This course gives a comprehensive, thematically organized overview of economic history from the Middle Ages to the present. The focus is on Europe and its economic integration, both within countries and the continent and into the emerging world economy. The sequence of classes is more guided by topics than chronologically, although topics primarily important for preindustrial economies are treated before those that acquired prominence with industrialization and modern economic growth.

Some of the topics are: Economic history and the making of Europe; Market integration, urbanization and social and economic change; Population and resource constraints: the Malthusian model - an accurate description of preindustrial economies?; Industrialization, entrepreneurship and technology transfer; Money, credit and banking in history; Trade and growth (or not?); The rise of the welfare state; Inequality in history; Globalization and the challenges it entails.

Knowledge:
- Understanding the evolution of the European economy in a global context

- Examining the causes and consequences of industrialization and market integration in history

- Understaning the role of institutions in the process of economic development and economic growth

- Understanding the structural transformations and social challenges that accompany economic growth and globalisation

Skills and competences:

- The course trains the abilities to understand and analyse economic and social development processes with a special focus on their motors, patterns and forces of resistence.

-  This will be done through assignments, presentations and questions to students on different levels of reflection, so basic knowledge on individual topics, the connection between different topics (and historical processes) and interpretation are rehearsed. 

- Special attention is given to using basic tools of economics and other social sciences in interpreting history, and in contrasting the content of economic and social science theories with actual historical developments.

- Ultimately, the course aims to advance the students' ability to raise questions and answer them using the tools of analysis developed by economic and social sciences.

Students will acquire the knowledge and skills through lectures, the handing of the work assigned by the instructors and its discussion in class. This will require individual and teamwork, performed by the students inside and outside the classroom, and their discussion in class or individual assessment by the instructor. We will work through the textbook and go through additional exercises based on text or empirical data (with the necessary introduction by the instructor).

Students are required to participate in discussions class and present the answers to questions based on the textbook or additional material to their fellow students in brief contributions.

None. Students not attending the first session (and not excusing themselves in advance) will be removed from the course list. The resulting spots will be filled with those students on the waiting last who are present in the first session in the order of their position on the waiting list.

by email: franz.xaver.zobl@wu.ac.at

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