lunch and Workshop at Harvard. Both are on Friday, the lunch is at noon (and includes lunch) and the seminar is at 1pm. The lunch will feature your peers, grad students from Harvard, MIT, BC, BU, and elsewhere presenting work in progress. The seminar invites economic history faculty from all over to present new work. Both are great opportunities to see early stage economic history research in action and you only have to cross the river once a week not twice to see them both. I’ll try to remember to pitch the week’s speakers during class as a reminder.

• At the moment, Harvard COVID policy means we can only attend via Zoom…
• And I know that this conflicts with the micro lunch at BU on Fridays…

Subscribe to the NBER DAE working paper series (or the whole NBER WP weekly series). This is a great way to keep up with recent research: http://www.nber.org/new.html

Sign up for the EH.net mailing list: https://eh.net/mailing-lists/

Buy and read The Little Book of Research Writing : https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Research-Writing/dp/1974673162/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514578713&sr=1-1 . Research writing is hard but it isn’t impossible and the advice in this book is excellent. Let me put it this way: if I read your second year paper and you haven’t read this book, I will know.

This is not likely to be a completely normal semester for any of us, unfortunately. If you are feeling ill, even if you think you just have a mild cold, please don’t come to class. I will be glad to help you catch up on whatever you miss via Zoom.

More generally, we should all be prepared to be flexible, not knowing what is ahead. We will work together to adapt the course if public health conditions require it.

Office Hours

I’ll be holding office hours Friday morning, 9am to noon. Until further notice, these will be Zoom office hours. Make an appointment at calendly.com/feigenbaum . I am always happy to chat, so please reach out if you want to talk and we can find a time outside of office hours if that works better.

September 8

• Goldin, Claudia. 1995. “Cliometrics and the Nobel.” Journal of Economic Perspectives https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.9.2.191
• Abramitzkty, Ran. 2015. “Economics and the Modern Economic Historian.” JEH https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/abs/economics-and-the-modern-economic-historian/21FE6F69CF41FDF556398D533BDB03B5
• Jaremski, Matthew. 2020. “Today’s economic history and tomorrow’s scholars.” Cliometrica https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11698-019-00188-9
• Margo, Robert. 2018. “The integration of economic history into economics.” Cliometrica https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11698-018-0170-8
• BU seems not to subscribe to this book…
• Ruggles, Steven. 2021 “The Revival of Quantification: Reflections on Old New Histories.” SSH https://doi.org/10.1017/ssh.2020.44
• Gutmann, Myron and Emily Klancher Merchant, and Evan Roberts. 2018. “‘Big Data’ in Economic History.” JEH https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022050718000177
• Dell, Melissa. 2021. “Unleashing Novel Data at Scale.” https://dell-research-harvard.github.io/blog.html

September 13

The Return to Education

• You should all read the whole book at some point in your lives.
• Feigenbaum, James and Huiren Tan. 2020. “The Return To Education at Midcentury: Evidence from Twins.” JEH https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/abs/return-to-education-in-the-midtwentieth-century-evidence-from-twins/B573442C8B2E2A2B781149F2F5C4EBEC
• Carruthers, Celeste and Marianne Wanamaker. 2017. “Returns to school resources in the Jim Crow South.” Explorations in Economic History http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014498317300505
• Bound, John and Sarah Turner. 2002. “Going to War and Going to College: Did World War II and the GI Bill Increase Educational Attainment for Returning Veterans?” Journal of Labor Economics http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/342012
• Xiong, Heyu and Yiling Zhao. 2019. “Sectarian Competition and the Market Provision of Human Capital.” https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.northwestern.edu/dist/f/2715/files/2019/11/religious_college_July31.pdf (see update version in the course Dropbox)

High School

• Goldin, Claudia. 1998. “America’s Graduation from High School: The Evolution and Spread of Secondary Schooling in the Twentieth Century.” Journal of Economic History https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022050700020544
• Cascio, Elizabeth, Nora Gordon, Ethan Lewis, and Sarah Reber. 2008. “From Brown to Busing.” Journal of Urban Economics http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094119008000053
• Aaronson, Daniel and Bhashkar Mazumder. 2011. “The Impact of Rosenwald Schools on Black Achievement.” Journal of Political Economy http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/662962

Recent Job Market Papers of the Week:

• Mike Andrews, Northwestern. “The Role of Universities in Local Invention: Evidence from the Establishment of U.S. Colleges” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gjA9t_oVOxfr5KnwkJyT5hd9z-ogJhwi/view
• Titan Alon, Northwestern. “Earning More by Doing Less: Human Capital Specialization and the College Wage Premium” https://sites.northwestern.edu/tma633/files/2017/12/JMP_website_Nov-1gkugj7.pdf

September 15

Wage Structure and Inequality

• Goldin, Claudia and Lawrence Katz. 2007. “Long-Run Changes in the Wage Structure: Narrowing, Widening, Polarizing.” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27561601
• Goldin, Claudia and Robert Margo. 1992. “The Great Compression: The Wage Structure in the United State at Mid-Century.” QJE. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118322
• Piketty, Thomas and Emmanuel Saez. 2003. “Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998.” QJE https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/118/1/1/1917000
• Atkinson, Anthony B., Thomas Piketty, and Emmanuel Saez. 2011. “Top Incomes in the Long Run of History.” JEL http://www.jstor.org/stable/29779750

Wealth Inequality

• Zucman, Gabriel. 2019. “Global Wealth Inequality.” ARE https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-economics-080218-025852
• Derenoncourt, Ellora, et al. 2021. “The Racial Wealth Gap, 1860-2020.” https://conference.nber.org/conf_papers/f156740.pdf

