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American Made: The Role of Economic History in the Training of PhD Candidates

In: The State of Economic History

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Haupert

    (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)

Abstract

I examine the role of economic history in the training of economics PhD students in the United States. Economic history—once a cornerstone of graduate economics education alongside theory and econometrics—has seen its place in the doctoral curriculum steadily decline, despite its significant contributions to the discipline. Economic history, particularly in its cliometric form, has been instrumental in testing economic theories, building historical datasets, and shedding light on long-term growth dynamics. Finally, I provide empirical evidence on the current state of the field by examining 50 PhD programs in economics, and find that only a minority still offer economic history courses, with very few including it as either a core or optional field. This erosion is troubling: economic history offers contextualized understanding of data, promotes empirical rigor, and develops analytical tools that are highly relevant to current debates on institutions, growth, and inequality, and as such it should be an essential part of the training of an economist.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Haupert, 2025. "American Made: The Role of Economic History in the Training of PhD Candidates," Frontiers in Economic History, in: Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert (ed.), The State of Economic History, pages 1-21, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:frochp:978-3-032-01624-9_1
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-01624-9_1
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