Colin Lewis

Professor Colin Lewis is a distinguished academic in the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research focuses on the political economy of development, fiscal and monetary history, and Latin American economic and social policy, with a particular emphasis on British business influence in Argentina and Brazil. He holds the academic rank of Professor and has contributed extensively to scholarship on Latin American industrial growth, state formation, and the role of external actors in economic development.

Key research areas include the political economy of development, fiscal and monetary history, social policy, industrial growth, and the impact of British investment in Latin America. His work spans both monographs and edited volumes, including British Railways in Argentina, 1857-1914 and Historical Dictionary of Argentina. Recent projects explore the long-term trajectory of British enterprises in Argentina and the broader implications of economic imperialism in Latin America.

Professor Lewis's publications frequently analyze the intersections between historical context, economic policy, and political structures. His articles and chapters often address themes such as colonial legacy, comparative modernization, and the evolution of social and economic institutions in Latin America. Notable contributions include analyses of the Argentine railway sector’s transformation during the inter-war period and re-evaluations of historical debates around economic imperialism and industrialization.

His academic career has been marked by a commitment to interdisciplinary research, blending economic history with political science and sociology to understand complex developmental processes. This approach is evident in his collaborative work on edited volumes such as Latin America, Economic Imperialism and the State and Exclusion and Engagement: Social Policy in Latin America.