The Centre for South-East European Economic History

The Centre for South-East European Economic History is dedicated to advancing research and education in economic history. Through rigorous scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement with a global network of researchers and institutions, we foster a deeper understanding of the region’s economic past. Our goal is to inspire and educate the next generation of scholars specialising in the economic history of the region.

The founding members, Leonard Kukić, Stefan Nikolić, and Filip Novokmet serve as the Centre’s Directors.

Latest publications

Neubert, M. and Nikolić, S., 2026. Why railways fail: Colonial railways and economic development in Habsburg Bosnia-Herzegovina. Journal of Development Economics, Volume 181, April 2026, 103747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103747

Kešeljević, A., Nikolić, S. and Spruk, R., 2026. Ethnic Conflicts, Civil War, and Economic Growth: Region-Level Evidence From Former Yugoslavia. Journal of Regional Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/jors.70055

Arslantas, Y. and Kukić, L., 2025. Peasants into Muslims: Poverty and conversions to Islam in Ottoman Bosnia. The Economic History Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/ehr.70022

Nikolić, S., 2025. Spatial inequality in prices and wages within a late‐developing economy: Serbia, 1863–1910. The Economic History Review, 78(1), pp.207-234.  https://doi.org/10.1111/ehr.13348

Nikolić, S., Novokmet, F. and Larysz, P.P., 2024. Income inequality in Eastern Europe: Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia in the twentieth century. Explorations in Economic History, 94, p.101594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eeh.2024.101594