Dissertations in economic and business history in Nordic countries in 2016

The discussion article by Ekberg and Jes Iversen in this number of the Scandinavian Economic History Review raises a number of important questions on the present state of business history research in the Nordic countries. To a certain extent, these concerns are generalisable to the wider economic history community in the Nordic countries, especially as regards the lack of relevant teaching and challenges in recruitment. Ekberg and Iversen suggest that a possible solution might be to intensify Nordic collaboration. Time and again the need for such collaboration has been raised as an issue, also on the pages of this journal (Ojala & Sogner, 2015). Nevertheless, the wake-up call by Ekberg and Iversen is something to be appreciated within the community.

What, then, is the exact situation within the field in the Nordic countries? From the SEHR point of view, the number of submissions to the journal has increased, and we have also been able to publish more content than previously. Researchers in economic and business history are presumably currently engaged in preparing their papers for the coming conference season, to be opened at Jyväskylä at the turn of May and June 2018 with the 43rd Economic and Business History Society (EBHS) conference (http://ebhsoc.org/), culminating in the 18th World Economic History Congress in Boston in June/August (http://wehc2018.org/), and continuing with the 22nd European Business History Association congress in Ancona in early September (http://ebha18.univpm.it/) – to mention just a few of the largest ones. One might therefore assume that during the following years a number of papers prepared for these conferences will be submitted to journals and book compilations. Moreover, the number of Nordic participants in these conferences is, hopefully, quite a significant one. The editors of the Scandinavian Economic History Review are on hand at these conferences to discuss the possibilities of publishing research in the Journal.

One way to analyse the current state of affairs within the economic history community is to analyse the number and content of doctoral dissertations. The previous analysis was published in the Journal a couple of years ago concerning dissertations published in 2014 and 2015 (Ojala, Hemminki, & Nevalainen, 2016). In the following, we update this dataset with information from 2016 – unfortunately, we have not yet received comparable data for last year.

As in the previous survey, we requested Nordic universities and business schools to provide lists of dissertations addressing economic and business history topics during the year 2016. Most likely our survey did not reveal all dissertations within the field, even though we tried to be as inclusive as possible. Our survey yielded altogether 26 dissertations defended in 2016 – moreover, we found two dissertations defended in 2015 that were missing from our preceding survey. As in that survey, the topic of the dissertations (neither the department, nor the discipline) was used to determine if the dissertation was to be included to our survey (on definitions see Ojala et al., 2016). After compiling the list, we approached the authors to requesting a brief summary of their dissertations. These summaries are included as an Appendix to this editorial – our webpages provide direct links to all dissertations available on the Internet. We could not, unfortunately, reach all the authors; thus, in those cases, we used the publicly available abstracts. However, as not all abstracts were available publicly, they do not appear here in the Appendix.

The first impression in our survey is that in spite of annual fluctuations in the number of dissertations, the general trend has not changed (Table 1). Namely, the number of dissertations is highest in Sweden, followed by a variable number in Finland, and fairly low figures for Norway and Denmark. These figures to a certain extent reflect the number of article submissions and publications in SEHR, but do not really match the figures for publications by Nordic scholars in the leading business history journals (Ekberg & Iversen, in this issue). Namely, Norwegians and Danes are far more active both in presenting their papers in business history conferences, and publishing their research in business history journals. This may reflect the varied background of the business history community.

Table 1. Numbers of dissertations in economic and business history defended in the Nordic countries, 2014–2016.

Country	2014	2015	2016	Total
Denmark	2		2	4
Finland	9	4	9	22
Norway	5	1	2	8
Sweden	15	14	13	42
Total	31	19	26	76

Source: Surveys in 2016 and 2017.

In our previous survey, English was the dominant language for dissertations published in the Nordic countries – followed by the respective domestic languages and German. This has not changed in 2016: out of 26 dissertations, 13 were in English, 6 in Finnish, 5 in Swedish and 1 in Norwegian and Danish, respectively. In contrast to our previous study, the early modern era was prominent in the dissertations, as 12 of them addressed time periods prior to the 1850s. The industrial era (roughly 1850s to 1950s) was addressed in 10 dissertations, and postmodern time since the 1960s in four dissertations. In our previous survey, over half of the dissertations were concerned with twentieth-century developments; now this figure was below 40%. It remains to be seen if this is mere random annual fluctuation or signifies a more general trend towards ‘older history’.

