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Dr Judy Stephenson
Associate Professor in Economic History of the Built Environment
The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction
Faculty of the Built Environment
- Joined UCL
- 1st Dec 2017
Research summary
My book 'Wages before Machines' a history of wage formation and bargaining in the two centuries before industrialisation, is under contract at Princeton University Press.
My first monograph is published by Palgrave 2020. https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319575070
I have coauthored and coedited an important volume of essays on understanding wages in history with Prof. John Hatcher. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-96962-6
I am currently researching imperfect competition in labour markets in London before industrialisation; carbon, materials and finance in the pre industrial construction industry; financing of the reconstruction of London after the Great Fire; female building contractors before 1800; literacy in the services industries in London 1550-1700; and an international comparison of seasonality in the early modern building trades.
My latest WP on labour markets looks at the importance of tenure in unskilled casual labour markets 1670-1750 http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/108562/1/WP322.pdf
My latest blogpost for EHSlongrun is here https://ehsthelongrun.net/2020/04/21/demand-slumps-and-wages-history-says-prepare-to-bargain/
I also continue researching a planned economic history of London from 1660 - 1815.
I am interested in hearing from research students who wish to carry out historical research of labour markets or the construction industry using primary sources.
Teaching summary
I am Departmental Tutor, Graduate Tutor and Director of Teaching & Learning at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
I teach construction economics and finance, and economic history.
- BCPM0001 which is the core economics course for our MSc students.
- BCPM0003 'Booms and Slumps' which analyses cyclical changes in the real estate and construction industries in the long run context of finance and construction demand.
- I teach undergraduate Economics II BCPM0068 which focuses and prepares students for project valuations and the market for projects.
I am currently leading a project on sustainable teaching as part of UCL's 'Leading Change in Education' programme.
Education
- University College London
- Other Postgraduate qualification (including professional), ATQ03 - Recognised by the HEA as a Fellow | 2019
Biography
I am an economic historian researching labour markets, institutions, firms, finance and industries in London between about 1600 and 1850. I am known for my work on London and English wages between 1650 and 1800,(http://www.ehs.org.uk/app/journal/article/10.1111/ehr.12491/abstract).
I have published on contracts and wages, and the boundaries of the firm before 1800. My work has been quoted in the Financial Times and The Economist.
https://www.ft.com/content/cf12eeb0-7231-11e8-b6ad-3823e4384287
https://www.ft.com/content/928258fc-8ed3-11e6-8df8-d3778b55a923
https://www.ft.com/content/cf12eeb0-7231-11e8-b6ad-3823e4384287.
I did my PhD in the Dept. of Economic History at LSE 2012-15 supervised by Prof Patrick Wallis, where I also taught economic history and financial history 2012- 16. I then spent a year as IHR EHS Tawney Fellow with the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure (https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk) where I am still an associate. From 2016-2019 I was the first David Richards Junior Research Fellow at Wadham College Oxford (http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk) before joining UCL Bartlett as Lecturer in Economics and Finance of the Built Environment.
I am Honorary Secretary of the Economic History Society 2022-2025 https://ehs.org.uk/person/dr-judy-stephenson/, fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Royal Economic Society.
I am a Governor and will soon become a Director of the Long Run Institute https://longruninstitute.com.
Before I became an economic historian I worked in advertising and communications for 15 years at Top 10 advertising and communication agencies in London on global brands. I live in South London with my two children.