Unions and Inequality

• Collins, William and Greg Niemesh. 2018. “Unions and the Great Compression of American Inequality, 1940-1960.” Economic History Review. http://www.gregoryniemesh.net/Unions_March2018.pdf
• Farber, Henry, Daniel Herbst, Ilyana Kuziemko, and Suresh Naidu. 2018. “Unions and Inequality Over the Twentieth Century: New Evidence from Survey Data.” NBER #24587. http://www.nber.org/papers/w24587
• Feigenbaum, James, Alex Hertel-Fernandez, and Vanessa Williamson. 2018. “From the Bargaining Table to the Ballot Box: Political Effects of Right to Work Laws.” NBER #24259. http://www.nber.org/papers/w24259

Intergenerational Mobility and Census Linking

September 20

Intergenerational Mobility Today

• Lee, Chul-In and Gary Solon. 2009. “Trends in Intergenerational Income Mobility.” REStat https://www-mitpressjournals-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/doi/abs/10.1162/rest.91.4.766
• Chetty, Raj, et. al. 2016. “The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility Since 1940.” Science. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6336/398
• Andrews, Rodney, Marcus Casey, Bradley Hardy, and Trevon Logan. 2017. “Location matters: Historical racial segregation and intergenerational mobility.” Economics Letters. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176517302458

Intergenerational Mobility Historically

• Long, Jason and Joseph Ferrie. 2007. “The Path to Convergence: Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in Britain and the US in Three Eras.” EJ. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02035.x/full
• Feigenbaum, James. 2016. “Intergenerational Mobility during the Great Depression.” https://jamesfeigenbaum.github.io/research/jmp/
• Feigenbaum, James. 2018. “Multiple Measures of Historical Intergenerational Mobility: Iowa 1915 to 1940.” EJ. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/doi/abs/10.1111/ecoj.12525
• Clark, Gregory. 2015. “The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility.”
• Perez, Santiago. 2019. “Intergenerational Occupational Mobility across Three Continents.” JEH https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1017/S0022050719000032
• Ager, Philipp, Leah Boustan, and Katherine Eriksson. 2019. “The Intergenerational Effects of a Large Wealth Shock: White Southerners After the Civil War.” NBER Working Paper #25700 https://www.nber.org/papers/w25700

Intergenerational Mobility and Public Policy

• Dahl, G. B., Kostøl, and Mogstad. 2014. “Family welfare cultures.” QJE. https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/129/4/1711/1852847
• Aizer, Anna, Shari Eli, Joe Ferrie, and Adriana Lleras-Muney. 2016. “The Long-Run Impact of Cash Transfers to Poor Families.” AER. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20140529

Census Linking

• Abramitzky, Ran, Leah Boustan, Katherine Eriksson, James Feigenbaum, and Santiago Perez. 2019. “Automated Linking of Historical Data” NBER Working Paper #25825 https://www.nber.org/papers/w25825
• Bailey, Martha, Connor Cole, Morgan Henderson, and Catherine Massey. 2017. “How Well Do Automated Linking Methods Perform? Lessons from US Historical Data” NBER Working Paper #24019 https://www.nber.org/papers/w24019
• Price, Joseph, Kasey Buckles, Riley, and Van Leeuwen. 2019. Combining Family History and Machine Learning to Link Historical Records” https://economics.ucdavis.edu/events/papers/430Price.pdf
• Huiren Tan, BU “A Different Land of Opportunity: The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in the Early 20th-Century US” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ETbbc_FfwdCwk4MfOJMFQDv3_Nle9G3V
• Ellora Derenoncourt, Harvard. “Can you move to opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration” https://eaderen.github.io/derenoncourt_jmp_2018.pdf

September 22

• Bleakley, Hoyt. 2007. “Disease and Development: Evidence from Hookworm Eradication in the American South.” Quarterly Journal of Economics. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.121.1.73
• Alsan, Marcella and Marianne Wanamaker. 2017. “Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men.” QJE. https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/133/1/407/4060075
• Anderson, Mark, Ryan Brown, Kerwin Kofi Charles, and Daniel Rees. “The Effect of Occupational Licensing on Consumer Welfare: Early Midwifery Laws and Maternal Mortality.” NBER #22456. http://www.nber.org/papers/w22456
• Cutler, David and Grant Miller. 2005. “The Role of Public Health Improvements in Health Advances: The 20th Century United States.” Demography. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1515174
• Hollingsworth, Alex and Krzysztof Karbownik and Melissa Thomasson and Anthony Wray. 2021. “A Gift of Health: The Duke Endowment’s Impact on Hospital Care and Mortality” https://conference.nber.org/conf_papers/f157749.pdf

Almond, Douglas. 2006. “Is the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Over? Long-term Effects of In Utero Influenza in the Post-1940 U.S. Population.” Journal of Political Economy http://www.jstor.org/stable/3840337

• Lauren Hoehn Velasco, Boston College. “The Long-term Impact of Public Health Measures Targeting Children” http://www.laurenhoehnvelasco.com/assets/research/hoehnvelasco_jmp.pdf
• Max Kiniria, Cornell. “The Mortality Effects of Local Boards of Health in England, 1848-70” https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/7664cf_6291040e090941559f11076f1c6cd583.pdf

Special Guest

• Lauren Hoehn Velasco will zoom in to discuss her paper

September 27

• Feigenbaum, James and Christopher Muller. 2016. “Lead Exposure and Violent Crime in the Early Twentieth Century.” EEH. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014498316300109
• Fishback, Price, Ryan Johnson, and Shawn Kantor. 2010. “Striking at the Roots of Crime: The Impact of Welfare Spending on Crime during the Great Depression.” Journal of Law and Economics. http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/655778
• Eriksson, Katherine. 2018. “Education and Incarceration in the Jim Crow South: Evidence from Rosenwald Schools.” JHR. http://kaeriksson.ucdavis.edu/uploads/6/0/6/7/60676749/rosenwald_eriksson.pdf
• Eriksson, Katherine. 2018. “Moving North and Into Jail? The Great Migration and Black Incarceration.” JEBO. http://kaeriksson.ucdavis.edu/uploads/6/0/6/7/60676749/crime_gm_dec2017.pdf
• Anwar, Shamena, Patrick Bayer, and Randi Hjalmarsson. 2017. “A Jury of Her Peers: The Impact of the First Female Jurors on Criminal Convictions.” EJ https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/doi/abs/10.1111/ecoj.12562