Our previous survey showed that one-third of dissertations in 2014–2015 dealt with periods extending over 50 years. In 2016, the share of these longue durée dissertations accounted for two-thirds of the total. The time periods, however, extended from 10 to 277 years.

As in our previous survey, by adhering to the categories proposed by Whaples (1991, 2002), we further divided the Nordic dissertations into 13 rough, partly overlapping categories (Table 2).¹ Business history tends to be well represented in the dissertations in the Nordic countries: roughly one-third of all dissertations in 2016 fell into this category, although both the absolute number and share had diminished slightly from earlier years. Institutions were also quite often dealt with in the dissertations, although welfare, growth, and population also figured among the popular topics. Moreover, roughly one-third of the dissertations were concerned in one way or another with methods – although here especially the categorisation based largely on the title and abstract of each dissertation is somewhat vague. Combining three years together, we can also make some rather rough comparisons on topics in each of the respective countries. According to this survey, welfare society issues are the dominant themes in Swedish dissertations, whereas Finnish and Danish dissertations emphasise business history topics, while Norwegian dissertations are more concerned with institutional issues.

Table 2. Topics in the Nordic dissertations (number of dissertations).

Topic	2014	2015	2016	Total
Methodology, theory	11	7	8	26
Growth, cycles, industrialisation	11	6	6	23
Crises (war, recession)	6	1	3	10
Finance, banking, credit	3	1	4	8
Public institutions (law, government, and economy)	10	10	13	33
Trade and transport	4	4	5	13
Business, organisations and industry	13	10	9	32
Technology, investments	7	1	3	11
Primary sources of income (agriculture, use of land)	8	0	1	9
Labour	5	7	7	19
Population (demography, migration, housing)	9	7	7	23
Welfare (standard of living, inequality, minorities, education)	11	8	8	27
Others (social, cultural etc.)	3	6	9	18

Note: These categories are overlapping.

Source: Surveys in 2016 and 2017.

The topics of dissertations do indeed reflect the contents of the first issue of Scandinavian Economic History Review in 2018. Magnus Lindmark and Fredrik Olsson Spjut in their article present new estimates of energy consumption in the Swedish manufacturing industry during the period 1800–1913. They conclude that increased use of steam power in both manufacturing and transport explain the expansion of the fossil or mineral energy system. However, the intensity of energy patterns is largely determined by assumptions regarding the consumption of firewood in households.

Svante Prado and Joacim Waara, in turn, analyse the wage compression and the rise of the Swedish model in the labour market. According to them a compression of the wage structure occurred in the late 1930s and 1940s. They conclude that the coexistence of centralised agreements, a wage policy based on solidarity, and wage convergence configured the rise of the Swedish model during the Second World War. Johan Svanberg analyses the so-called Schleswig-Holstein campaign, whereby about 800 – mostly female – young Germans arrived in Sweden in 1950–1951. The article illuminates how the campaign affected industrial relations, and to what extent perceptions of gender, age, ethnicity, and class among the actors involved influenced their argumentation and agency.

Karlo Kauko discusses the challenges to the government to determine the currency used by the public by taking the Finnish early nineteenth century as an example. Namely, Swedish currency was still widely used for decades in Finland even after the annexation of Finland to Russia and the introduction of the rouble as the official currency. The rouble failed to establish itself as Finland’s main currency until the introduction of a silver standard in the early 1840s.

Jakob Molinder in his article analyses the relationship between local labour market conditions and regional migration. In Sweden – as also in many other countries – interregional migration peaked during the 1960s. Molinder suggests that there was no significant change over time in the responsiveness of migration to local labour market conditions.

