Prof. Robert Allen discusses how the desert environment led to a unique economic structure-"from the sand up". Bob takes us through the economic implication of communal lands and describes the differences between the nomadic (Bedouin) and oasis economies. He suggests that religious structures were convenient in eventually consolidating various regions/tribes in the form of states. We also consider the incentives for a unique type of slavery, that arose from the nature of date farming/pearl diving in contrast to the Caribbean sugar plantation experience. 

Prof. Tommy Bengtsson takes us through the historical effects of short term stresses on living standards and health outcomes. How did high food prices in the nineteenth century impact the mortality risk and fertility patterns of different income classes- did it change over time? How did fetal exposure to the Spanish flu affect later life outcomes? What drives the rise in the elderly share of the population and why does it matter for solving the problems facing many pension systems? In this interview, Prof. Bengtsson guides us through each of these considerations drawing on his wealth of research in these areas.

Today, we meet Prof. Luis Bértola to discuss the economic history of Latin America since the 1820s. We cover Luis' book with José Antonio Ocampo ('The Economic Development of Latin America since Independence') tracing the development paths of three selected regions through different economic epochs- how did each zone perform, what were the driving forces and what policies emerged in response to internal/external challenges. We finish by discussing the disappointing growth that has plagued the region since trade liberalization in the 1980s and explore some deep rooted problems. We finish our chat by presenting a host of potential (but difficult) solutions that the region may need to undertake.

In this episode, we chat with Assoc. Prof. Erik Bengtsson about his extensive work on income inequality. What is the capital share of National Income, why does it matter and why does it change? We discuss the role of democracy and the "Great Levelling" in equality that occurred in Sweden and elsewhere in the first half of the twentieth century. Erik finishes by revisiting old assumptions on the Kuznets curve of income inequality brought about by structural change. With highly disaggregated Swedish income data, we revisit the extensive shift from agriculture to industry over the period from 1870 and consider the importance of the income distribution in the farming sector before structural change takes place. Does the Kuznets curve still play out in the standard way if inequality was high in the traditional sector to begin with? 

In this episode, Prof. Kevin H. O'Rourke discusses some of his work on trade and globalization. We trace the beginnings of globalization, mention some problems with measuring it perfectly, and review some of the literature on tariffs and economic growth including Kevin's own papers. We review how the U.S. and the U.K. turned protectionist in different ways during the 1930s and contrast previous tariff levels with those of the present day. We finish with a discussion on how the "losers" of globalization have elected populist leaders, with the caveat that populism in its current form is markedly different to U.S. variety in the late 19th century.

Prof. Kim Oosterlinck walks us through the strange world of financial (and alternative asset) markets in occupied France. We begin by looking at the economic costs of the Nazi occupation. We then turn to discuss the array of measures that were put in place to force the financial markets to respond in the way the new regime required. How did government debt and stock markets respond? How did the freer (and grey/black) markets in other asset classes such as artworks behave by comparison? 

In this episode, we meet Prof. Bradford DeLong to discuss his recent book 'Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century.' We cover the rate of technological change prior to the industrial revolution. Before 1500, "the amount of technological change they got in a century, we get in two and a half years"!  We also look at some prerequisites for industrialisation and discuss how the second industrial revolution was the game-changer in terms of long run living standards. After discussing the European turnaround after the Marshall Plan, we finish in the post-war era by looking at "Pacific Rim" development and how it differed from previous modern economic growth episodes. 

In this episode, we meet Assist. Prof. Jason Lennard to discuss his work on measuring fluctuations in the UK economy.  We cover the nature of the business cycle, how it is measured and how it has changed through time. We also consider the implications of rigid wages during economic downturns. We look at new evidence on the existence of "sticky wages" during the Great Depression in the UK, using disaggregated (instead of average) wage data.  Finally, we chat about the effects of policy interventions in managing UK economic cycles, which began in earnest during the twentieth century. Can monetary policy be effective in achieving economic objectives? 

In this episode, we meet Prof. Eric Schneider to discuss the use of data on heights in economic history as a measure of well-being. Eric discusses his use of the crew records on a British ship (in operation for over a century) and what such sources can reveal about human growth patterns over longer time horizons- are they simply a function of income or is there more to the picture? We also hear about variation across countries and note some dramatic changes in human growth patterns over the last century. Finally, Eric talks about the importance of revisiting old height data with new insights from the medical literature and applies this framework to the existing data on slave children.

Today we meet with and discuss the recent work of Prof. Leandro Prados de la Escosura. We speak about the concept of economic liberty and discuss whether improvements in measures of health and education map on to GDP per capita over time.....it's not that simple. With new metrics developed by Leandro, we reconsider the standard narratives with examples from different periods where well-being and GDP per capita appear to diverge. Using his newly developed data, Leandro joins the economic inequality debate and considers whether global equity in well-being has followed a similar path to the distribution of income story.