At the Uppsala History of Inequality and Labor Lab (UHILL), we are focused on the study of economic inequality and labor markets, from the industrial period to the present. By leveraging historical, micro-level datasets gathered by our team and employing modern econometric methods, we investigate the historical forces shaping economic disparities. Our aim is to provide insights that not only enhance our understanding of the past but also inform current debates on inequality and labor market dynamics.
The lab is based at the Department of Economic History at Uppsala University but engages researchers from a number of disciplines and institutions.
We are available to supervise students writing their essays. Contact us if you are interested.
New publications
- Read Jonatan Andersson's new publication Ascending from the bottom rung: The labor market assimilation of rural-urban migrants in Sweden, 1880–1910 in Explorations in Economic History.
- Lab members Jonatan Andersson and Jakob Molinder have a new article published in The Journal of Urban Economics called "Did Cities Increase Skills During Industrialization? Evidence from Rural-Urban Migration". You can read it here.
Announcements:
- The co-director of the lab, Jonatan Andersson is being awarded the Geijer Prize for his dissertation. Jonatan has previously been shortlisted for the Dissertation Prize at the 2025 World Economic History Congress (WEHC) taking place in Lund, Sweden this summer and has received the prestigious 3-year Wallander postdoc grant from Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius stiftelse.
- The Lab has received funding from Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius stiftelse samt Tore Browaldhs stiftelse to continue to expand the Stockholm database. First, Jonatan Andersson (PI), Johan Ericsson and William Skoglund have received funding for the project "Urban renewal and displacement: The demolition of central Stockholm and its socioeconomic consequences, 1950–1970". Second, Jakob Molinder (PI) and Jonatan Andersson have received funding for the project "The economic outcomes of entrepreneurs during the expansion of the welfare state: lessons from postwar Stockholm", in which a PhD student will soon be recruited.
- Lab members William Skoglund and Erik Hellberg received funding for their research stays at Utrecht University and the University of Michigan, respectively, from Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius stiftelse.
- The co-director of the lab, Johan Ericsson, has recevied funding from FORTE for the project "The (very) Long run Health Effects of Industrial Pollution"
Upcoming researcher visits at the Lab:
- Suvi Heikkuri from the University of Siena and the University of Gothenburg is visiting the lab during the week of the 26th to 30th of May.
Previous researcher visits at the Lab:
- Leonardo Costa Ribeiro from the Federal University of Minas Gerais visited the Lab during the period from 20th of January to the 28th of February 2025.
- Benjamin Schneider from Oslo Met visited the Lab during the week of 20th-24th of January 2025.