Evaluation – Economics & Digital Humanities Project

Economics and Digital Humanities Compatibility

Our analysis of Economics through the Atlas of Economic Complexity project and the PNAS publication “The Building Blocks of Economic Complexity” demonstrates strong grounds for productive collaboration between Economics and Digital Humanities.

SUMMARY OF ALIGNMENT

Across every dimension of our analysis Economics and Digital Humanities exhibit remarkable compatibility

Values

The Atlas demonstrates team-based, interdisciplinary research mirroring DH project structures

Tools and Methods

Both fields use digital tools to make complex information accessible to broader audiences beyond academic specialists

Goals

Both prioritize preserving data through rigorous documentation and open repositories

The Atlas of Economic Complexity itself showcases successful DH-Economics collaboration.

As an award-winning digital project, iT...

Uses computational methods to analyze cultural-economic data (economic complexity as cultural knowledge)

Preserves historical trade datasets from 1962-present for reproducible research

Makes findings publicly accessible through interactive web visualizations

Operates as a team-based, interdisciplinary project at Harvard's Growth Lab

The PNAS publication further validates this collaboration by

Documenting transparent methodologies

Applying rigorous computational analysis to understand human economic behavior

Sharing datasets openly (COMTRADE, NBER)

BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION

Productive collaboration between Economics and Digital Humanities offers significant mutual benefits

FOR ECONOMICS

Access to DH visualization and interface design expertise to communicate complex economic findings
Adoption of DH transparency and openness standards would only increase research impact
Integration with broader cultural analysis frameworks to provide further context on economic patterns

FOR DIGITAL HUMANITIES

Application of economic network analysis methods to cultural networks.
Expansion of DH’s scope to include economic data as cultural data
Access to robust quantitative modeling techniques from Economics

FOR SOCIETY

More accessible economic information for policymakers and citizens through DH presentation methods
Insights connecting economic development to cultural factors
Open data practices that democratize access to both economic and cultural knowledge

CONCLUSION

Based on our analysis, collaboration between Economics and Digital Humanities is not only possible but already happening in projects like the Atlas of Economic Complexity. The two fields share core commitments to analyzing, preserving, and sharing data. They value collaboration, experimentation, and openness. They also rely on many of the same computational tools and methods.

The Atlas project shows how treating economic data as cultural data can produce award-winning research. It applies DH principles of transparency, accessibility, and public engagement with real-world impact. Economics gains from DH’s focus on clear communication and visualization. DH benefits from economics’ rigorous quantitative methods and network analysis.

For these reasons, we strongly support continued and expanded collaboration between Economics and Digital Humanities. Future work could, for example, apply economic complexity methods to cultural networks and artistic movements, build more joint projects that explore the cultural dimensions of economic systems, and train scholars who are comfortable with both quantitative economic modeling and DH-style digital methods. Taken together, our findings suggest that Economics and Digital Humanities are natural partners in the digital age of research and scholarship.