Stephan R. Epstein (15 March 1960 – 3 February 2007), known as "Larry", was a British economic historian, and a professor at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

. Brought up in Switzerland, he studied at the

University of Siena The University of Siena ( it, Università degli Studi di Siena, abbreviation: UNISI) in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called ''Studium Senese'', the institution was founded in 1240 ...

, and later received a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 1992 he was made a lecturer in economic history at the LSE, by 1997 he had been appointed reader, and in 2001

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

. Epstein's PhD thesis was on economic development and social transformation in

late medieval The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Rena ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Later he expanded his research to a greater European scale, with his 2000 book ''Freedom and Growth'', where he explored the interaction between state formation and economic development. For this work he won the Ranki Prize for a book on European economic history in 2001. Epstein also worked on the history of technology, and on the influence of

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

s on technological development in medieval Europe.

Publications

* ''Freedom and Growth: The Rise of States and Markets in Europe, 1300–1750'', Routledge, 2000, * ''An Island for Itself: Economic Development and Social Change in Late Medieval Sicily'', Cambridge University Press, 1992, * ''Alle origini della fattoria toscana: L'ospedale di Siena e le sue terre (metà '200–metà '400)'', Firenze: Salimbeni, 1986

External links

Obituary on Times online.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Stephan R. 1960 births 2007 deaths Economic historians Historians of Sicily British medievalists Academics of the London School of Economics University of Siena alumni