%0 Report
        %A Giuliano, Paola
%A Matranga, Andrea
        %T Historical Data: Where to Find Them, How to Use Them
        %D 2020
        %8 2020 Oct
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 13788
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp13788
        %X The use of historical data has become a standard tool in economics, serving three main purposes: to examine the influence of the past on current economic outcomes; to use unique natural experiments to test modern economic theories; and to use modern economic theories to refine our understanding of important historical events. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the types of historical data most commonly used in economic research and discuss a variety of issues that they raise, such as the constant change in national and administrative borders; the reshuffling of ethnic groups due to migration, colonialism, natural disasters, and many other forces. We also point out which methodological advances allow economists to overcome or minimize these problems.
        %K ethnographic data
%K geographical data
%K historical data
%K censuses