Matt Curtis
@EconMattCurtis
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Economic historian, AP @SDUeconhist. Researches demography and human capital. @mjdcurtis.bsky.social
Joined March 2019
Matt Curtis (SDU) @EconMattCurtis is now presenting the paper “Academic Human Capital in European Countries and Regions, 1200-1793” 👇🏼
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🧵Its out! Quebec becoming a British colony in 1760 did not cause Quebec's relative poverty. Rather, it was the war itself that was contributed.
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WE ARE HIRING!! Up to three post docs @PPE_Center @BrownUniversity for up to two years, able to sponsor J-1 visa, if necessary. Please circulate widely, happy to answer questions about it. https://t.co/2ovStZvcry
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I have a shift-share IV idea that needs some expertise to see if it passes muster. I have a high school-level shock that happens every year that induces middle school students to attend different schools. Can I instrument for this selection via a shift share to see how these…
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It's bad for business if you squabble over ideological matters rather than focusing on running it. What might we learn today? In other news: The 2nd chapter of my thesis is now in JDE. We measure the effects of the so called Inner Mission on cooperative butter production 🧈🐄🧑🏼🌾
📢 New publication alert! @PaulSharpEcHist, Nina Boberg-Fazlic, @JeanetBentzen, Christian Volmar Skovsgaard, and @ChristianVedel have published a new article, “Holy cows and spilled milk: The impact of religious missions on firm-level productivity” 🐮❗️
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📢 New publication alert! @PaulSharpEcHist, Nina Boberg-Fazlic, @JeanetBentzen, Christian Volmar Skovsgaard, and @ChristianVedel have published a new article, “Holy cows and spilled milk: The impact of religious missions on firm-level productivity” 🐮❗️
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I'm hiring a Research Assistant to work with me on topics related to the economics of families in the US - fertility, marriage, fatherhood, child well-being, social policy, etc. Position is at @nd_econ; start summer 2026. Applications accepted thru 11/15:
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I was a mainstream economist for many years, too. Until they made it illegal to use log(y+1) to handle mass zero problem.
I was a mainstream economist for many years. I understand the reaction MMT evokes in such people, as it triggered the same reaction in me. It is then a question of whether you are prepared to question things you have taken for granted, and admit to yourself they are simply wrong.
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Recently accepted by #QJE, “The Price of Housing in the United States, 1890–2006,” by Lyons, Shertzer, Gray, and Agorastos:
academic.oup.com
Abstract. We construct the first annual market rent and home sales price series for American cities over the 20th century using 2.7 million newspaper real
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One of this year’s #NobelPrize winners in economics is Joel Mokyr. What is his research about? HEDG group member @JuliusKoschnick is also doing research on the knowledge economy and will explain it to you in 4 easy points! 💡
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Interested in doing world-class economics research on Africa's past, present and future? #econhist Join us as a postdoc at @LEAP_SU @StellenboschUni in 2026!
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Excited to host the All California (formerly All UC) economic history JM conference tomorrow — proud to keep this tradition alive and looking forward to the papers! https://t.co/9On4Gu2a9n
@chenzix @B_Eichengreen @SilviaFarins
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From the new paper by @EconMattCurtis, David de la Croix, et al. The Little Divergence in 'academic human capital' between northern and southern Europe started circa 1500. ('Evangelical Germania' ≈ Protestant northern Germany). For within the German-speaking lands, northern
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Academic Human Capital in European Countries and Regions, 1200-1793
marginalrevolution.com
We present new annual time-series data on academic human capital across Europe from 1200 to 1793, constructed by aggregating individual-level measures at three geographic scales: cities, present-day...
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My working paper with @giov_peri of @UCDavisEcon is featured by @nberpubs in the NBER Digest. We examine how the forced removal of Japanese Americans during WWII affected U.S. farm productivity — finding significant losses.
Featured in the latest Digest: Expelling Japanese Americans Lowered US Farm Productivity https://t.co/JcqoTp2Yz9
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It is official. University of Chicago Press will publish my book on how America, between 1870 and 1941, had "egalitarian growth". Simply put: the bottom 90% saw its living standards increase faster than the top 10% and roughly as fast (maybe faster even) as the top 1%. The rate
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Forthcoming in AEJ: Economic Policy: "Medical Technology and Life Expectancy: Evidence from the Antitoxin Treatment of Diphtheria" by Philipp Ager, Casper W. Hansen, and Peter Z. Lin.
aeaweb.org
(Forthcoming Article) - We examine the impact of the free supply of diphtheria antitoxin, the first effective medical treatment for an infectious disease, on the historical health transition in...
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Deadline approaching 👇🏼
Call for papers: “Frontiers of Comparative Development in Historical Perspective” Conference to be held at the University of Manchester, Nov 13-14. Keynote speaker: Barry Eichengreen (UC-Berkeley) Deadline to send us a proposal: September 22, 2025 Application link & details👇
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