The Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Award will be awarded annually by the Centre for Economics, Policy, and History (CEPH) to an economic historian who has made a major contribution to the discipline. The recipient will be invited to give the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture, where the medal will be formally presented.
Dr Alice Effie Murray (1877-1951) was an economic historian who studied the history of commercial and financial relations between England and Ireland. When she received her D.Sc. Econ. in 1903 for her doctorate on the topic, she became the first woman to receive a degree from the London School of Economics.[1] Her thesis was subsequently published by P. S. King in 1907.
The recipient is chosen by the directors of CEPH in consultation with its advisory board.
[1] Berg, M. (1992). ‘The first women economic historians.’ Economic History Review, 45, pp.308-29.
The 2025 recipient: Professor Jane Humphries
Professor Humphries will give the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture, ‘Caring about care: The economic history of caring labour’ on Thursday 27th February 2025 at 5pm in the Neill Lecture Theatre, the Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin; please register your attendance here.
Biography
Professor Jane Humphries is Emeritus Professor of Economic History at Oxford University, a Fellow of All Souls College, and Emeritus Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. A distinguished economic historian, her research has transformed our understanding of labour markets, industrialization, and the roles of women and children in these fields. Her groundbreaking studies of wages, family incomes, and economic growth have earned numerous honours, including the Arthur H. Cole Prize, Ranki Prize, Royal Economic Society Prize, and she has earned honorary degrees from Uppsala, Sheffield, and Helsinki universities.
Beyond her scholarship, Professor Humphries has held leadership roles as President of the Economic History Society and the American Economic History Association and has served on editorial boards of top journals. A Fellow of the British Academy and Commander of the British Empire, she is a pioneer in feminist economic history and a champion for recognising women’s contributions to economic analysis. Her career exemplifies intellectual excellence and a commitment to advancing historical understanding.
Award
Professor Jane Humphries is world renowned for her contributions to our understanding of the role of women, child labour and family dynamics in economic development over the past millennium. In particular, her work emphasizes the importance of incorporating women’s and child labour into broader economic narratives. In this regard, she has made at least three major contributions to economic history.
First, her work has challenged traditional economic histories that have often overlooked the role of women in the economy. Her research highlights how women’s labour, both paid and unpaid, significantly contributed to household economies and broader economic growth, particularly in pre-industrial societies. For example, Professor Humphries has constructed wage series for women’s wages in England from 1260 to 1850 and has measured women’s labour force participation during European industrialisation.
Second, Professor Humphries has examined at length how the Industrial Revolution affected the labour market, gender roles, and family structures. Her work critically analyses how the Industrial Revolution resulted in women’s increased financial dependence on men and the rise of the male-breadwinner family.
Third, Professor Humphries has carefully documented how child labour rose during the Industrial Revolution. Her history from below of this dark side of the Industrial Revolution paints images of great suffering and stoicism on the part of working-class children. Her work put the humanity back into economic history and the trauma back into our understanding of the Industrial Revolution and those dark satanic mills.
The 2024 recipient was Professor Ann Carlos; Professor Carlos gave the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture on Thursday 11th April 2024. See details here.
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