Abstract

This essay charts the history, nature and uses of Finnish historical household budget data. Three perspectives are discussed: that of the changing interests of the state in producing knowledge on households; that of the multiple interests of various societal actors in shaping household behaviour through budgeting, including the households themselves; and that of reanalysis for modern economic history. In the last instance, the main focus is on microeconometric perspectives. In the process, an overview of the sources available will be presented. To conclude, historically generated bias and future research potential of the sources are discussed.