Meredith Paker

University of Oxford

A Problem of Industries and Regions: Unemployment and Structural Change in Britain during the Interwar Years and Early 1980s

I am deeply grateful to the Economic History Society for the award of a PhD bursary in 2020/1, which provided critical financial support during the final year of my doctoral degree at Oxford. My research focuses on the employment crises in Britain during the interwar period and early 1980s, exploring the interaction of structural change and the business cycle in these periods and investigating the varied impacts of these crises by industry, region, gender, and demographic group. During this year of unprecedented global challenges, the generous support of the Economic History Society was especially important in enabling me to continue working on this research. The bursary contributed to my living and research costs, allowing me to focus my efforts on writing up my final chapters, presenting at conferences, and ultimately completing the doctoral thesis.