Christopher M. Meissner

Education

• Ph.D., Economics, UC Berkeley, 2001
• A.B., Economics, Washington University, St. Louis, 1996

About

Christopher M. Meissner, professor of economics, is an authority in comparative economic history, with an emphasis on international finance and international trade. In addition to his UC Davis faculty position, he also is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a co-editor for the European Review of Economic History, and on the editorial board of the Financial History Review.

Research Focus

Professor Meissner's research focuses on the economic history of the international economy, particularly between 1870 and the present. He has expertise in international financial crises, exchange rate policy, and international trade and finance.

Publications

• One from the Many: The Global Economy since 1850. (2024) Oxford University Press. 
• Original Sin and the Great Depression (2023) Journal of International Economics. (with Michael Bordo)
• Persistent Pandemics (2021) Economics and Human Biology  (with Peter Z. Lin)
• The French (Trade) Revolution of 1860: Intra-Industry Trade and Smooth Adjustment (2021) Journal of Economic History (with Stéphane Becuwe and Bertrand Blancheton) 
• Austerity and the Rise of the Nazi Party (2021) Journal of Economic History (with Gregori Galofré-Vilà, Martin McKee, and David Stuckler) 

Teaching

Professor Meissner regularly teaches courses in economic history of the global economy and economic history of the United States.

Awards

• NSF Grant, SES 2314696, “Tariffs and Economic Development in the USA: New Evidence from a New Dataset of US Product-Level Tariffs, 1789 – Present” co-PIs, Lydia Cox, Andrew Greenland and John Lopresti, 2023-2026.
• Hans Christian Andersen Visiting Professor, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 2015
• Winner (with co-author Michael Huberman), Arthur H. Cole Prize for the best paper published in the Journal of Economic History during the previous year. Awarded by the Economic History Association, September 2011.
• Runners-up (with co-authors David Jacks and Dennis Novy) for the Explorations Prize for the best article published in the previous year in Explorations in Economic History, September 2010.