Robin Philips
Profile
Robin Philips (°1992) is a PhD researcher at the International Institute of Social History and Utrecht University. Here, he is writing his PhD manuscript on regional industrialization in the Netherlands and Belgium during the 19th and 20th century under the supervision of prof. dr. Jan-Luiten van Zanden (Utrecht University) and dr. Bas van Leeuwen (International Institute of Social History). He is part of the HINDI research project, which studies the historical dynamics of industrialization in Northwestern Europe and China (1800 – 2010).
In his PhD research, Robin studies how and why the location of industry in the Netherlands and Belgium shifted during the 1820-2010 period, throughout the different phases of industrialisation. His research not only aims at studying the factors that are responsible for a region's success in maintaining old and attracting new industrial activities, but also how these factors interact and how these factors change over time. Furthermore, Robin aims to look at the factors that make a region economically resilient or vulnerable in the long-run, and what policy recommendations can be drawn from this.
Publications
“Construction of a new census of companies for the Netherlands in 1896”, forthcoming in TSEG/Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History
Research in Progress
“Industrialization, technological change and human capital formation: intersectoral evidence from the 19th century Low Countries”, together with Péter Földvàri (University of Amsterdam) and Bas van Leeuwen (International Institute of Social History), currently under review (preliminary working paper can be found in MPRA Working Papers)
"A Dutch entrepreneur in China: FDI in the Chinese mining industry (1890 – 1920)", together with Zipeng Zhang (Utrecht University) and Bas van Leeuwen (International Institute of Social History), currently under review
"Long-run resilience against de-industrialisation and unemployment in Belgium (1850 – 2010)", together with Péter Földvàri (University of Amsterdam) and Bas van Leeuwen (International Institute of Social History)
"Long-run trends in regional industrialisation in the Low Countries (1820 - 2010)", together with Erik Buyst (University of Leuven)
"The effect of proto-industrialisation on industrialisation: evidence from 19th century Flanders and Eastern Netherlands", together with Wouter Ronsijn (Ghent University)
"The determinants of industrial location in the Low Countries in the 19th and 20th century", together with Glenn Rayp (Ghent University), Stijn Ronsse (Ghent University) and Bas van Leeuwen (International Institute of Social History)