Cunningham, Jamein, Donna Feri, and Rob Gillezeau. 2021. “Collective Bargaining Rights, Policing, and Civilian Deaths.” https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/14208/collective-bargaining-rights-policing-and-civilian-deaths

• Michael Poyker, UCLA. “Economic Consequences of the US Convict Labor System” http://www.poykerm.com/uploads/9/2/4/6/92466562/jmp_poyker.pdf
• Heyu Xiong, Northwestern. “Displacement in the Criminal Labor Market: Evidence from Drug Legalizations” https://sites.northwestern.edu/hxl642/files/2018/09/paper_v8-2i4spn2.pdf
• Soumyajit Mazumder, Harvard. “A Brief Moment in the Sun: Politics, Race, Punishment, and the Rise of the Proto-Carceral State.” http://smazumder.me/publication/mazumder-2019-ga-punishment-backlash/

Marriage and Fertility

September 29

• Bloome, Deirdre, James Feigenbaum, and Christopher Muller. 2017. “Tenancy, Marriage, and the Boll Weevil Infestation, 1892-1930.” Demography. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13524-017-0581-3
• Stevenson, Betsey and Justin Wolfers. 2007. “Marriage and divorce: Changes and their driving forces.” JEP. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.21.2.27
• Logan, Trevon and Jonathan Pritchett. 2017. “On the marital status of US slaves: Evidence from Touro Infirmary, New Orleans, Louisiana.” EEH https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/science/article/pii/S0014498317301432
• Goldin, Claudia and Maria Shim. 2004. “Making a name: Women’s surnames at marriage and beyond.” JEP https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/0895330041371268
• Hill, Matthew J. 2015. “Love in the Time of the Depression: The Effect of Economic Conditions on Marriage in the Great Depression.” JEH https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1017/S0022050715000066
• Bailey, Martha J and William Collins. 2011. “Did Improvements in Household Technology Cause the Baby Boom? Evidence from Electrification, Appliance Diffusion, and the Amish,” American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41237147
• Jones, Larry E. and Michele Tertilt. 2006. “An Economic History of Fertility in the United States, 1820-1960,” NBER #12796. http://www.nber.org/papers/w12796
• Beach, Brian and Walker Hanlon. 2019. “Censorship, Family Planning, and the Historical Fertility Transition.” NBER #25752 https://www.nber.org/papers/w25752
• Kitchens, Carl and Luke Rodgers. 2020. “The Impact of the WWI Agricultural Boom and Bust on Female Opportunity Cost and Fertility.” NBER #27530 https://www.nber.org/papers/w27530

Recent Job Market Papers of the Week

• Matthew Curtis, UC Davis. “The her in inheritance: marriage and mobility in Quebec 1800–1970” http://www.mjdcurtis.com/jmp-matt-curtis.pdf
• Brian Beach will zoom in to discuss his paper

Immigration

Abramitzky, Ran, and Leah Boustan. 2017. “Immigration in American Economic History.” Journal of Economic Literature. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20151189

Age of Mass Migration

• Abramitzky, Ran, Leah Boustan, and Katherine Eriksson. 2012. “Europe’s Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses: Self-Selection and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration.” AER. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.102.5.1832
• Abramitzky, Ran, Leah Boustan, and Katherine Eriksson. 2014. “A Nation of Immigrants: Assimilation and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration.” JPE http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/675805

Mid to Late 20th Century

• Clemens, Michael, Ethan Lewis, and Hannah Postel. 2017. “Immigration Restrictions as Active Labor Market Policy: Evidence from the Mexican Bracero Exclusion.” Forthcoming, American Economic Review http://www.nber.org/papers/w23125
• Card, David. 1990. “The Impact of the Mariel Boatlift on the Miami Labor Market.” ILR Review http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001979399004300205

Methodology

• Jaeger, David, Joakim Ruist, and Jan Stuhler. 2017. “Shift-Share Instruments and the Impact of Immigration.” NBER #24285. http://www.nber.org/papers/w24285
• Marco Tabellini, MIT. “Gifts of the Immigrants, Woes of the Natives: Lessons from the Age of Mass Migration.” http://economics.mit.edu/files/13646
• David Escamilla-Guerroro and Moramay Lopez-Alonso, LSE. “Self-selection of Mexican migrants in the presence of random shocks: Evidence from the Panic of 1907” https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp-2019-23.pdf
• Sebastian Ottinger, UCLA. “Immigrants, Industries and Path Dependence.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F_PfCCod1GhRtJ_o5dcbXyXUi1vGZy9H/view

Special Guests

• Marco Tabellini will zoom in to discuss his JMP and immigration research more generally
• Hannah Postel will zoom in to discuss her dissertation on Chinese exclusion and immigration

NB: Because Bob Margo is going to teach it in the spring, this class (and this reading list) is very light on the Great Migration

• Bazzi, Samuel, Martin Fiszbein, and Mesay Gebresilasse. 2017. “Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States” NBER Working Paper #23997 http://www.nber.org/papers/w23997
• Salisbury, Laura. 2014. “Selective Migration, Wages, and Occupational Mobility in Nineteenth Century America.” Explorations in Economic History. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014498314000035
• Boustan, Leah, Price Fishback, and Shawn Kantor. 2010. “The Effect of Internal Migration on Local Labor Markets: American Cities during the Great Depression.” JOLE. https://www-journals-uchicago-edu.ezproxy.bu.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/653488
• Boustan, Leah, Matthew Kahn, Paul Rhode. 2012. “Moving to Higher Ground: Migration Response to Natural Disasters in the Early Twentieth Century.” AER. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.102.3.238
• Jennifer Withrow, UMass. “The Farm Woman’s Problem: Farm Crisis in the U.S. South and Migration to the City, 1920-1940”
• Jenny Withrow will zoom in to discuss her JMP

