Queen's University Centre for Economic History
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    • Working Papers: 2025
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    • PhD Workshop 2025
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    • Bubblemania 2019
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    • CEPH Outreach
    • Long Run Institute
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19
    • History Now
  • About
    • History
    • Prizes and Awards
    • QUCEH Bookshop
    • Queen's Business School
    • Contact Us
  • Members
    • Research Associates
    • Research Affiliates
    • Research Students
    • Advisory Board
  • Study
    • PhD Economic History
    • PhD Funding
    • Placement History
  • Projects
    • The Great Elevator
    • Centre for Economics, Policy and History
    • Business Performance
    • Corporate Titans
    • Productivity Forum
    • An Economist's Guide
  • Working Papers
    • Working Papers: 2025
    • Working Papers: 2024
    • Working Papers: 2023
    • Working Papers: 2022
    • Working Papers: 2021
    • Working Papers: 2020
  • Seminars
    • Seminars: 2025-2026
    • Seminars: 2024-2025
    • Seminars: 2023-2024
    • Seminars: 2022-2023
    • Seminars: 2021-2022
    • Seminars: 2020-2021
  • Workshops
    • PhD Workshop 2025
    • Health Crises 2022
    • Bubblemania 2019
    • Boston 2018
    • FRESH 2017
    • Colloquium 2017
  • Impact
    • CEPH Outreach
    • Long Run Institute
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19
    • History Now

COVID-19 Research and Engagement

QUCEH Research Associates have been working hard to use their insights from economic history to engage with the wider public about the COVID-19 pandemic. This page collects some of their efforts.

Economics Observatory
John Turner is a lead editor of Economics Observatory, a cross-institutional initiative that aims to answer questions about the economic impact of COVID-19 for policymakers and the general public. QUCEH contributions to this initiative include:
  • John Turner on the lessons we can learn from historical recessions and depressions.
  • Gareth Campbell on explaining stock market reactions to the pandemic.
  • Graham Brownlow on how the pandemic might affect the Northern Irish economy, and how the first six months of the pandemic have affected the Northern Ireland economy.
  • Chris Colvin on the lessons policymakers can learn from the Spanish flu.

Spanish Flu
Chris Colvin and Eoin McLaughlin's work on Irish mortality during the Spanish flu of 1918-19 is now available as a QUCEH Working Paper.
  • They have written a non-technical summary of their research for RTÉ Brainstorm.
  • Earlier, they wrote an op-ed drawing lessons from the Spanish flu for policymakers for The Conversation.
  • Chris has been interviewed about the Spanish flu by Radio 4's In Business, Tiernan Douieb's Partly Political Podcast, the BBC Radio 4 Pandemic 1918 documentary, and The Conversation's Anthill Podcast.
  • They have applied the same methods from demography to understand the COVID-19 pandemic in an op-ed for The Irish Times.

Op-eds and Commentary
  • Bruce Campbell has written an article on the Black Death and the future of history after COVID-19 for History Workshop.
  • John Turner has written a blog for the EHS Long Run on the macro-economic consequences of pandemics.
  • ​John Turner has been interviewed by Queen's University's analysis and commentary team on the prospects for a post-COVID-19 economic recovery in the UK.
  • Graham Brownlow has also contributed to Queen's University's analysis and commentary team, on the economic rebirth after COVID-19.
​
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  • About
    • History
    • Prizes and Awards
    • QUCEH Bookshop
    • Queen's Business School
    • Contact Us
  • Members
    • Research Associates
    • Research Affiliates
    • Research Students
    • Advisory Board
  • Study
    • PhD Economic History
    • PhD Funding
    • Placement History
  • Projects
    • The Great Elevator
    • Centre for Economics, Policy and History
    • Business Performance
    • Corporate Titans
    • Productivity Forum
    • An Economist's Guide
  • Working Papers
    • Working Papers: 2025
    • Working Papers: 2024
    • Working Papers: 2023
    • Working Papers: 2022
    • Working Papers: 2021
    • Working Papers: 2020
  • Seminars
    • Seminars: 2025-2026
    • Seminars: 2024-2025
    • Seminars: 2023-2024
    • Seminars: 2022-2023
    • Seminars: 2021-2022
    • Seminars: 2020-2021
  • Workshops
    • PhD Workshop 2025
    • Health Crises 2022
    • Bubblemania 2019
    • Boston 2018
    • FRESH 2017
    • Colloquium 2017
  • Impact
    • CEPH Outreach
    • Long Run Institute
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19
    • History Now