Matthias Weigand, GSAS
CID PhD Affiliate, Concentrations in Political Economy & Economic History
I am a graduate student in the Department of Economics, working on a dissertation about the rise of English and German bureaucratic states with an eye to the geopolitical constellations that spurred their expansion. My work spans the modern era and draws on large-scale quantitative evidence as well as case studies from archival sources. One strand of research investigates the rise of fiscal bureaucracy in response to conflict in 15th-17th century Germany. I study its implications for state growth and survival, as well as its consequences on political participation within the state. Another strand is concerned with 19th century England, examining the role of informal bureaucratic structures in military mobilization, and the influence of a rising merchant class on global state expansion.