The biological standard of living and the "Antebellum Puzzle"

The biological standard of living and the Author: Susanne Schalch
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640168909
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Economics - Micro-economics, grade: 1,7, LMU Munich (VWL Lehrstuhl), course: Strategic Factors in the Economic Development of the United States, language: English, abstract: Imagine someone came up to you and asked you: “name three aspects that in your opinion are of great significance to a high standard of living”, what would you say? What determines your perspective towards the standard of living? Do you give priority to income and wealth? To personal freedom? Or to health? With regard to our today’s society, where most products are being invented in order to make our lives more comfortable, it is interesting how the standard of living can be measured best. The most widely adopted measurement of the material standard of living is GDP per capita adjusted for changes in the price level, called inflation or deflation. Usually, one might guess that through a higher GDP per capita, the income and the personal wealth rises and therefore the standard of living also increases. This nevertheless does not reflect the distribution of income, or the environment that affects health and safety. Moreover, crime, pollution, and congestion – which are for many people negatively correlated with their quality of life – are neither considered. GDP per capita therefore just measures the material standard of living, but a lot of other factors are being ignored. That is the reason why the biological rather than the material standard of living should be contemplated in terms of “measuring” the quality of life. A second possibility to measure the standard of living is the HDI (Human Development Index). It consists of 1/3 GDP per capita, 1/3 life expectancy index, plus 1/3 education index. Here, the standard of living does not solely depend on material assets, but also on life expectancy which contains health and the environment and education. However, important factors for the wellbeing like the political system in the country or human rights are missing. For the first time in the 1970s, height was used as a measurement for the standard of living. At first this might seem strange, because one thinks that height depends above all on genes. This is certainly right, but we are not taking a look at the height of individuals but of whole populations.

The biological standard of living and the "Antebellum Puzzle"

The biological standard of living and the Author: Susanne Schalch
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640168909
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Economics - Micro-economics, grade: 1,7, LMU Munich (VWL Lehrstuhl), course: Strategic Factors in the Economic Development of the United States, language: English, abstract: Imagine someone came up to you and asked you: “name three aspects that in your opinion are of great significance to a high standard of living”, what would you say? What determines your perspective towards the standard of living? Do you give priority to income and wealth? To personal freedom? Or to health? With regard to our today’s society, where most products are being invented in order to make our lives more comfortable, it is interesting how the standard of living can be measured best. The most widely adopted measurement of the material standard of living is GDP per capita adjusted for changes in the price level, called inflation or deflation. Usually, one might guess that through a higher GDP per capita, the income and the personal wealth rises and therefore the standard of living also increases. This nevertheless does not reflect the distribution of income, or the environment that affects health and safety. Moreover, crime, pollution, and congestion – which are for many people negatively correlated with their quality of life – are neither considered. GDP per capita therefore just measures the material standard of living, but a lot of other factors are being ignored. That is the reason why the biological rather than the material standard of living should be contemplated in terms of “measuring” the quality of life. A second possibility to measure the standard of living is the HDI (Human Development Index). It consists of 1/3 GDP per capita, 1/3 life expectancy index, plus 1/3 education index. Here, the standard of living does not solely depend on material assets, but also on life expectancy which contains health and the environment and education. However, important factors for the wellbeing like the political system in the country or human rights are missing. For the first time in the 1970s, height was used as a measurement for the standard of living. At first this might seem strange, because one thinks that height depends above all on genes. This is certainly right, but we are not taking a look at the height of individuals but of whole populations.

The Biological Standard of Living in Comparative Perspective

The Biological Standard of Living in Comparative Perspective PDF Author: John Komlos
Publisher: Franz Steiner Verlag
ISBN: 9783515072205
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 532

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Book Description
Inhalt: Part I: The Americas, Asia and Australia: Mit Beitr�gen von: Stephen L. Morgan; Stephen Nicholas / Robert Gregory / Sue Kimberley; Henk-Jan Brinkman / J.W. Drukker; Ricardo Salvatore / J�rg Baten; Ricardo D. Salvatore; Insong Gill; Richard H. Steckel / Paul W. Sciulli / Jerome C. Rose; Michael R. Haines; Philip R. P. Coelho / Robert A. McGuire; Lee A. Craig / Thomas Weiss; Timothy Cuff; John Komlos; Brian A'Hearn; Barry Bogin / Ryan Keep; Markus Heintel; W. Peter Ward Part II: Europe: Mit Beitr�gen von: Edwin Horlings / Jan-Pieter Smits; Jos� M. Martinez Carri�n / Juan J. Perez Castej�n; Gloria Quiroga Valle; Sebasti�n Coll; Lydia Sapounaki-Dracaki; Bernard Harris; Markus Heintel / Lars G. Sandberg / Richard H. Steckel; Joaquim da Costa Leite; Jesper L. Boldsen / Jes S�gaard; Holle Greil; Sally Horrocks / David Smith; Philip T. Hoffman - Joerg Baten / John Komlos: Conclusion "Die mit umfangreichen Literaturverweisen bereicherten Beitr�ge bieten ueberraschend konkrete Einblicke in die Sozialstruktur der verschiedensten Bev�lkerungsgruppen und ihre Lebensbedingungen." Das Historisch-Politische Buch .

