My research focuses on childhood living standards and their long-term effects. I base my research on Norrlandsundersökningen, a study conducted in 1929-1930 that collected health and socioeconomic data from approximately 4,000 children. I track these individuals over time using census data and cause of death registers to explore relations between childhood conditions and adult outcomes. I am also interested in exploring the contextual setting of Norrlandsundersökningen more broadly. I am especially interested in the internal colonialization process in 20th-century Sweden and the core/periphery relationship between northern and southern Sweden in the context of an expanding role for government and the emerging welfare-state.
While I am currently getting my PhD from economic history my earlier degrees are from development studies and sociology. I aim to use my interdisciplinary background to combine the historical perspective of economic history with the theoretical richness found in sociology to do research that spans the bridge of time and finds relevance today. My research will hopefully expand upon our knowledge of how childhood adversity impacts outcomes later in life.