Inequality and the Environment in Global History

I use historical data to examine how global commerce and colonial institutions affected living standards, inequality and the environment in South and Southeast Asia in the long run. By better understanding historical patterns of socio-political, economic and environmental change at detailed spatial scales, I aim to shed light on the complex paths that led to current societal problems pertaining to high levels of inequality and rapid degradation of the natural environment. Through my research I hope to explain how and why some structural problems persist over time as well as show opportunities for change in long-run developmental trajectories.

I studied history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the London School of Economics, Harvard University and Utrecht University. I received my MA from Utrecht University in 2010 (cum laude) and my PhD in 2015 (cum laude). My thesis won the Economic History Society’s Thirsk-Feinstein Prize for Best Dissertation in Economic and Social History in 2016. Since then I worked at Wageningen University on different research projects and publications.