Professor Catherine Schenk
Professor of Economic & Social History
St Hilda's College
After my undergraduate and Masters degrees at University of Toronto in Economics, International Relations and Chinese Studies, I went to the London School of Economics to complete my PhD in Economic History. Since then I have held academic positions at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Royal Holloway, University of London and University of Glasgow. I have also been visiting professor at Nankai University, China, and Hong Kong University. Outside academia I have spent time as a visiting researcher at the International Monetary Fund and at the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research. In 2018/19 I was Senior Lamfalussy Fellow at the Bank for International Settlements, delivering the Per Jacobsson Lecture in 2020. I am President of the Economic History Society and Associate Fellow in international economics at Chatham House.
Research Interests
- International economic relations
- International monetary system
- International banking and finance
My research focuses on the development of the international economy since 1945 with particular emphasis on the evolution of international banking and finance and the international monetary system. My current ERC funded project is GloCoBank, which is charting the development of global correspondent banking from 1870-2000 . My other research focuses on the transitions between international currencies, proposals for reform of the international monetary system in the 1970s and 1980s and the development of international banking and financial regulation. Finally, I have a special interest in the history of China’s international economic relations through Hong Kong.
