An Economist’s Guide to Economic History

Blurb: Without economic history, economics runs the risk of being too abstract or parochial, of failing to notice precedents, trends and cycles, of overlooking the long-run and thus misunderstanding ‘how we got here’. Recent financial and economic crises illustrate spectacularly how the economics profession has not learnt from its past.

This important and unique book addresses this problem by demonstrating the power of historical thinking in economic research. A carefully curated collection of short chapters guides economics lecturers and their students through the field of economic history, and advises them on how they can actively engage with economic history in their own teaching and learning.
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Matthias Blum and Christopher L. Colvin bring together important voices in the field to show readers how they can use their existing economics training to explore different facets of economic history. Each chapter introduces a question or topic, historical context or research method and explores how they can be used in economics scholarship and pedagogy. In a century characterised to date by economic uncertainty, bubbles and crashes, An Economist’s Guide to Economic History is essential reading.

Cite as: Matthias Blum and Christopher L. Colvin (Eds.), An Economist’s Guide to Economic History, ​Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2018). ​DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-96568-0. ISBN: ​978-3-319-96567-3.

Order a copy: You can purchase the book on Amazon. Your institution may already have access to the eBook via SpringerLink. If you are a university teacher and are considering setting the book as a core reading, then you can order an inspection copy directly from Palgrave Macmillan using their desk copy request form.

Endorsements:
​“Every economist who appreciates the importance of economic history should read this book as they will learn so much from the wealth of the material it covers. More importantly, all the other economists, those who do not yet know why economic history matters to them, should read it too. Whatever the subject – financial crises, innovation, trade wars, competition policy, and many others – understanding the historical perspective is essential to sound economic analysis and must be part of what students of economics are taught.”
Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge

​“Economists have much to gain from studying economic history seriously. This excellent volume explains why, elaborates what this entails, and demonstrates the potential for synergies between economics and economic history. The result is a compelling manifesto.”
Nicholas Crafts, Professor Emeritus of Economic History, University of Warwick

​“The list of contributors to this project is truly impressive, as is the breadth of the topics covered. The result is a terrific teaching resource that will give students a good sense of the many ways in which economic history can help economics come alive.”
Kevin H. O’Rourke, Professor of Economic History, NYU Abu Dhabi

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