Meet Associate Professor Walker Hanlon of the Department of Economics

Weinberg College welcomes Associate Professor Walker Hanlon to the department of economics!
Hanlon recently answered a few questions about his current research and what inspired him to pursue economic history. Walker will join the Economic History group at Northwestern as the new Associate Director of the Center for Economic History.

Where are you from? Where did you study?
I’m from Bend, Oregon. I was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon and Stanford, and then did my PhD at Columbia University.

What inspired you to pursue your area of study?
Economics first attracted me because it allowed me to apply rigorous mathematical and statistical tools to pressing policy issues. Later, I realized that I could also bring these elements together with my deep interest in history, which led me to focus my research on economic history.

Please describe your research.
My research focuses on helping us better understand, and draw economic lessons from, historical experience. This involves a lot of data sleuthing, combined with trying to understand a historical context, and then bring those elements together with the standard statistical and modelling tools of modern economics.

What are you working on right now that excites you the most?
One of my primary research interests at the moment is trying to understand the process through which technological progress accelerated during the Industrial Revolution. This was a critical juncture in economic history, one that has attracted the attention of generations of economic historians. My work on this topic focuses on the emergence of the engineering profession in Britain during the Industrial Revolution and the key role that this development played in allowing technological progress to accelerate.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?
My main hobby at the moment is woodworking and restoring old houses.

What is most fulfilling to you about teaching?
I really enjoy interacting with, and learning from, my students.

Why did you decide to come to Northwestern?
For researchers with an interest in economic history, Northwestern is unquestionably one of the very best places to be in the world. It was a no-brainer!