Large Databases in Economic History Research Methods and Case
Studies Edited by Mark Casson, Nigar Hashimzade To Be Published
November 17th 2013 by Routledge – 288 pages ‘Big data’ is now
readily available to economic historians, thanks to the
digitisation of primary sources, collaborative research linking
different data sets, and the publication of databases on the
internet. Key economic indicators, such as the consumer price
index, can be tracked over long periods, and qualitative
information, such as land use, can be converted to a
quantitative form. In order to fully exploit these innovations
it is necessary to use sophisticated statistical techniques to
reveal the patterns hidden in datasets, and this book shows how
this can be done. A distinguished group of economic historians
have teamed up with younger researchers to pilot the application
of new techniques to ‘big data’. Topics addressed in this volume
include prices and the standard of living, money supply, credit
markets, land values and land use, t