Women in the Labor Force

October 12 (this is a Tuesday)

• Goldin, Claudia. 2006. “The Quiet Revolution That Transformed Women’s Employment, Education, and Family.” Ely Lecture. http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdf/10.1257/000282806777212350
• Goldin, Claudia and Joshua Mitchell. 2017. “The New Lifecycle of Women’s Employment: Disappearing Humps, Sagging Middles, Expanding Tops.” JEP. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44133955
• Salisbury, Laura, 2017. “Women’s Income and Marriage Markets in the United States: Evidence from the Civil War Pension.” JEH. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022050717000067
• Goldin, Claudia and Lawrence Katz. 2002. “The power of the pill: Oral contraceptives and women’s career and marriage decisions.” JPE. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/340778
• Bailey, Martha J. 2006. “More Power to the Pill: The Impact of Contraceptive Freedom on Women’s Lifecycle Labor Supply.” QJE. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/121.1.289
• Olivetti, Claudia. 2013. “The Female Labor Force and Long-run Development: The American Experience in Comparative Perspective.” NBER #19131. http://www.nber.org/papers/w19131
• Feigenbaum, James and Daniel Gross. 2021. “Automation and the Future of Young Workers: Evidence from Telephone Operation in the Early 20th Century.” NBER Working Paper #28061 https://www.nber.org/papers/w28061
• Kim, Scott and Petra Moser. 2021. “Women in Science: Lessons from the Baby Boom” https://www.tcd.ie/Economics/assets/pdf/Seminars/20202021/women-in-science-lessons-from-the-baby-boom-KimMoser06Apr21.pdf

Recent Job Market Paper of the Week

• See also, “The Missing Men: World War I and Female Labor Participation” Gay and Boehnke: https://sites.google.com/a/uchicago.edu/victorgay/files_repository/boehnke_gay_2017.pdf
• Jacob Bastian, University of Michigan. “The Rise of Working Mothers and the 1975 Earned Income Tax Credit” https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4jTC3zaouX_WEd2N3hXdFUtcW8/view
• Philipp Ager will zoom in to discuss a new paper on milking machines

Race and Elections in Economic History

The Voting Rights Act

• Cascio, Elizabeth and Ebonya Washington. 2014. “Valuing the Vote: The Redistribution of Voting Rights and State Funds following the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” QJE. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjt028
• Ang, Desmond. 2017. “Do 40-Year-Old Facts Still Matter? Long-Run Effects of Federal Oversight under the Voting Rights Act.” http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~deang/pdfs/preclearance.pdf
• Bernini, Andrea, Giovanni Facchini and Cecilia Testa. 2018. “Race, Representation and Policy: Black Elected Officials and Public Spending in the US South.” NICEP WP https://nicep.nottingham.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2017-01-Bernini-Facchini-Testa.pdf
• Aneja, Abhay and Guo Xu. 2021. “The Costs of Employment Segregation: Evidence from the Federal Government under Woodrow Wilson.” NBER WP #27798. https://www.nber.org/papers/w27798
• Naidu, Suresh. 2012. “Suffrage, Schooling, and Sorting in the Post-Bellum U.S. South.” NBER #18129 http://www.nber.org/papers/w18129
• Rosenberg, Michele and Federico Masera. 2021. “Tell Me What You Grow and I’ll Tell You What You Think: Westward Expansion and the Politics of Slavery in the US South.” https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqatfadloukzw78/Slavery_ONLINE.pdf?dl=0
• Aneja, Abhay and Carlos Avenancio-Leon. 2019. “The Effect of Political Power on Labor Market Inequality: Evidence from the 1965 Voting Rights Act.” https://abhayaneja.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vralabor_v02022019-compressed.pdf

Politicians and Economic History

US Democracy

• Eoin McGuirk, Nathaniel Hilger, and Nicholas Miller. “No Kin in the Game: Moral Hazard and War in the US Congress” NBER WP #23904. http://www.nber.org/papers/w23904
• Thompson, Daniel, James Feigenbaum, Andrew Hall, and Jesse Yoder. 2019. “Who Becomes a Member of Congress? Evidence From De-Anonymized Census Data.” NBER WP #26156 https://www.nber.org/papers/w26156
• Feigenbaum, James, Max Palmer, and Ben Schneer. “‘Descended from Immigrants and Revolutionists’: How Family Immigration History Shapes Representation in Congress.” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3459690
• Dal Bo, Ernesto, Pedro Dal Bo, and Jason Snyder. 2009. “Political Dynasties.” RESTUD https://academic.oup.com/restud/article-abstract/76/1/115/1574319

European Democracy

• Dal Bo, Ernesto, Frederico Finan, Olle Folke, Torsten Persson, and Johanna Rickne. 2017. “Who Becomes A Politician?” QJE https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/132/4/1877/3859758

European Monarchy

• Benzell, Seth and Kevin Cooke. 2021. “A Network of Thrones: Kinship and Conflict in Europe, 1495–1918.” AEJ: Applied. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20180521
• Ottinger, Sebastian and Nico Voigtlander. 2021. “History’s Masters: The Effect of European Monarchs on State Performance.” NBER WP #28297 https://www.nber.org/papers/w28297
• Kokkonen, Andrej, Suthan Krishnarajan, Jorgen Moller, and Anders Sundell. 2021. “Blood Is Thicker than Water: Family Size and Leader Deposition in Medieval and Early Modern Europe.” JOP https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/715065
• Kokkonen, Andrej and Anders Sundell. 2014. “Delivering Stability—Primogeniture and Autocratic Survival in European Monarchies 1000–1800.” APSR https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305541400015X

Political Economy and Health in Economic History

NB: I am writing a chapter for the Handbook on Historical Political Economy on the topic of Health . So the reading for this final class will develop and expand (a lot) as that chapter gets written. If you really want to get in my good graces, I’m open to any and all suggestions of papers to cover.

