Raphael Heim

Research Topic

The influence of information networks and information diffusion within financial crises, 1973-2008

Supervisor: Professor Catherine Schenk

I am a DPhil student in Economic and Social History, focusing on modern international financial history. My research project focuses on the impact of information networks within finance, especially during times of distress in financial markets. By looking into various case studies in the formative period from 1973 to 2008, covering crises from the stock market crashes and banking failures of 1973/74 to 2007/08, I am aiming to analyse the impact of information networks in the development and resolution of financial crises against the background of the major shifts in international finance that occurred in this period (de-regulation, globalisation, financialisation, technological advancement etc.). 

My broader research interests stretch from financial history to finance, financial economics, business history, political history and decision-making under uncertainty. 

I have previously studied history, political science and economics at the University of Tübingen, Harvard University and the University of Oxford, where I gained my MSc in Economic History. Before starting my DPhil, I was working for two years at BCG, a leading international management consulting firm, focusing on public sector, automotive and finance.