Department News 2024-25

2025 Epstein Lecture: The diffusion of soft technologies during and after World War II

Speaker: Michela Giorcelli (UCLA)
Chair: Patrick Wallis (LSE)
Date and time: Thursday 20 March, 6.30pm, Auditorium, Central Building

The 2025 Epstein Lecture will be delivered by Michela Giorcelli, who will discuss how the large-scale diffusion of innovative management practices to US firms involved in war production acted as a technology that put them on a higher growth path for decades, and helped create the ‘American Way’ of business.  More information, including how to attend, will be posted here shortly.

The hidden victims: civilian casualties of the two world wars

Speaker: Cormac O’Grada (UCD)
Chair: Eric Schneider (LSE)
Date and time: Thursday 20 February, 6.30pm, Sheik Zayed Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building

In his latest book, which forms the basis of this event, O’Grada argues that previous estimates of civilian deaths in the two world wars are almost certainly too low.  By careful evaluation of the available evidence, he estimates that these wars cost nearly twice as many lives as previously estimated.  As he shows, this matters as it enables us to argue with those who try to deny, minimise or exaggerate wartime savagery. 

More information, including how you can attend can be found here: The hidden victims: civilian casualties of the two world wars  

Handbook of the Economic History of Colonialism Event

The department will welcome contributors to The Handbook of the Economic History of Colonialism (Routledge 2025) on 13-14 December. The book focuses on two major waves of European overseas colonialism: Americas (1490s-1820s) and Asia/Africa (1850s-1970s) and showcases new scholarship in the field.

Attendance is by invitation only but you can see the full programme here: Event programme

Financial History Group Inaugural Workshop

The Financial History Group, which brings together researchers exploring key questions in money and finance, will hold its inaugural workshop on 29 November 2024 at LSE. 

This event is by invitation only, but you can see the full programme here:  Workshop Programme

2024 OWL Workshop hosted at LSE

The department hosted the annual Oxford, Warwick and LSE (OWL) workshop on 8 November. This workshop is a great opportunity for economic historians and economists to get insights into the latest research in economic history. This year it included a keynote from Professor John Turner (Queen's University, Belfast), Capital Structures without Government Rules: Evidence from Victorian Britain. 

The full programme is available here: OWL 2024 programme

 Oliver Volckart interview on New Books Network 

Listen to a recent interview with Oliver about his recent book, The Silver Empire: Link to the podcast here

What was the Holy Roman Empire? What monetary policies tell us about premodern multilaterism

Wednesday 23 October 2024, 6.30-8pm, Old Theatre LSE

In his recent book The Silver Empire: how Germany created its first common currency, which forms the basis of this event, Oliver Volckart examines the political and economic conditions leading to the creation of Germany's first common currency. For this panel event, he is joined by Dr Federica Carugati (KCL) to discuss what monetary policy can tell us about premodern multilaterism.  The event will be chaired by Professor Olivier Accominotti (LSE).

More details, including a link to the recording, can be found here: The Holy Roman Empire