05.05.2020

When Bones Tell a Different Story

Malnutrition, disease, violence: What skeletons say about everyday life is not always in the chronicles.

Jörg Baten is specialized in asking the big questions: Does a strongstrong position of women imply a strong economic development? Does inequality lead to civil wars? Why are there poor and rich countries, and when did the diff erences arise? What does soil quality have to do with educational a ainment? As professor of Economic History at the University of Tübingen, Baten combines economics with diff erent methods of historical studies. His research methods are partly similar to the ones of natural sciences, namely using – critically assessed – indicators, “big data” and statistical analyses. One of the core tasks of economists is to identify and analyze trends in wealth and prosperity. In addition to the development of incomes and the growth of economies worldwide, Baten focuses on the health and educational status of societies, as well as the impact of violence on economic growth... Read more