Thanks to a generous grant from the Leverhulme Trust an International Network of 37 academics from several disciplines and with recognised expertise on the economic histories of several parts of the world came into operation in September 2003, and it’s programme of research, visiting fellowships and conferences is now underway.
1. Research
The research project (entitled: “Comparative Advantages, Labour Productivities and Real Wages in a Global Industry: Manufacturing and Trade in Cotton Textiles in Eurasia, 1498-1914”) includes a Research Fellow and graduate student located at LSE who report to an Advisory Committee drawn from the Network.
The aim of the project is to bring a considerable array of national secondary and primary sources (European and Asian) together in order to produce a long run economic history of one important global industry and which will address the question of when, how and why Asian (Indian, Chinese and Japanese) producers and merchants acquired, lost and then regained comparative advantages in the manufacture of cotton textiles.
2. Visiting Fellowships
Short-term visiting Fellows will lecture, teach, and present seminar papers on programmes in global economic history at a partner institution (LSE, Leiden, Irvine and Osaka). Their brief is to report on the methods, approaches and developments in teaching and research in this innovatory and evolving field.
3. Conferences
GEHN has formulated plans for a programme of 10 conferences, three a year in January, June and September 2003-06. The programme has been designed to cover 5 themes in global economic history:
Theme A: The Formation, Development and Operation of Regional, National and International Markets (Markets);
Theme B: The Geopolitical and Imperial contexts for Economic Activity (Imperialism);
Theme C: Religious Values, Ideologies, Family Systems, Promoting and Restraining Economic Growth (Cultures);
Theme D: Regimes of the Production of Useful and Reliable Knowledge (Science and Technology);
Theme E: The Manufacture and Trade in Cotton Textiles in Eurasia 1498-1914 (Global Industry)
• Papers presented at conferences will be put up on LSE (GEHN Website), cross referenced on other web sites, circulated LSE (GEHN) Working Papers and published as books.
Further details of the Network in Global Economic History, its plans, activities and publications can be found at:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/GEHN/GEHNmain.htm