Universität Wien

040253 UK Empirical Methods in Economic History (MA) (2020S)

Track in Data Analysis

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 04.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 09.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 11.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 16.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 18.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 23.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 25.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 30.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 01.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 20.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 22.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 27.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 29.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 04.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 06.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 11.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 13.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 18.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 20.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 25.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 27.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 03.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 08.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 10.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 15.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 17.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 22.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Wednesday 24.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Monday 29.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

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.

Assessment and permitted materials

Your grade will be based on a midterm exam (25%), a final exam (40%), class presentation (25%), and class participation (10%)

Update: From Wednesday, 11 March 2020 until Friday, 4 April 2020, no courses/exams with student attendance will take place at the University of Vienna. Teaching will instead take place in the form of remote learning (particularly via e-learning). More specific changes will be communicated via email.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

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

Examination topics

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

Reading list

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

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:19