• Ager, Philipp, James Feigenbaum, Casper Worm Hansen, and Huiren Tan. 2020. “How the Other Half Died: Immigration and Mortality in US Cities” NBER WP #27480 https://www.nber.org/papers/w27480
• Clay, Karen, Joshua Lewis, Edson Severnini, and Xiao Wang. 2020. “The Value of Health Insurance during a Crisis: Effects of Medicaid Implementation on Pandemic Influenza Mortality” NBER WP #27120 https://www.nber.org/papers/w27120

Research in Economic History

• Recent Chapters

All books in this series (18 titles)

Recent chapters in this series (17 titles)

• Early Fertility Decline in the United States: Tests of Alternative Hypotheses Using New Complete-Count Census Microdata and Enhanced County-Level Data
• Pieter Stadnitski Sharpens the Axe: A Revolutionary Research Report on American Sovereign Finance, 1787
• Private Banking and Financial Networks in the Crown of Aragon during the Fourteenth Century
• The Parliamentary Subsidy on Knights' Fees and Incomes of 1431: A Study on the Fiscal Administration of an Abortive English Tax Experiment
• When the Race between Education and Technology Goes Backward: The Postbellum Decline of White School Attendance in the Southern US
• Improving Deflators for Estimating Canadian Economic Growth, 1870–1900
• Specializations in Switzerland in the Nineteenth Century: Evolution of Trade Patterns and Growth Model
• The Antebellum Slave Trade: Numbers and Impact on the Balance of Payments
• The Past's Long Shadow: A Systematic Review and Network Analysis of Economic History
• The Political Economy of State-chartered Banks in Early Twentieth-century Texas
• Trends and Institutional Sources of Financing Russia's Human Capital Formation (Late Nineteenth–Early Twenty-first Centuries)
• Banque de France ’s Shareholders (1800–1945): Passive Petit-Rentiers
• Business Week , the Great Depression, and the Coming of Keynesianism to America ☆
• Household-level Deflation Inequality in Denmark during the Great Depression
• Populists at the Polls: Economic Factors in the US Presidential Election of 1896
• Scattered Land, Scattered Risks? Harvest Variations on Open Fields and Enclosed Land in Southern Sweden C. 1750–1850
• Theory and Diagnostics for Selection Biases in Historical Height Samples
• Carl Kitchens
• Shawn Kantor

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MSc Economic History (Research)

Introduction, preliminary readings.

You'll be able to choose from a wide range of elective courses in economic history, allowing you to compile a programme according to your interests and career goals. You'll also choose one or more research training courses and a compulsory economic history course, as well as taking a core course focused on major theories and approaches in the field. An important component of the programme consists in the completion of a major research dissertation in an approved topic of your choice.

Economic history combines the skills of the economist and statistician with those of the historian, political scientist and sociologist. The programme provides a broad training in social science research methods and their application to historical study, including the role of theory, evaluation, analysis and explanation, quantitative techniques and computing, the use of sources and presentational skills.

This research track can be taken as a stand-alone qualification or as the first year of a research degree, followed by 3–4 years of MPhil/PhD, which would then make it eligible for ESRC funding. You should indicate in your personal statement if you wish to be considered for the 1+3 programme and submit an outline research proposal.

The following is a list of general Economic History books that you might want to take a look at before you arrive at LSE. Please note, these books are listed as a general introduction to Economic History and may not appear on the reading lists of the courses that you actually take - they are presented as a starting point.

• Acemoglu, D. and Robinson, J. (2012), Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, London: Profile.
• Allen, R.C. (2009), The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Austin, Gareth M. Markets, Slaves and States in West African History, c.1450 to the present (Cambridge: CUP 2013)
• Austin, Gareth M. & Kaoru Sugihara (eds.) Labour-intensive industrialisation in Global History (London: Routledge 2013).
• Baten, Joerg (2016), A History of the Global Economy. Cambridge.
• Broadberry, S. and O’Rourke, K. (eds.) (2010), The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Crafts, N.F.R. and Fearon, P. (2013), The Great Depression of the 1930s: Lessons for Today, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Darwin, J. (2007), After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000, London: Allen Lane.
• Engerman, Stanley L. & Kenneth L. Sokoloff Economic Development in the Americas since 1500: endowments and institutions (Cambridge: CUP/NBER 2012).
• Findlay, R. and O’Rourke, K. (2009), Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium (Princeton Economic History of the Western World), Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Floud, Roderick, Fogel, Robert, Harris, Bernard, and Hong, Sok Chul (2011), The Changing Body: health, nutrition, and human development in the western world since 1700. Cambridge.
• Greif, A. (2006) Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Hatcher, J. and Bailey, M (2001), Modelling the Middle Ages: The History and Theory of England’s Economic Development, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Herschman, Albert O. (2013), The Passions and the Interests: political arguments for capitalism before its triumph. Princeton.
• King, Mervyn (2016), The End of Alchemy: money, banking and the future. Little, Brown.
• Livi-Bacci, Massimo (2012), A Concise History of Worl Population. Wiley Blackwell.
• Mackenzie, D (2006), An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial Models Shape Markets. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
• Morgan, Mary S. (2012), The World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• North, D.C., Wallis, J.J. and Weingast, B. (2009), Violence and Social Orders: A Conceptual framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History, Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.
• Parthasarathi, P. (2011), Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Divergence, 1600-1850, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Pomeranz, K. (2000), The Great Divergence: China, Europe and the Making of the Modern World Economy, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Reinhart, C.M. and Rogoff, K.S. (2009), This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Rosenthal, J-L and Wong, R. Bin (2011), Before and Beyond Divergence: The Politics of Economic Change in China and Europe, Harvard University Press.
• Roy, T. (2012), India in the World Economy: From Antiquity to the Present (New Approaches to Asian History), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Von Glahn, Richard (2016), The Economic History of China from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century (CUP)
• Yun-Casalilla, B. and O’Brien, P. (2011), The Rise of Fiscal States: A Global History, 1500-1914, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Entry requirements

Upper second class honours degree (2:1) or equivalent in social science.

