Peter Murrell

Peter Murrell is a Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland since 1977, serving as Department Chair from 2005 to 2012. His research focuses on comparative economic institutions, historical legal evolution, and transition economies. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and degrees from the London School of Economics.

Education:

• B.Sc. (Econ), London School of Economics
• M.Sc. (Econ), London School of Economics
• Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests: Murrell’s work traces institutional development from socialist economies to modern England’s legal foundations. Key areas include legal evolution in the 17th century, post-Soviet reforms, and methodological innovations in measuring corruption and institutional spillovers. His recent projects combine machine learning with historical text analysis to uncover patterns in English caselaw and print culture.

Awards & Recognition:

• Montias Prize (2017) for best article in Journal of Comparative Economics
• Elinor Ostrom Prize (2022) for best Journal of Institutional Economics article
• Presidential Address to the Association of Comparative Economic Studies (2011)

Teaching & Academic Service: Teaches courses including Thinking Like an Economist and Comparative Economic Institutions. Served on editorial boards of Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Comparative Economics, and others. Active in policy research with the World Bank and USAID, focusing on institutional reforms in transition economies.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates extensively with scholars like Peter Grajzl on legal history and institutional evolution projects, leveraging computational methods to analyze historical texts.