Dr. Handel is an economic historian. His research examines how technical questions of market structure—that is, how we design, operate, and regulate financial markets—have social effects beyond the financial system itself. He is currently at work on two projects. The first is a history of the first efforts to design, enclose, and connect financial markets at a global scale during the 19th century. This book examines how the introduction of new technologies like the telegraph, ticker tape, and telephone reshaped financial markets; how financial markets standardized pricing data; and how the expansion of global financial markets relied not only on the expertise of specialized financiers, but also lower-class back-office and service workers. Dr. Handel’s second project investigates how, after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, British bankers and financiers reinvested in slavery throughout the rest of the Americas.

 

Dr. Handel teaches widely on topics ranging from the history of financial crises to contemporary issues in finance and society.