Stephan R. Epstein (15 March 1960 – 3 February 2007), known as "Larry", was a British economic historian, and a professor at the
London School of Economics.
Brought up in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, he studied at the
University of Siena, and later received a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
from the
University of Cambridge. In 1992 he was made a lecturer in economic history at the LSE, by 1997 he had been appointed
reader, and in 2001
professor.
Epstein's PhD thesis was on economic development and social transformation in
late medieval Sicily. Later he expanded his research to a greater European scale, with his 2000 book ''Freedom and Growth'', where he explored the interaction between state formation and economic development. For this work he won the
Ranki Prize for a book on European economic history in 2001. Epstein also worked on the history of technology, and on the influence of
guilds on technological development in medieval Europe.
Publications
* ''Freedom and Growth: The Rise of States and Markets in Europe, 1300–1750'', Routledge, 2000,
* ''An Island for Itself: Economic Development and Social Change in Late Medieval Sicily'', Cambridge University Press, 1992,
* ''Alle origini della fattoria toscana: L'ospedale di Siena e le sue terre (metà '200–metà '400)'', Firenze: Salimbeni, 1986
External links
Obituary on Times online.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Stephan R.
1960 births
2007 deaths
Economic historians
Historians of Sicily
British medievalists
Academics of the London School of Economics
University of Siena alumni