Please select your country from the dropdown list below to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

English language requirements

The English language requirement for this programme is Research . Read more about our English language requirements .

Competition for places at LSE is strong. So, even if you meet the minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of a place.

However, please don’t feel deterred from applying – we want to hear from all suitably qualified students. Think carefully about how you can put together the strongest possible application to help you stand out from other students.

Programme content

The programme comprises one compulsory full unit, a dissertation and optional courses selected from a prescribed list.

Historical Analysis of Economic Change

Research dissertation a: contextualisation, theory and research design, research dissertation b: implementation, analysis and contribution, one half-unit course from the following options:, quantitative analysis in economic history i, quantitative analysis in economic history ii, topics in quantitative analysis in economic history, optional courses to the value of one and a half units from a range of options, programme regulations at lse.

For the latest list of courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page .

A few important points you’ll need to know:

We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.

The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside our control (including a lack of demand, industrial action, fire, flooding or other damage to premises).

Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.

Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to global developments in the discipline or student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are always made to improve the learning experience.

For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s  Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department.

Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our  updated graduate course and programme information page .

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

LSE is home to one of the largest specialist economic history departments in the world, with 25 permanent teaching staff, as well as visiting academics and researchers.

We use social science concepts and theories as a starting point to study the evolution of real economies in their social, political and cultural contexts.

Collectively, our academics have a huge breadth and depth of knowledge, ranging from the Medieval period to the current day, and covering every world economy, from the Americas to Asia, Africa and Europe.

The department’s research interests range from social well-being to technology and finance, and from the history of economic ideas to global trade patterns. Our research has informed decision-making in numerous government departments, NGOs, and international bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Drawing on their research strengths, our academics hold editorial and board membership roles on many world-renowned journals (such as Cliometrica and the Economic History Review) and regularly share their insights in the national and international media.

Currently, the department offers three undergraduate degree programmes and a range of postgraduate degrees and research opportunities. Many of our graduates secure high-profile teaching and research roles in the UK and internationally.

Learn more about our programmes and research .

Department of Economic History

University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK

1st in london for the 13th year running, 6th in the world.

Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

Your application, when to apply.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• 1,000 word outline research proposal, stating your area of research interest
• two academic references

See further information on supporting documents .

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements .

This programme is available as part of an  ESRC-funded pathway onto a PhD programme . The 1+3 scheme provides funding for a one year research training master's linked to a PhD programme and is designed for students who have not already completed an ESRC recognised programme of research training. An application must be submitted for the relevant master’s programme, including a research proposal for the PhD aspect of the pathway. Applicants must also indicate their wish to be considered for the 1+3 pathway within their personal statement.

Other programmes of interest

Candidates who are not aiming to pursue doctoral study in economic history or a related field may prefer the general MSc Economic History programme. Candidates interested in combining the study of contemporary development processes with economic history may wish to consider the MSc Political Economy of Late Development .  The department also participates in the two-year LSE-Leipzig Double Degree in Global Studies and Economic History , which focuses on global history more generally.

Please note : The applications, intake and ratio values below include the MSc Economic History.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for your programme. At LSE, your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home student fee (2025/26)

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

Overseas student fee (2025/26)

At LSE, your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, will depend on whether you’re classified as a home or overseas student (known as your fee status). We assess your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department for Education.

Further information about fee status classification .

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

Fee reduction

Students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of around 10 per cent of the fee.

Scholarships and other funding

We recognise that the  cost of living in London  may be higher than in your home town/city or country and we provide generous scholarships to help both home and overseas students.

We offer some needs-based awards for this programme, including the  Graduate Support Scheme ,  Master's Awards , and  Anniversary Scholarships . Competition for these awards and scholarships is strong. To apply for an award, you must have an offer of a place and submit a Graduate Financial Support application before the funding deadline.

The funding deadline for needs-based awards from LSE: 24 April 2025 .

In addition to our needs-based awards, we offer scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for certain subjects .

You can’t apply for a Graduate Support Scheme or LSE scholarship once you’ve joined the School.

You can also apply for  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding when you apply as part of a 1+3 research programme. The 1+3 scheme provides funding for a one-year research training master's linked to a three-year PhD. It is designed for students who have not completed an ESRC-recognised programme of research training at MSc level.

To be considered for ESRC funding, you need to supply your application (and any supporting documents ) before the funding deadline.

Funding deadline for ESRC funding: 15 January 2025 .

Please note: we do expect students who register for a programme to have sufficient funds for the duration.

Government tuition fee loans and external funding

The UK Government offers a postgraduate loan for eligible students studying for a first master’s programme. This is designed to help with fees and living costs. Some other governments and organisations also offer tuition fee loan schemes.

Find out more about tuition fee loans .

Further information

Learn more about fees and funding opportunities .

Learning and assessment

How you learn, how you're assessed.

Contact hours and independent study

Within your programme you'll take a number of courses, often including half unit courses and full unit courses. The average taught course contact hours per half unit is 20-30 hours and a full unit is 40-60 hours. This includes sessions such as lectures, classes, seminars or workshops. Hours vary according to courses and you can view indicative details in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide .

Teaching is usually spread over the Autumn and Winter Terms, with the Spring Term generally reserved for one week of teaching and revision sessions, followed by preparation for exams or other assessment, and/or the writing of your dissertation.

You're also expected to complete independent study outside of class time. This varies depending on the programme, but requires you to manage the majority of your study time yourself, by engaging in activities such as reading, note-taking, thinking and research.

Teaching methods

LSE is internationally recognised for its teaching and research and therefore employs a rich variety of teaching staff with a range of experience and status. Courses may be taught by individual members of faculty, such as lecturers, senior lecturers, readers, associate professors and professors. Many departments now also employ guest teachers and visiting members of staff, LSE teaching fellows and graduate teaching assistants who are usually doctoral research students and in the majority of cases, teach on undergraduate courses only. The teacher responsible for each course can be found in the relevant course guide .

