DPhil student Victoria Gierok has been named the winner of the Thirsk-Feinstein Prize by the Economic History Society for the best doctoral dissertation in Economic and/or Social History. Her dissertation, titled "The development of wealth inequality in the German territories of the Holy Roman Empire, 1300-1800," was nominated by her supervisor and was deemed by the Prize Committee to merit serious consideration.
The Economic History Society, which introduced the annual prize of £1,000, received nominations from eligible candidates who had completed their dissertations in the preceding calendar year. The Thirsk-Feinstein Prize is presented at the annual conference.
On hearing the news Victoria commented:
I am very humbled to have received the Thirsk-Feinstein PhD Dissertation Prize. I am very grateful to my supervisor, Professor Stephen Broadberry, and my colleagues and co-authors.
Victoria's research investigates economic growth, inequality and fiscal capacity in pre-industrial Germany. Taking a long-run perspective, she assembles datasets from archival data to produce new estimates of inequality and the economy at large for the period between 1300 and 1800. Currently, Victoria is working on improving estimates of Germany’s economic performance by using data from wealth tax registers and city budgets. She is also taking a closer look at how urban communities taxed their citizens and how they spent these funds. Victoria's research is currently funded by the British Academy.
Victoria was also one of the three finalists for the dissertation prize at the Economic History Association Conference in Wisconsin last September. Congratulations to Victoria on her impressive achievements!
