Cliometrics, 1971-1986: A Survey

The paper selectively surveys recent quantitative work in economic history with special emphasis on research into unemployment in interwar Britain, the Habakkuk controversy, the Kuznets curve, the demographic transition and heights in history. It is shown that the field has advanced well beyond the routine applications of elementary microeconomics which characterized its early days. Considerably greater quantitative sophistication and a much wider coverage of historical issues have been notable features of this advance. It is argued that econometric methods need to be supplemented in historical work by other forms of evidence to obtain persuasive answers to historical questions.