Academic support

Academic mentor: you’ll meet with your academic mentor regularly to discuss your work. Your mentor can provide advice and guidance on academic issues and, where appropriate, personal concerns.

Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.

LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.

Through LSE LIFE, you can:

• attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
• develop your reading, academic writing and critical-thinking skills
• gain experience of working in study groups and develop your cross-cultural communication and teamwork skills.

Disability and Mental Health Service: we want all LSE students to achieve their full potential. Students can access free, confidential advice through our Disability and Mental Health Service . This is the first point of contact for students.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide .

Graduate destinations

Career support.

Economic history graduates can be found in management and administration in the public and private sectors, banking, journalism, economic consultancy, and library and museum services, to mention just a few.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.

Find out more

Explore lse, student life.

Student support

Accommodation

Meet, visit and discover LSE

How to write a research proposal

Drafting your first research proposal can be intimidating if you’ve never written (or seen) one before. Our grad students and admissions staff have some advice on making a start.

Before you make a start

Is it a requirement for your course.

For some research courses in sciences you’ll join an existing research group so you don’t need to write a full research proposal, just a list of the groups and/or supervisors you want to work with. You might be asked to write a personal statement instead, giving your research interests and experience.

Still, for many of our research courses — especially in humanities and social sciences — your research proposal is one of the most significant parts of your application. Grades and other evidence of your academic ability and potential are important, but even if you’re academically outstanding you’ll need to show you’re a good match for the department’s staff expertise and research interests. Every course page on the University website has detailed information on what you’ll need to send with your application, so make sure that’s your first step before you continue:

There are many ways to start, I’ve heard stories about people approaching it totally differently. Yannis (DPhil in Computer Science)

How to begin?

There isn’t one right way to start writing a research proposal. First of all, make sure you’ve read your course page - it’ll have instructions for what to include in your research proposal (as well as anything to avoid), how your department will assess it, and the required word count.

Start small, think big

A research degree is a big undertaking, and it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at first. One way to start writing is to look back at the work you’ve already done. How does your proposed research build on this, and the other research in the area? One of the most important things you’ll be showing through your research project is that your project is achievable in the time available for your course, and that you’ve got (or know how you’ll get) the right skills and experience to pull off your plan.

They don’t expect you to be the expert, you just have to have good ideas. Be willing to challenge things and do something new. Rebecca (DPhil in Medieval and Modern Languages)

However, you don’t have to know everything - after all, you haven’t started yet! When reading your proposal, your department will be looking at the potential and originality of your research, and whether you have a solid understanding of the topic you’ve chosen.

But why Oxford?

An Admissions Officer at one of our colleges says that it’s important to explain why you’re applying to Oxford, and to your department in particular:

“Really, this is all dependent on a department. Look at the department in depth, and look at what they offer — how is it in line with your interests?”

Think about what you need to successfully execute your research plans and explain how Oxford’s academic facilities and community will support your work. Should I email a potential supervisor? Got an idea? If your course page says it’s alright to contact a supervisor (check the top of the How to apply section), it’s a good idea to get in touch with potential supervisors when you come to write your proposal.

You’re allowed to reach out to academics that you might be interested in supervising you. They can tell you if your research is something that we can support here, and how, and give you ideas. Admissions Officer 

You’ll find more information about the academics working in your area on your department’s website (follow the department links on your course page ). John (DPhil in Earth Sciences) emailed a professor who had the same research interests as he did.

“Luckily enough, he replied the next day and was keen to support me in the application.”

These discussions might help you to refine your ideas and your research proposal.

Layal says, “I discussed ideas with my supervisor — what’s feasible, what would be interesting. He supported me a lot with that, and I went away and wrote it.”

It’s also an opportunity to find out more about the programme and the department:

“Getting in touch with people who are here is a really good way to ask questions.”

Not sure how to find a potential supervisor for your research? Visit our How-to guide on finding a supervisor .

Asking for help

My supervisors helped me with my research proposal, which is great. You don’t expect that, but they were really helpful prior to my application. Nyree (DPhil in Archaeological Science)

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and feedback as you go. For example, you could reach out to a supervisor from your current or previous degree, or to friends who are also studying and could give you some honest feedback.

More help with your application

You can find instructions for the supporting documents you’ll need to include in your application on your course page and in the Application Guide.

• Application Guide: Research proposal

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MPhil in Economic and Social History

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Economic and social history has always formed an important part of the teaching and research within the University of Cambridge's History Faculty. It is widely regarded as one of the best in the world with much pioneering work in social history, demographic history, financial history and the history of economic thought being done here. The MPhil in Economic and Social History provides extremely thorough training in statistical and social science methodology while building on other strengths such as an emphasis on researching economic relations and institutions as cultural phenomena.

The MPhil in Economic and Social History combines taught and research elements over an 11-month full-time programme which includes taught modules, training in social science research methods encompassing quantitative and qualitative analytical tools, and a long piece of independent research (15,000–20,000 words).

Throughout the course, students will be supervised by a dedicated member of staff, who will guide their research towards the completion of an original historical subject chosen and developed by them. In addition, students will benefit from Cambridge’s vibrant research environment, attending and participating in seminars, workshops and other events throughout the year.

The course is designed for those who have completed degrees in which history is the main or at least a substantial component and who want to consolidate their knowledge of economic and social history. It is particularly appropriate for those who may wish to continue on to a PhD, at Cambridge or elsewhere, but it is also well-suited for those who seek simply to explore economic and social history at a deeper level. It is expected that this will be the normal means by which those without an appropriate master’s degree from elsewhere will prepare for the PhD degree in Economic and Social History at Cambridge.

Learning Outcomes

Students on the MPhil in Economic and Social History will be provided with an in-depth study of some of the key areas of research in economic and social history and all students will have a supervisor who will guide them through the requirements of the course and, most crucially, the dissertation.

In this manner, all students are provided with the historiographical knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand and evaluate existing research and to pursue research in their own fields of intellectual interest. Through individual supervisions and group classes, students are introduced to the more specialised and intensive nature of research required at a postgraduate level.

