The oxford handbook of American economic history

This volume captures the main research areas in the field of American Economic History. It consists of 37 chapters divided into five sections. The initial section covers Population and Health. In addition to basic demographic research including disease and sanitation, immigration, and health policy research, this section examines the work on anthropometric history. The second section on Production and Structural Change addresses the three principal sectors of the economy (Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Services). There are chapters on how business has been organized over time and how executives have been compensated. The third section on the Factors of Production emphasizes questions of labor (and retirement), capital, and natural resources. There are separate chapters of physical and human capital (education). The fourth section, Technology and Urbanization, examines three dimensions of each topic. Chapters on innovation and patenting, technology, and energy are joined by chapters on urbanization, housing, and professional team sports. The final section, Government and Economic Policy looks at macroeconomic policy (monetary, fiscal, and trade) and microeconomic policy (property rights, antitrust and regulation, and welfare). In addition, there are separate chapters on the US constitution, business cycles, the environment, the Civil War, the two world wars of the twentieth century, and the New Deal. Each chapter provides a discussion of the important topics in that area of economic history, the relevant literature on those topics, and the author’s opinion as to important topics for future research.