My PhD research project is a historical study of the rise and role of economic experts in times of economic and financial crises. Specifically, I am focusing on British history, from the second half of the 19th century to the early 20th century. The principal objectives of this study are to explore what contributed to the rise of Victorian British economic experts, the role of the state and the Bank of England with regard to economic policy advising and decision-making processes, and the overall institutionalisation of economic policy advising. Exploring the historical emergence of economic expertsin times of crisis can help us better understand the intricacies, mechanisms,and power dynamics of the current practices of economic policy advising.
Dana Brahm is a Swiss historian who is performing research as a PhD candidate and works as a Research Assistant at the University of St.Gallen under the supervision of Prof. Caspar Hirschi (University of St.Gallen) and Dr Gabriel Geisler Mesevage (King’s College London). She did her undergraduate degree at the University of Lausanne focusing on the history of the Swiss financial system. She then went on to pursue her MSc in Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in economic history, banking history, and financial history. After working for a couple of years in scientific publishing, she returned to academic research to pursue her PhD in economichistory.
