Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
Finland
fellow
Anne McCants
2026-2027
Home institution
MIT
Country of origin (home institution)
United States
Discipline(s)
Economy and finance; Modern history
Theme(s)
Regional Studies
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Anne EC McCants is the Ann F. Friedlaender Professor of Economic History at MIT. She holds an MA in Economics (UCLA), a PhD in History (UC Berkeley), and an Honorary Doctorate from Lund University. She serves as the Editor of the Journal of Interdisciplinary History and is Past-President of the International Economic History Association and the Social Science History Association. For six years she served as the Head of the History Department at MIT, and for thirteen years as the Director of the Concourse First-Year Learning Community.
Research Project
Professor McCants' current research
My work encompasses the history of material culture and the standard of living, historical demography and the history of the family, with a primary focus on Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. In joint work I am working on a book that explores the evidence and theory of long-run global economic development. I also work with a team engaged in data recovery and linkage of Cape Colony (South Africa) tax, probate, farm, and other records.
Research Interests:
Economic History; Early Modern History; Social Science Methods