Full Citation
Title: Summaries of doctoral dissertations
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2020
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022050720000236
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Abstract: It is my pleasure to introduce the finalists for the 2019 Nevins Prize, an award given to the best dissertation in United States or Canadian economic history that was completed during the previous year. I see great opportunities for graduate students working in economic history. Perhaps the core question of our time is why some places and some people are rich while others are poor, which is closely related to why some places and people have become rich while others have remained poor. This is inherently an historical question, and our understanding of economics in general can benefit fundamentally from more historical perspective. Research in economic history will naturally help us to better understand the past, but I see the most potential for economic history research in helping us understand the world more generally. Importantly, this is not to say that we study the past primarily to understand the world today, because the world as we see it today is just one example of how things can operate. The world today gives a particular perspective on how the economy works, and we can study the past to provide other perspectives and better understand how the economy works in general. When graduate students are going on the job market, in particular, it is important that they not shy away from the historical aspects of their research. Framing research in economic history as economics research, which happens to be about the past, and emphasizing a connection to current issues, can make that research seem less relevant and less interesting than other research directly on the modern era. A less defensive and more pro-active motivation can emphasize how our understanding of some general economics question needs particular insights from the past, and it is precisely for this reason that the research draws on an historical context. This helps to frame the issue of external validity, which comes up for all applied economics research, by fundamentally organizing the research around how history can uniquely inform economics.
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Authors: Hornbeck, Richard
Periodical (Full): Journal of Economic History
Issue: 2
Volume: 80
Pages: 564-592
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
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