Professor Albrecht Ritschl, Professor Olivier Accominotti & Dr Jason Lennard

Have financial crises become more frequent and more severe over time? What can early bubbles tell us about the state of different stock markets? Was fiscal policy as important as monetary policy in helping recovery in Britain and the US after the Great Depression?

Exploring these topics informs our understanding of current global financial markets. During this course, you will be asked to engage with these important topics and more, participating in lively discussion between your peers and faculty.

Covering the two waves of financial globalisation (1880-1914 and 1980-2008), as well as the de-globalisation of finance after the Great Depression, this course unpacks some of the most significant questions in Economic History. As a result, you will be introduced to the long run evolution of financial markets and to the history of monetary policy and financial crises.

Looking through the lens of history, this course will develop your critical thinking and analysis skills. By engaging with the material, you will take away a strong understanding of how institutional and political factors shape the process of financial globalisation and of how the structure of the international monetary system affects the conduct of monetary policy and the response to financial crises.