Pietro Grassano

Research Topic: Quantifying Absolutism: Forced Loans, Monopolies, and Institutional Quality in Early Modern Europe.
Quality of institutions has been considered one of the main determinants for the Great and Little Divergence. However, the exact period and the degree to which Europe, and England in particular, started to present significant differences are still subject to debate. My project examines forced loans as a measure of how Spanish and English governments extracted resources without their subjects’ consent. Furthermore, I also quantify how restrictive colonial trade monopolies were, to assess whether the two states differed in their openness to newcomers. 

Supervisor: Eric Chaney

Before Oxford, I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Bocconi, focusing on economics with an emphasis on political economy, trade, and economic history. A more detailed description of my studies and of my previous experience as Research Assistant is available at my LinkedIn page.

If you have questions about my research, feel free to contact me at the listed email address.