Chris Colvin

I was teaching Mokyr on the Industrial Revolution to my final-year economics students just last week. And next week, we're doing his work on the Great Irish Famine!

Extraordinary news: Joel Mokyr has won the Nobel for his work on the Industrial Revolution. Entirely deserved, though in truth, he ought to win another for his work on the Great Irish Famine, which transformed how we think about Ireland’s nineteenth century and the economic history of catastrophe.

We have different publication norms and processes to biological sciences. Each paper we write is longer, peer review is more thorough. This paper was 10 years of work. We benefitted from the input of dozens of reviewers and scores conferences audiences. Please don't accuse us of doing bad science.

In economic history, we lead with the empirics. We uncover surprising patterns. We then propose plausible explanations. We test them as rigorously as possible, given data limitations. We conclude with the most convincing narrative, which is inherently falsifiable.

We let the data speak. We ran every suggested robustness test. We are a multidisciplinary team with expertise in economics, history and health. We consulted epidemiologists and famine experts. We have a nuanced argument that addresses biological, socioeconomic and institutional factors. Please.

Soaring food prices prove the Gaza famine is real – and will affect generations to come History shows how devastating famines are and the lasting impact they have. Gaza is no different and a moral stain on those perpetuating it.

Read this, follow the links, you'll get a sense of which disciplines contribute to this field: theconversation.com/soaring-food...

Or google another Nobel winner: Angus Deaton, who has written extensively on selection and scarring. Or maybe just read our article rather than questioning our qualifications.

Anthropometrics is a very well established field with many health economics and economic history contributions. Just google Robert Fogel, Richard Steckel or John Komlos. Or take a look at the journal Economics & Human Biology.

New publication: "Why are corporations terminated? A century of evidence from the Netherlands" (co-authored with Abe de Jong, Philip Fliers and Florian Madertoner). doi.org/10.1080/0007...

The Great Irish Famine: what are the lessons for policy-makers today? - Economics Observatory Catastrophic risks force policy-makers to make quick decisions based on limited information. The Great Irish Famine shows how such existential crises and the state’s response can precipitate radical a...

Thanks! Exports were mostly higher-value cash crops. Proceeds were used to buy cheaper, higher-calorie imports. So exports probably saved lives. There were plenty of policy mistakes, but this is probably not one of them. I have written on policy lessons: www.economicsobservatory.com/the-great-ir...

How changes in height show the effects of the Great Irish Famine New research finds that the long‑term health impacts of the Great Irish Famine varied by region and socioeconomic conditions

And a non-technical summary of our article is over on RTÉ Brainstorm @rtebrainstorm.bsky.social www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

<em>The Economic History Review</em> | EHS Journal | Wiley Online Library How do famines shape the health of survivors? We examine the long-term impact of the Great Irish Famine (1845–52) on human stature, distinguishing between adverse scarring effects and the apparent re...

The full article with @eoinaldo.bsky.social and Matthias can be accessed here:
doi.org/10.1111/ehr....

YouTube video by CEPH Scarring and Selection in the Great Irish Famine: Video Abstract

Our colleague @cliochris.bsky.social and co-authors Mathias Blum and Eoin McLoughlin have a video abstract explaining the key findings of their article 'Scarring and selection in the Great Irish Famine' in the Econ. Hist. Rev.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fptL...
and also at www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...

New teaching resource provides critical thinking skills to students Political conflict is high on the world news agenda with rising participation in protests against government policy and unethical practices.

📽️ It's been great to work with @discoverecon.bsky.social & @cephie.bsky.social to create a new series of videos to add to our suite of resources aimed at bringing economics and political history to life - showing young people that working in economics is about far more than finance.

School Series (in association with Discover Economics) - YouTube

New set of videos from @discoverecon.bsky.social, @cagewarwick.bsky.social & @cephie.bsky.social - the last set were fantastic for development economics and this new set look just as interesting... #EconSky #EduSky www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

We're looking forward to our workshops at @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social next week:
ceph.ie/events/17-19... and ceph.ie/events/phd-w...

