This Workshop is a joint initiative of the Department of Economics and Finance of the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the Institute of Economics at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa.

New data sources are being used in the study of transport history.  Historians are now digitizing maps, registers of shipwrecks, and railway time-tables among others.  These new sources create opportunities, but also challenges. There are potential misinterpretations of new sources, which can be identified through careful use and comparative research. Recent research also gives emphasis to better measurement of transport costs and the attributes of transport services.  For example, it is now standard to simulate transport costs between locations using GIS data and tools. But how accurate are these approaches? Can they be improved? Transport innovations are also being linked to outcomes other than trade, like fertility, culture, and social protests. Does it make sense to believe that transport could shape a wider range of outcomes? The conference will address these themes and others related to transport and history. 

The organizers, Dan Bogart and Carlo Ciccarelli, are also looking for authors to participate in a special issue of the European Review of Economic History, which brings together papers that address the frontiers of data, measurement, and new outcomes linked to transport history. see https://academic.oup.com/ereh/pages/pushing-frontiers-data-measurement-and-outcomes

Authors interested in presenting a paper at the workshop should send a one-page proposal to Dan Bogart, dbogart@uci.edu, and Carlo Ciccarelli, carlo.ciccarelli@uniroma2.it, by July 31, 2024. Please note that authors can request partial travel reimbursement expenses, but priority is given to post-docs and junior faculty.

Mandatory registration by July 15, 2024 for speakers and convenors.

Venue: School of Economics, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Columbia 2, 00133 Rome, Italy

Date: 19-20 December 2024
Deadline for submissions: 15 July 2024

Local organizers: Dan Bogart, Giacomo Caserta, Carlo Ciccarelli, Christoph Koenig, Alessandro Nuvolari, Chiara Tranquilli