Universität Wien

040253 UK Empirical Methods in Economic History (MA) (2018S)

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 50 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

Dienstag 06.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 07.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 13.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 14.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 20.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 21.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 10.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 11.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 17.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 18.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 24.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 25.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Mittwoch 02.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 08.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 09.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 15.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 16.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Mittwoch 23.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 29.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 30.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 05.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 06.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Dienstag 12.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 13.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
Montag 18.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Dienstag 19.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Dienstag 26.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Mittwoch 27.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

In recent years, an exciting new literature has emerged empirically examining whether historic events are important determinants of economic development today. Can geography, culture, or institutions explain why we are so much richer than our ancestors? Can they explain such large differences in income levels across societies today? While the earliest studies were successful at highlighting correlations in the data consistent with the notion that history can matter, the literature has moved forward. Much more effort has been put into collecting and compiling new variables based on detailed historic data. This allows employing much more satisfying identification strategies that allow estimating the causal effects of, for example, colonization or slave trade on economic development.
This course will review this recent literature as a vehicle to introduce students to the empirical methods typically used in economic history: instrumental variables, falsification tests, regression discontinuities, or differences-in-differences estimation. As the course's main objective is to build skills in reading and writing economic history papers, I have put less emphasis on giving a thorough overview of the literature and more emphasis on teaching a few papers in detail.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Your grade will be based on a midterm exam (35%), a final exam (35%), class presentation (20%), and class participation (10%)

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

The minimum requirement to pass the course is to achieve at least 50% of the points.

Prüfungsstoff

Topic 1: Seminal contributions in the Literature
Topic 2: Identifying that history matters
Topic 3: Path dependence
Topic 4: Domestic institutions
Topic 5: Cultural norms and religion
Topic 6: Education and Technology

Literatur

Topic 1: Seminal contributions in the Literature
Acemoglu D, Johnson S, Robinson JA. 2001. “The colonial origins of comparative development: an empirical investigation”. Am. Econ. Rev. 91:1369–401
Engerman SL, Sokoloff KL. 2002. “Factor endowments, inequality, and paths of development among New World economies”. Work. Pap. 9259, NBER
La Porta R, Lopez-de-Silanes F, Shleifer A, Vishny R. 1998. “Law and finance”. J. Polit. Econ. 106:1113–55

Topic 2: Identifying that history matters
Feyrer JD, Sacerdote B. 2009. “Colonialism and modern income: islands as natural experiments”. Rev. Econ. Stat. 91(May)
Dell, M. 2010. “The persistent effects of Peru’s Mining Mita”. Econometrica. 78 (6): 1863-1903

Topic 3: Path dependence
Redding SJ, Sturm D, and Wolf N. 2007. “History and industrial location: evidence from German airports”. Rev. Econ. Stat. 93(3): 814-831

Topic 4: Domestic institutions
Jha S. 2008. Trade, institutions and religious tolerance: evidence from India. Mimeogr., Stanford Univ.

Topic 5: Cultural norms and religion
Nunn N, Wantchekon L. 2008. “The Long-term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades”. Q. J. Econ. 123: 139-176,
Nunn N, Wantchekon L. 2011. “The slave trade and the origins of mistrust in Africa”. Am. Econ. Review 101(7): 3221-52,
Becker, S.O. and L. Woesseman. 2009. “Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of Protestant Economic History”. Q. J. Econ. 124 (2): 531-596

Topic 6: Education and Technology
Cinnirella, F. and Hornung, E. 2011 “Landownership Concentration and the Expansion of Education”, EHES Working Papers in Economic History, no. 10.
Nunn N. and Qian N. 2011. “Columbus’s contribution to world population and urbanization: a natural experiment examining the introduction of potatoes”. Q. J. Econ.
Alesina, A., Giuliano P. and Nunn N. 2013 “On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough”, Q. J. Econ. 128 (2): 469-539

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Letzte Änderung: Mo 07.09.2020 15:29