International Institute of Social History

About: International Institute of Social History is a archive organization based out in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Colonialism & Politics. The organization has 144 authors who have published 362 publications receiving 4700 citations. The organization is also known as: Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis & IISG.

Charting the “Rise of the West”: Manuscripts and Printed Books in Europe, A Long-Term Perspective from the Sixth through Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract: This article estimates the development of manuscripts and printed books in Western Europe over the course of thirteen centuries. As these estimates show, medieval and early modern book production was a dynamic economic sector, with an average annual growth rate of around one percent. Rising production after the middle of the fifteenth century probably resulted from lower book prices and higher literacy. To explain the dynamics of medieval book production, we provide estimates for urbanization rates and for the numbers of universities and monasteries. Monasteries seem to have been most important in the early period, while universities and laypeople dominated the later medieval demand for books.

Completing a Financial Revolution: The Finance of the Dutch East India Trade and the Rise of the Amsterdam Capital Market, 1595-1612

Abstract: The article analyzes the evolution of the Amsterdam capital market as a consequence of Dutch overseas expansion and the introduction of transferable VOC shares. Offering investors prospects of speculative gains without serious loss of liquidity, these instruments created a booming secondary market offering a wide range of allied credit techniques. By 1609 this market had become sufficiently strong to dictate terms for new public debt issues. These findings show that, contrary to commonly held notions about the emergence of secondary markets, private finance took precedence over public finance in the Dutch Republic.

British Economic Growth, 1270-1870

Abstract: We provide annual estimates of GDP for England between 1270 and 1700 and for Great Britain between 1700 and 1870, constructed from the output side. The GDP data are combined with population estimates to calculate GDP per capita. We find English per capita income growth of 0.20 per cent per annum between 1270 and 1700, although growth was episodic, with the strongest growth during the Black Death crisis of the fourteenth century and in the second half of the seventeenth century. For the period 1700-1870, we find British per capita income growth of 0.48 per cent, broadly in line with the widely accepted Crafts/Harley estimates. This modest trend growth in per capita income since 1270 suggests that, working back from the present, living standards in the late medieval period were well above “bare bones subsistence”. This can be reconciled with modest levels of kilocalorie consumption per head because of the very large share of pastoral production in agriculture.

Dairy products and physical stature: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials

Abstract: The positive relationship between per capita availability of dairy products and average height found in historical studies (for instance in nineteenth century Bavaria, Prussia and France; Baten, 2009) does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship Historical studies usually apply non-experimental methods that may produce substantial bias Modern experimental controlled studies may provide high quality evidence supporting a causal relationship between consumption of dairy products and physical growth This paper provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials investigating the effect of supplementing usual diet with dairy products on physical growth Twelve studies provided sufficient, independent data for meta-analysis Seven studies were conducted since the 1990s The other studies were conducted between 1926 and 1980 Studies were conducted in Europe, USA, China, Northern Vietnam, Kenya, Indonesia and India Many studies had some internal validity problems such as lack of randomisation or dissimilarity of groups at baseline regarding height and age, which affects the quality of evidence Meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis showed that the most likely effect of dairy products supplementation is 04 cm per annum additional growth per ca 245 ml of milk daily Meta-regression analysis indicated that milk might have more effect on growth than other dairy products while lower height-for-age and being a teenager increased the effect of supplementation In conclusion, there is moderate quality evidence that dairy products supplementation stimulate linear growth supporting hypotheses that changing levels of consumption of dairy products in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to trends in height