#EconSky #Economics #EconHist #NSRPproject @quceh.bsky.social @cliochris.bsky.social @profjohnturner.bsky.social @ronanlyons.bsky.social @gaianarciso.bsky.social

How changes in height show the effects of the Great Irish Famine New research finds that the long‑term health impacts of the Great Irish Famine varied by region and socioeconomic conditions

How changes in height show health effects of the Great Irish Famine. Analysis of new data research by @eoinaldo.bsky.social @heriotwattuni.bsky.social @researchireland.ie & @cliochris.bsky.social @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

How changes in height show the effects of the Great Irish Famine New research finds that the long‑term health impacts of the Great Irish Famine varied by region and socioeconomic conditions

How changes in height show health effects of the Great Irish Famine. Analysis of new data research by @eoinaldo.bsky.social @heriotwattuni.bsky.social @researchireland.ie & @cliochris.bsky.social @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Thanks for including it so quickly!

Patently Peculiar: Patents and Innovation in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands By Homer Wagenaar and Christopher L. Colvin

New working paper, co-authored with Homer Wagenaar.

We look at the strange but smart patent system of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) — a mix of examination + royal discretion of patent terms.

Turns out: it worked better than you'd think.

www.quceh.org.uk/uploads/1/0/...

This publication has been a very long time coming. Thanks go especially to all the various referees over the years for their invaluable contributions. You can read all about it in our online appendices (which are longer than the article itself!) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downl...

Thanks Robbie! I enjoyed my trip to Scotland, despite the winds... Yes, we first met at ASREC 2011, in DC. I think that's where I first met @essobecker.bsky.social too!

Our paper would not have been possible without the data digitisation efforts of our RAs: Thomas Boys, Paudie McKee, Andrew Richie, Kyle Richmond and Holly Shannon.

Financing Innovation: The Role of Patent Examination. Stephen D. Billington, Christopher L. Colvin and Christopher Coyle. How does patent examination influence access to finance for innovative firms? We exploit a reform to the UK’s patent system that introduced substantive examination to the patent application process, improving the information available to potential investors on the value of firms’ patents. Using a newly compiled firm-level dataset of exchange-listed corporations, we find that firms holding examined patents were able to borrow more, reflecting improved access to capital markets, and leading to firm growth. Our results highlight the role of patent examination in reducing information asymmetries, enhancing the signalling value of patents, and mitigating financial barriers to innovation.

New working paper alert: "Financing Innovation: The Role of Patent Examination". @steve-bill-econ.bsky.social, Christopher Coyle and I have been working on this for quite a while now. We are excited to have a full draft for your enjoyment! www.quceh.org.uk/uploads/1/0/...

27/02/2025 Jane Humphries – The Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture - CEPH - Centre for Economics, Policy and History Professor Jane Humphries will give the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture on Thursday 27th February 2025 at 17:00 in the Neill Lecture Theatre of the Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin: 'Ca...

Delighted to share that Jane Humphries is this year's Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar, an award given annually by @cephie.bsky.social to an economic historian who has made a major contribution to the discipline. Her talk (27 Feb) will be on the econ-hist of care - more details below. #econsky

Applications now open for two CEPH Research Assistant positions at Queen's University Belfast - CEPH - Centre for Economics, Policy and History We are seeking to appoint two exceptional candidates to the post of Research Assistant in Economic History, based at Queen's University Belfast. The Research Assistant will be active in assisting the ...

⚠️ Upcoming deadline!⚠️
Applications for our Research Assistant positions, based at @quceh.bsky.social @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social close this Monday 6th January 2025: ceph.ie/applications...
@profjohnturner.bsky.social @cliochris.bsky.social
#WeAreHiring #EconomicHistory #NSRPproject #EconSky

For more details, contact the co-editors at Business History responsible for submissions that employ quantitative methods: @cliochris.bsky.social (chris.colvin@qub.ac.uk) and Abe de Jong (abe.de.jong@rug.nl).

The journal’s co-editors are organizing this workshop to promote the use of quantitative methodologies in the study of business history.

Abstracts (up to 300 words) are due by 24 January 2025, to coincide with the ABH deadline.

The workshop will take place alongside the Association of Business Historians Annual Conference 2025, which will be held at Queen’s Business School, @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social.

The co-editors of @businesshistory.bsky.social invite submissions for a paper development workshop on Quantitative Business History, to take place in Belfast on 20 June 2025.