ORCID

Jari Ojala http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4348-8857

Tiina Hemminki http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0808-0626

Pasi Nevalainen http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1172-9537

Notes

1 We merged the 25 categories proposed by Whaples (2002, p. 524) to 13 as shown in Table 2. In our previous survey, we calculated shares from the combined number of categories; here, however, we calculate the share of each category from the total number of dissertations. Moreover, we updated the data for 2015 with a couple of dissertations that were missing from our previous survey. This type of categorisation, however, is always to a certain extent subjective.

2 Summaries are included to the listed dissertations in the cases in which we were able to reach the author. The titles in English are, unfortunately, missing from some to the dissertations. Note: the list includes two dissertations from 2015 that were missing from our previous survey (Savtschenko and Ijäs).

Appendix. Dissertations on economic and business history topics in Nordic countries, 2016²

Berg, D. (2016). Giftets värde: Apotekares förståelse av opium i Sverige, 1870–1925 [The value of poison: The understanding of opium among Swedish pharmacists, 1870–1925]. Gothenburg: Makadam förlag. Stockholm University, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-133843

Around the prescription-free trade in opium 1870–1925 the pharmaceutical profession constructed an autonomous way of knowing, centered around the notion of drugs as pharmakon – as poison rather than addictive substances. They could thereby attribute all problems with the drug to either the unregulated, advertising driven trade outside the pharmacies or to the overly strict and uninformed medical doctors, thereby making the pharmacy the regulatory hotspot in the middle.

Berger, T. (2016). Engines of growth: Essays in Swedish economic history. Lund University, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from Lund University Publications: http://portal.research.lu.se/portal/en/publications/engines-of-growth(dbf54e23-9020-4da3-bb09-f1ef1e130e2d).html#Overview

This dissertation studies Sweden's economic transformation from the eighteenth century and onwards by analyzing the contribution of the potato to economic growth, the role of local elites and political voice in the early rise of mass schooling, and how the rollout of the national railroad network shaped rural and urban growth patterns from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Taken together, it provides novel evidence on the factors behind Sweden’s growth acceleration and also sheds light on the historical roots of contemporary patterns of regional and urban development.

Collin, K. (2016). Regional wages and labour market integration in Sweden, 1732–2009. University of Gothenburg, Department of Economy and Society. Retrieved from GUPEA: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/49070

This dissertation provides new evidence of the long-term movement of regional wages in Sweden.

Frigrén, P. (2016). Kotisatamassa: merimiesten vaimot, naisten toimijuus ja perheiden toimeentuloehdot 1800-luvun suomalaisessa rannikkokaupungissa [Merchant sailors’ spouses, household economy and female agency in the Finnish seaports, c. 1830–1870]. University of Jyväskylä, Department of History and Ethnology. Retrieved from JYKDOK: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-6511-2

The study considers nineteenth century Finnish seaports through merchant sailors’ wives’ and widows’ social and economic position in the local urban community and its maritime industry. The dissertation shows that the increase of maritime labour affected how family life and livelihood were organized, as well as local social welfare and its provision for sailors’ families.

Giacomin, V. (2016). Contextualizing the cluster: Palm oil in Southeast Asia in global perspective (1880s–1970s). Copenhagen Business School, Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy. Retrieved from CBS OpenArchive: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9381

This dissertation examines the case of the palm oil cluster in Malaysia and Indonesia, today one of the largest agricultural clusters in the world. My analysis focuses on the evolution of the cluster from the 1880s to the 1970s in order to understand how it helped these two countries to integrate into the global economy in both colonial and post-colonial times.

Granqvist, J-M. (2016). Helsingin porvaristo Viaporin rakennuskaudella (1748–1808): Sosiaalihistoriallinen perustutkimus [The Helsinki burgher community during the construction of the fortress of Sveaborg (1748–1808)]. University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies. Retrieved from HELDA: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-2482-1

The dissertation examines the burgher community in late eighteenth century Helsinki. By its case study approach, it provides new information about the social structure and dynamics of early-modern Swedish/Finnish burgher communities, especially considering the previously little-known lesser burghers (petite bourgeoisie) and their economic and political role in society.

