Research
Advancing the field economic history
Full list of publications
Research interests
The divergence of economic history from economics has impoverished our ability to explain the modern world. My research goal is to show how these fields can be usefully combined to better understand the performance of firms, industries, economies and societies.
In terms of historiography, I contribute to: the global history of the interwar economy; the business and financial history of the Netherlands since 1815; and the economic and social history of pre-partition Ireland.
My completed and ongoing research projects address economic debates on: the causes and consequences of banking crises; the formulation and implementation of monetary policy; the design and performance of cooperative organisations; the economics of bankruptcy and liquidation; famines, pandemics and anthropometrics; the economic analysis of language; and the design of patent systems.
In terms of historiography, I contribute to: the global history of the interwar economy; the business and financial history of the Netherlands since 1815; and the economic and social history of pre-partition Ireland.
My completed and ongoing research projects address economic debates on: the causes and consequences of banking crises; the formulation and implementation of monetary policy; the design and performance of cooperative organisations; the economics of bankruptcy and liquidation; famines, pandemics and anthropometrics; the economic analysis of language; and the design of patent systems.
Dutch financial history
My main research contribution to date has been to Dutch financial history, where I have explored the causes, anatomy and consequences of its financial crisis in 1920s, and the macroeconomic consequences of policy choices made during this period for the 1930s. I combined corporate financing data with other types of historical evidence, including archival records from corporate and national archives, to explain the behaviour of customers, bankers and policymakers during the interwar period.
My research on the Dutch case shows: (1) the flexibility of the Netherlands’ legal system meant shareholder liability rules did not curb risk-taking incentives (Business History Review, 2018); (2) social structures resulting from religious divisions influenced the performance of banks by allowing minority groups to better control their risks (The Journal of Economic History, 2017); (3) decisions about banks’ balance sheet composition and product market strategies made well before the crisis determined their subsequent ability to survive the crisis intact (Explorations in Economic History, 2015, co-authored with Abe de Jong and Philip Fliers); (4) the unique funding model of the Netherlands’ cooperative banks explains their success versus other types of banking organisations in the Netherlands (European Review of Economic History, 2020, co-authored with Stuart Henderson and John Turner) and versus similar banking organisations elsewhere in Europe (The Economic History Review, 2014, co-authored with Eoin McLaughlin); (5) the biggest bank to fail in the crisis did so because of insurmountable conflicts of interest (Business History, 2014); and (6) policy choices made by successive Dutch governments out of fear of causing another financial crisis hamstrung policymakers' ability to respond adequately to economic depression (Financial History Review, 2022, co-authored with Philip Fliers).
My research on the Dutch case shows: (1) the flexibility of the Netherlands’ legal system meant shareholder liability rules did not curb risk-taking incentives (Business History Review, 2018); (2) social structures resulting from religious divisions influenced the performance of banks by allowing minority groups to better control their risks (The Journal of Economic History, 2017); (3) decisions about banks’ balance sheet composition and product market strategies made well before the crisis determined their subsequent ability to survive the crisis intact (Explorations in Economic History, 2015, co-authored with Abe de Jong and Philip Fliers); (4) the unique funding model of the Netherlands’ cooperative banks explains their success versus other types of banking organisations in the Netherlands (European Review of Economic History, 2020, co-authored with Stuart Henderson and John Turner) and versus similar banking organisations elsewhere in Europe (The Economic History Review, 2014, co-authored with Eoin McLaughlin); (5) the biggest bank to fail in the crisis did so because of insurmountable conflicts of interest (Business History, 2014); and (6) policy choices made by successive Dutch governments out of fear of causing another financial crisis hamstrung policymakers' ability to respond adequately to economic depression (Financial History Review, 2022, co-authored with Philip Fliers).