Dr Tom Raster

This course is available on the MPhil/PhD in Economic History, MSc in Economic History, MSc in Economic History (Research), MSc in Financial History, MSc in Global Economic History, MSc in Global Economic History (Erasmus Mundus) and MSc in Political Economy of Late Development. This course is not available as an outside option.

This course is concerned with how economic historians use quantitative methods and with how researchers design and structure a research project. In terms of quantitative methods the emphasis is on the applied and practical rather than the theoretical and will range from the use of simple summary descriptive statistics to multiple regression. The course is concerned with the problems of analysing and interpreting quantitative historical evidence. It will consider topics such as sampling and statistical distributions, correlation, simple and multiple regression, specification problems, hypothesis testing, panel data analysis and instrumental variables, although the content may vary slightly from year to year. The course will also provide students with training in using an econometrics software package (STATA). An important component of the course is the deconstruction of historical articles that have used quantitative techniques.

9 hours of seminars and 20 hours of computer workshops in the AT.

This course is delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totalling a minimum of 20 hours across Autumn Term. 

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term

Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the AT.

• C H Feinstein and M Thomas, Making History Count (2002);
• P Hudson, History by Numbers (2002);
• C H Lee, The Quantitative Approach to Economic History (1977);
• G Hawthorn, Plausible Words (1991).

Essay (80%, 3000 words) and online assessment (20%).