Guerrero Cantarell, R. (2016). Images of work and love: The dynamics of economy and emotions on the big screen in Sweden and Mexico 1930–1955. University of Uppsala, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-297491

This thesis studies the intertwining of economy and emotions within the context of modernity. By investigating how work and romantic love interact in fiction films from the period 1930 to 1955, I seek to shed light on how two cultural practices that might normally be assumed to belong to separate dimensions of life – the economic and the emotional – are actually closely connected to each other. The examination of these interactions affords a better understanding of the process of modernisation, as well as the ways in which cultural differences matter in two national contexts: Sweden and Mexico.

Hinnemo, E. (2016). Inför högsta instans: Samspelet mellan kvinnors handlingsutrymme och rättslig regelring i Justitierevisionen 1760–1860 [Facing the highest legal authority: The interplay between female agency and legal regulation in Sweden 1760–1860]. University of Uppsala, Department of History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-281877

The aim of this dissertation is to illuminate the interplay between female agency and legal regulation in Sweden during the period 1760–1860. The material chosen for the study relates to matters concerning women that were brought before the Judiciary Inspection, the highest legal authority in Sweden. From its central position in the state hierarchy, this court was an arena in which the central power could identify and find solutions to problems important for the stability and development of society.

Ijäs, U. (2015). Talo, kartano, puutarha: Kauppahuoneen omistaja Marie Hackman ja hänen kulutusvalintansa varhaismodernissa Viipurissa [The house, the mansion, the garden: Merchant house’s owner Marie Hackman’s consumption choices in early modern Vyborg]. University of Turku, School of History, Culture and Art Studies. Retrieved from Doria: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-6053-8

The focus of this study is on how one individual's consumption choices manifest themselves in lifestyle and identity in early modern northern Europe. The study discusses private finances, conspicuous consumption and identity; it illustrates how social status, gender and age constrained an individual's consumption.

Johnsson, T. (2016). Vårt fredliga samhälle: ‘Lösdriveri’ och försvarslöshet i Sverige under 1830-talet [Our peaceful community: ‘Vagrancy’ and compulsory service in Sweden during the 1830s]. University of Uppsala, Department of History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-280292

The thesis deals with the social practices of vagrancy control on local and county state level in Sweden during the first half of the nineteenth century. Combining numerous different sources, it presents new knowledge of how institutions such as compulsory service, settlement and migration policies interacted and how they restricted poor people’s agency and formed their experiences, which applies most clearly in the case of the Swedish Romani people, the Resande.

Kaarkoski, M. (2016). ‘Energiemix’ versus ‘Energiewende’: Competing conceptualisations of nuclear energy policy in the German parliamentary debates of 1991–2001. University of Jyväskylä: Department of History and Ethnology. Retrieved from JYKDOK: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-6738-3

The dissertation explains the gradual change in German nuclear energy policy towards the decision to phase out nuclear energy during the period 1991–2001. The work underlines the importance of studying the evolvement of political conceptions when explaining significant policy changes.

Kenny, S. (2016). Money and debt: Empirical studies in Northern Europe 1840–2015. Lund University, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from Lund University Publications: http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/34a6b7c4-e706-4d5b-99a6-e16895933e3a

By producing a range of new long-run macroeconomic series (monetary and fiscal) for Ireland and the U.K. over the period 1840–2015, this dissertation provides researchers with new data for measuring activity in areas that were previously unexplored. Some major results include that the monetary contraction in Ireland during the Great Famine was the most severe in modern international economic history and that Ireland, unlike the majority of other countries in the post war era, reduced its public debt via cumulative primary surpluses, rather than favourable growth interest differentials.

Kenttä, T. (2016). When belongings secure credit … : Pawning and pawners in interwar Borås. University of Uppsala, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-303601

This dissertation deals with pawning primarily from the perspective of the pawners. It utilises two samples from the ledgers of a municipal pawnshop in Borås in western Sweden, from 1922/23 and 1932/33. Its aim is to explore the relation between the material and financial side of pawning and the causes behind pawning. One of the results of the study is that most pawn loans were very small, which means that pawning was probably connected to income insufficiency. It showed that weekly recurring pawning, which has been proposed in previous research as a common pattern, was almost non-existent. Instead, most pawners were occasional customers at the pawnshop.

