Over the course of the past half millennium social, cultural, economic and demographic revolutions have changed the human experience beyond ''Nasty, brutish and short''. The factors behind these monumental changes are still mysterious, particularly at the micro-economic level. My research aims to generate answers for many of the burning questions regarding the origin of the Modern World.
I work at the intersection of ‘big data’ and economic history. Most of my research projects involve exploiting recently digitized historical genealogical data to answer questions about the origin of modern economic and demographic behaviour. Recently, I have examined fertility decline in France and England, plague mortality in 17th century London and social mobility over the long run.
All of my research papers are freely available on my website, neilcummins.com
You can view my CV here:. Neil Cummins CV [pdf]