But working in dusty archives has become easier with the advent of digital photography, mechanical character recognition, and remote data-entry services. Larger data sets are enabling economic historians to address key questions – for example, how aggregate economic conditions affect labor-force participation decisions in different times and places – more effectively than ever before.
接着，这一认识与关于经济运行的更详细的历史数据结合起来。长期以来，经济史学家从教区纪事、人口普查和公司财务报表奥中收集信息。但随着数字摄像、机器字符识别、远程数据接入服务的进步，与大量陈旧档案打交道的工作变得更加容易了。更大的数据集让经济史学家能够比以往更有效地解决一些关键问题——比如不同时间和地点的总体经济环境如何影响劳动力参与决策。