Kivinen, J. (2016). Sisävesien mikrotonnisto: pienet höyrylaivat Suomen ja erityisesti Kainuun sisävesiliikenteessä 1870-luvulta 1960-luvulle [Microtonnage on Finnish inland waterways. Small steamships from the 1870s to the 1960s with particular reference to Kainuu region]. University of Jyväskylä, Department of History and Ethnology. Retrieved from JYKDOK http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-6857-1

The dissertation explores the tasks of the steamships plying Finnish inland waterways, their numbers, significance and changes and the reasons for these between different inland waterways as regards different types of vessels and shipowners from the 1870s to the 1960s. Special attention is paid to small steamships (not included in the records kept by officialdom).

Malmström Rognes, Å. (2016). Family matters: Essays on families, firms and funding in the Philippines 1850–2014. University of Uppsala, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-282101

Family Matters: Essays of Families, Firms and Funding in the Philippines 1850–2010 is a study of family business groups in the Philippines. It consists of an introductory essay and four separate papers. The thesis examines why family business groups have been the dominant type of business organisation for well over a century. The papers examine the role of financial sector development for the funding and growth of family firms, and the role of institutions and governance in explaining their long-term performance. The thesis challenges some conventional wisdom regarding family business groups in emerging economies and contributes to the literature by examining the longevity of family business groups in an emerging economy.

Meidell, J. E. (2016). Occupational structure in England and Wales during the industrial revolution. NHH Norwegian School of Economics.

The ‘industrial revolution’ designates a process starting in the mid-eighteenth century, during which England and Wales experienced significant transitions in manufacturing and manufacturing processes and strong economic growth. Helped by a number of new technical inventions – in addition to strong population growth, favorable conditions for commerce, government policies and financial innovations – efficiency in the textile and iron industries increased manifold. The three chapters of this thesis attempt to better measure the occupational changes in the English and Welsh population during this period – one of the key characteristics of the industrial revolution.

Neilson, J. (2016). Converging times: Parenthood, time allocation and the gender division of labour in Sweden 1990–2010. Lund University, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from Lund University Publications: http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/51e89847-a6a5-4808-811a-7fdd7c9afbfe

This thesis examines how gender and parenthood affect time allocation in the household and labour market, focusing on Sweden between 1990 and 2010. The four papers place Swedish developments in an international perspective, illustrating how parenthood continues to impact on how women allocate their time to a greater extent than men, while contributing to our understanding of recent changes taking place in the labour market and household.

Qi, H. (2016). Live longer, work longer? Evidence from Sweden’s ageing population. Lund University, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from Lund University Publications: http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/8594774

This dissertation sheds new light on why Swedes have increasingly postponed retirement in recent decades. While men prolonged working life due to the financial incentives provided by the 1994 pension reform, women retired later primarily because the female labor force became better educated and skilled over time.

Sahi, J. (2016). Verkostot kaukaiseen itään: Suomen kauppasuhteet Japaniin 1919–1974 [Networking with the distant east: Finland’s trade relations with Japan 1919–1974]. University of Oulu: Faculty of Humanities, History. Retrieved from JULTIKA University of Oulu repository: http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526211206

This study scrutinises the evolution of Finland’s trade relations with Japan from the early commercial connections at the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1970s and the first oil crisis. It establishes a network theory of international trade relations based on an actor tier division between and within trade and trade policy activity.

Savtschenko, R. (2015). Kompuroiden korporatismissa: Eheytyneen SAK:n ristipaineet suomalaisessa korporatismissa 1968–1978 [Stumbling within corporatism: Conflict of cross pressure in the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in the course of Finnish corporatism 1968–1978]. University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies. Retrieved from HELDA: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-93-6402-2

The study takes a look at the factors that influenced the operating culture of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) during the first decade of incomes policy from the point of view of corporatism, especially from the perspective of co-operation, resistance and democracy. During the decade 1968-1978 the corporatist system caused problems in the implementation of member democracy and started a new era, where the unions became part of tripartite system.

