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Ian Kumekawa focuses on the history of economic thinking, imperial statecraft, and global capitalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. His interests include the history of bureaucracy and digital humanities, particularly network visualizations. Ian’s recent book, 'Empty Vessel: Global Economy Barge' (Knopf, John Murray, 2025), explores world offshore capitalism over the past forty years, telling the story of the neoliberal transformation of the economy through the narrative of a ship and its thousands of inhabitants, highlighting the material infrastructures that enabled globalization. His previous work, 'Serious Optimist' (Princeton University Press, 2017), examines the intellectual origins of welfare economics, focusing on A.C. Pigou, a prominent economist from Cambridge. Ian is currently working on a forthcoming book titled 'Business State: Capture British Empire,' which discusses the cultural capture of the British imperial state by big business in the early 20th century and the political and administrative inroads made by British businessmen during and after World War I. Ian's research aims to unveil the intersections of commerce and state power in shaping the geopolitical landscape of Britain, historically regarded as a paragon of liberal democracy.