Dissertation Title:
The Rise of Expert Opinion: The Bank of England and Interwar Economic Governance, 1914–1940

Robert Yee specializes in the economic and political history of modern Europe, with a focus on interwar Britain, France, and Germany. His dissertation explores the role of expertise in shaping the international economic order after the First World War. It details the work of technical advisers who implemented reforms while working on advisory committees and advising foreign governments. To this end, the project investigates debates in many areas of economic governance, including monetary policy, German reparations, imperial affairs, and industrial relations.

Robert’s past research has covered a wide range of themes related to finance, banking, and international relations. His work has appeared in the Business History Review, Financial History Review, and Contemporary European History. This research has received support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Embassy of France’s Chateaubriand fellowship, Harvard Business School, and the Centre for History and Economics at the University of Cambridge.

Between 2018 and 2023, Robert was a founding co-coordinator of the Economic History Workshop with Liane Hewitt. Before coming to Princeton, he received a B.A. with Highest Honors in History and Economics from Vanderbilt University, where he was awarded the Dewey Grantham award for the best honors thesis in the department and the Henry Lee Swint Award for undergraduate research. He has also worked as a Business Analyst at Visa and as a Research Associate at the Center for Financial Stability.