Schrøder, C. R. (2016). Odense Staalskibsværft 1918–2012: Et teknologisk førende værft nationalt og internationalt? [Odense steel shipyard 1918–2012: A technologically leading shipyard nation- and worldwide?]. University of Southern Denmark, Department of History.

The dissertation analyses the level of and changes in essential shipbuilding technologies during the twentieth century at the largest Danish shipbuilding company and investigates the paths and ways of development of process technology based on a detailed study of company archives. The in-depth empirical analysis questions the image of technological leadership and explains a delayed closure pointing at long-term cost conscious imitation strategy followed by a belated focus on innovation.

Seip, K. (2016). ‘ … inghen Riddher eller god mand skal haffue mer end try Par Kledher aff Silke … ’ Adelig sosialt demonstrativt forbruk i 1500-tallets Danmark-Norge. University of Oslo, Department of Archeology, Conservation and History.

Sjöblom, A. (2016). Trygghet som handelsvara: Privat folkförsäkring i det framväxande välfärdssamhället 1900–1950 [The business of welfare: Industrial life insurance and the emerging Swedish welfare state 1900–1950]. Stockholm University, Department of History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-129069

The thesis analyses the development of life insurance as a business with social policy aspirations. Through intense marketing measures the business influenced public pension schemes in a way that underpinned their own interests and also influenced perceptions of security and welfare in general.

Spross, L. (2016). Tet välfärdsstatligt dilemma: Statens formuleringar av en arbetstidsfråga 1919–2002 [A welfare state dilemma: The government’s formulations of a working-time issue 1919–2002]. University of Uppsala, Department of Economic History. Retrieved from DiVA-portal: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-277242

The thesis investigates the formation of shorter working hours as a political issue during the twentieth century, with emphasis on a description of the opportunities and consequences in the economic and social sphere.

Toropainen, V. P. (2016). Päättäväiset porvarskat: Turun johtavan porvariston naisten toimijuus vuosina 1623–1670 [The determined burgher women: Their active participation within the Turku Business Community in the period 1623–1670]. University of Turku, Faculty of Humanities. Retrieved from Doria: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-6436-9

It has been assumed that the 17'th century burgher women in Finland were passive in their family trade and other economic activities. In fact they were active in every branch of trade and in taking care of the family fortunes with support of the Town Council and their families.

Turunen, O. (2016). The emergence of intangible capital: Human, social, and intellectual capital in nineteenth century British, French, and German economic thought. University of Jyväskylä, Department of History and Ethnology. Retrieved from JYKDOK: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-6596-9

The thesis focuses on the conceptual equivalents of human capital, intangible capital, intellectual capital and social capital in nineteenth century English, French, and German economic thought in order to show that most of the phenomena now connected to these concepts were already extensively discussed as capital in different phases of the long nineteenth century (1789–1914). Likewise many of the arguments presented since the late 1950s against the extension of the concept of capital to human beings, human attributes, knowledge, reputation, social norms, or social relations after the new emergence of these ideas were also part of the earlier discussion.

Voutilainen, M. (2016). Poverty, inequality and the Finnish 1860s famine. Jyväskylä studies in humanities 287. University of Jyväskylä: Department of History and Ethnology. Retrieved from JYKDOK: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-6627-0

The thesis studies the social and economic background of the Finnish famine of the 1860s. With imminent background factors in crop failures and a low-yield agricultural economy, the study uncovers the contribution of the prevailing rural poverty and long-term increase in economic inequality to the outbreak of the famine.

Wuokko, M. (2016). Markkinatalouden etujoukot: Elinkeinoelämän valtuuskunta, Teollisuuden keskusliitto ja liike-elämän poliittinen toiminta 1970–1980-lukujen Suomessa [The vanguard of the market economy: The political activity of Finnish business in the 1970s and 1980s]. University of Helsinki, Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies. Retrieved from HELDA: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-2456-2

The dissertation examines the motives, means, objectives, and outcomes of the political activity of Finland’s major business associations in the 1970s and 1980s. The thesis offers new insights into the societally relevant, widely debated but insufficiently studied topics of business–government relations and the political influence of business.