The main focus of my current work is the importance of the postal service for economic activity in th 19th century. Particular aspects center on the relevance of information flows for trade, capital and labour flows during the First Globalization and the Interwar period. On a local level I utilize postal data on information and communication to better understand the spatial structure of the economy in particular urban systems.  

Published article:  Spanning the Globe: The Rise of Global Communications Systems and the First Globalisation

Towns and cities are also a second concentration of my research. My work investigates the definition, location, size and long-term growth of towns. In particular the role of geographic endowments and agglomeration effects on town size is one focus of my research. Geographically this work is mostly focused on Germany, in particular Saxony.

Published articles: Endowments and market access; the size of towns in historical perspective: Saxony, 1550-1834 , 

A third strand of research is the Zollverein, the first international customs union formed by German states in 1834. Building on my dissertation research I look at the role of geography on the political economy of its formation, the impact it had on regional growth patterns and spatial structures of the early industrialization.

Published articles: The internal impact of a customs union; Baden and the Zollverein, The Zollverein and the Sequence of a Customs Union , Local convergence: Baden 1829-1847