Introduction to Economic History: Capital, Inequality, Growth

Introduction à l'histoire économique: capital, inégalité, croissance

(Master APE & PPD, EHESS & Paris School of Economics)

Thomas Piketty - Academic year 2024-2025

Syllabus & Reading List 2024-2025

Email : name at psemail.eu

Office: Jourdan R5-04

Course web page : http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/teaching/10/17

"Introduction to Economic History" is a compulsory first-year master course and can also be attended as an optional second-year master course. The objective is to present a general introduction to economic history, with special emphasis on the interaction between capital accumulation, inequality regimes and growth.

Students wishing to specialize in economic history and related subjects are also strongly encouraged to attend the optional second-year master course "Advanced Economic History".

Students with special interest in the history and theory of optimal taxation and redistribution or wishing to specialize in public economics are also encouraged to attend the optional second-year master course "Public Economics".

"Introduction to Economic History" is organized in 8 lectures of 3 hours each. To validate the course, students are required (1) to attend and actively participate to all lectures; (2) to tale the exam (exemples of past exams are here).

Lecture 1: Development, state formation & inequality in the long run: from ternary to proprietarian societies
(Tuesday September 17 2024, 15h-18h15)

Lecture 2: Property rights & development, 18c-19c: European variants (France, Britain, Sweden)
(Tuesday September 24 2024, 15h-18h15)

(Tuesday October 8 2024, 15h-18h15)

Lecture 5: The Great Transformation of the 20th century: from proprietarian to social-democratic societies

(Tuesday October 15 2024, 15h-18h15)

(Tuesday October 22 2024, 15h-18h15)

(Tuesday November 5 2024, 15h-18h15)

(Tuesday November 12 2024, 15h-18h15)

Syllabus, reading lists and slides used in previous years