By the end of the course, students will have developed:

• a deeper understanding of their chosen area of social and economic history and the critical debates within it;
• a conceptual and technical understanding that enables the evaluation of current research and methodologies; and
• the ability to situate their own research within current and past methodological and interpretative developments in the field.

The Faculty’s MPhil programmes provide excellent preparation for doctoral study and many of our MPhil students choose to stay at Cambridge to pursue a PhD.

Students wishing to continue to the PhD are normally expected to achieve an overall mark of 70 in their MPhil with a mark of at least 70 in their dissertation.

Admission to the PhD is always subject to the availability of a suitable supervisor.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

For more information on Economic and Social history at Cambridge visit: https://www.econsoc.hist.cam.ac.uk

Key Information

11 months full-time, study mode : taught, master of philosophy, faculty of history, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2025.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• History MSt
• History (edX) MSt
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• Working Papers

Research - PhD Programme

We offer our PhD students a vibrant and supportive environment in a world-class centre for economic history research.

Professor Tirthankar Roy

The Department of Economic History is committed to an individualised and contextual review of each application to the MPhil/PhD Economic History programme.

As one of the largest Economic History departments in the world we offer unusually broad teaching and research expertise to our doctoral students. We invite applications from those wishing to carry out research within the wide spectrum of economic history. Our faculty's own research interests range from the medieval period to the current century, from Latin America to China via Africa and Europe, from questions about social well-being to ones on technology and finance, and from the history of economic ideas to the measurement of past human development and explanations for global trade patterns.

The major academic goal of a research student in the department is, of course, the researching and writing of a thesis, but members of our doctoral programme achieve much more than this. During the programme students participate in departmental workshops and other seminars held within the University of London and later at conferences and seminars at other universities.

We expect our students to gain a broad knowledge of the subject from graduate level course-work in the first year which complements the deeper knowledge gained from intense thesis research. Many of our research students also take the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience on undergraduate courses . Graduates go into a wide variety of careers, including university teaching and research posts, as well as jobs at international economic agencies such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.  

Methodological training

First year research students are required to take EH520 Approaches to Economic History , and are strongly advised to attend the induction programme provided by the Methodology Institute. Students are also required to take EH401 and EH402 , the core modules for MSc Economic History (Research) unless they have already taken this MSc. Supervisors may require students in their first or subsequent  years of study to take other relevant methodological courses (including quantitative methods) provided by the Methodology Institute , the Institute of Historical Research , or other skills training courses as required for their thesis topic.   

Research Clusters in the Department of Economic History

Members of the Economic History department pursue research in all areas of the discipline with particular strength in thems such as demography; labour and living standards; historical economic geography; and firms and finance.  You can explore these, and other, themes here .

The Department participates in the School's series of online sessions for prospective students.  Full information for students thinking of applying for entry in 2024 can be found here .

The presentation slides for the 2023 Open Day are available here , or you can watch the recording here .

Programme requirements

Entrants to our graduate research programme have usually completed a Master's degree in economic history, but we also accept applications from those with a background in a related subject, for example, history or one of the social sciences.

Students who did not follow the MSc Economic History (Research) in the Department will usually be required to take EH401 and EH402 , alongside any other Master's level course as recommended by their supervisor, in their first-year.

Students are initially registered for the MPhil, but in the second year, subject to successful completion of all target objectives, are upgraded to PhD status.  Full information on progression and upgrade requirements can be found in the PhD Handbook (pp. 12-14).

Full details of the MPhil/PhD programme regulations can be found here .

We also welcome applicants from other universities wishing to join us for from one term to one academic year.  See Visiting Research Student for more information, paying particular attention to deadlines.

Programme and School Regulations

 See the LSE Calendar for full information.

Further information

How to apply

MPhil/PhD FAQs  

General information for prospective students

Guidelines for submitting Research Proposal

An application for entry to the MPhil/PhD in Economic History should include a research proposal, along with other required information.  Please note: a separate sample of written work is also required.

Your research proposal should be submitted, along with your application form and other required supporting documents, via the LSE online application system .

Definition of a research proposal You should state your research topic as accurately as possible. Your research proposal should address the following questions:

i) what is your general topic? ii) what questions do you want to answer? iii) what is the key literature and its limitations? iv) what are the main hypotheses of the work? v) what methodology do you intend to use? vi) what are your case studies, if any, and what are your case selection criteria?

MPhil/PhD applications that are received without a research proposal that addresses these questions will not be considered.

Financial Information

Costs and Financial Aid

Financial Support Office

Job Opportunities

Class Teaching Opportunities: Class teaching opportunities are available during the course of research degrees. They represent useful professional training and can be a valuable and important experience. More information can be found here .

PhD Job Market: Towards the completion of a research degree, the Department organises several workshops for prospective job market candidates, and offers advice as well as a platform for candidates to present their experience and research.  Please see  Job Market for our current job market candidates.

Contact Details

Staff: Deputy Head of Department (Research) - Professor Eric Schneider MPhil/PhD Programme Director/PhD Placement Officer - Professor Tirthankar Roy Deputy Head of Department (Teaching) - Professor Neil Cummins MPhil/PhD Programme Manager - Tracy Keefe

You can find more information about the profiles of faculty, teaching fellows and graduate teaching assistants in the People section of our webpages.

Quick Links

Research courses MSc courses Office hours (accessed through the People page) LSE Calendar : regulations for research students PhD Academy LSE For You (login and password required) Moodle (login and password required)

Virtual Graduate Open Events 2023

PhD Economic History Admissions FAQs

PhD Offer Holders Information for new students

PhD Job Market Meet our job-ready students

PhD Academy A hub for doctoral students at LSE

Professor Tirthankar Roy +44 (0)20 7955 6248

Ms Tracy Keefe +44 (0)20 7955 7860

Professor Tirthankar Roy, Doctoral Programme Director [email protected]

Tracy Keefe, PhD Programme Manager [email protected]

Department of Economic History, London School of Economics