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology PDF Author: John Komlos
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199389292
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 849

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology provides an extensive and insightful overview of how economic conditions affect human well-being and how human health influences economic outcomes. The book addresses both macro and micro factors, as well as their interaction, providing new understanding of complex relationships and developments in economic history and economic dynamics. Among the topics explored is how variation in height, whether over time, among different socioeconomic groups, or in different locations, is an important indicator of changes in economic growth and economic development, levels of economic inequality, and economic opportunities for individuals.

The Changing Body

The Changing Body PDF Author: Roderick Floud
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139500805
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 459

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Book Description
Humans have become much taller and heavier, and experience healthier and longer lives than ever before in human history. However it is only recently that historians, economists, human biologists and demographers have linked the changing size, shape and capability of the human body to economic and demographic change. This fascinating and groundbreaking book presents an accessible introduction to the field of anthropometric history, surveying the causes and consequences of changes in health and mortality, diet and the disease environment in Europe and the United States since 1700. It examines how we define and measure health and nutrition as well as key issues such as whether increased longevity contributes to greater productivity or, instead, imposes burdens on society through the higher costs of healthcare and pensions. The result is a major contribution to economic and social history with important implications for today's developing world and the health trends of the future.

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology PDF Author: Dr. John Komlos
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190631651
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 849

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology provides an extensive and insightful overview of how economic conditions affect human well-being and how human health influences economic outcomes. Among the topics explored are how variations in height, whether over time, among different socio-economic groups, and in different locations, are important indicators of changes in economic growth and economic development, levels of economic inequality, and economic opportunities for individuals. The book covers a broad geographic range: Africa, Latin and North America, Asia, and Europe. Its temporal scope ranges from the late Iron Age to the present. Taking advantage of recent improvements in data and economic methods, the book also explores how humans' biological conditions influence and are influenced by their economic circumstances, including poverty. Among the issues addressed are how height, body mass index (BMI), and obesity can affect and are affected by productivity, wages, and wealth. How family environment affects health and well-being is examined, as is the importance of both pre-birth and early childhood conditions for subsequent economic outcomes. Reflecting this dynamic and expanding area of research, the volume shows that well-being is a salient aspect of economics, and the new toolkit of evidence from biological living standards enhances understanding of industrialization, commercialization, income distribution, the organization of health care, social status, and the redistributive state affect such human attributes as physical stature, weight, and the obesity epidemic in historical and contemporary populations.

Handbook of Cliometrics

Handbook of Cliometrics PDF Author: Claude Diebolt
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031355830
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 2796

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Book Description


Economic History of Living Standards in Brazil

Economic History of Living Standards in Brazil PDF Author: Daniel W. Franken
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040226779
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
Incorporating political, economic, and environmental factors, this book explores the evolution of health and living standards in Brazil in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It draws on anthropometric data and an interdisciplinary approach to illuminate the profound socioeconomic transformations that unfolded in Brazil during this period. Through an analysis of archival military and passport records, the book reveals an increase in heights starting in the 1880s, predating the Vargas Era’s economic growth and social reforms. It also offers novel insights into Brazil’s regional development divide, showing that regional height differentials existed as early as the mid-nineteenth century (before industrialization began in earnest). Innovative methods, such as surname sorting to study immigration and merging anthropometric data with historical weather records to study the link between climate and health, are introduced. Qualitative evidence on municipal-level clean water and sewage interventions, along with data on malaria and hookworm disease, further corroborate the observed longitudinal trends and spatial patterns in stature. Scholars and students of historical anthropometrics, living standards, and Brazilian history will find this book essential, as will those with a broader interest in Latin American or economic history.

The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History

The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History PDF Author: Robert M. Whaples
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135121206
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History aims to introduce readers to important approaches and findings of economic historians who study the modern world. Its short chapters reflect the most up-to-date research and are written by well-known economic historians who are authorities on their subjects. Modern economic history blends two approaches – Cliometrics (which focuses on measuring economic variables and explicitly testing theories about the historical performance and development of the economy) and the New Institutional Economics (which focuses on how social, cultural, legal and organizational norms and rules shape economic outcomes and their evolution). Part 1 of the Handbook introduces these approaches and other important methodological issues for economic history. The most fundamental shift in the economic history of the world began about two and a half centuries ago when eons of slow economic change and faltering economic growth gave way to sustained, rapid economic expansion. Part 2 examines this theme and the primary forces economic historians have linked to economic growth, stagnation and fluctuations – including technological change, entrepreneurship, competition, the biological environment, war, financial panics and business cycles. Part 3 examines the evolution of broad sectors that typify a modern economy including agriculture, banking, transportation, health care, housing, and entertainment. It begins by examining an equally important "sector" of the economy which scholars have increasingly analyzed using economic tools – religion. Part 4 focuses on the work force and human outcomes including inequality, labor markets, unions, education, immigration, slavery, urbanization, and the evolving economic roles of women and African-Americans. The text will be of great value to those taking economic history courses as well as a reference book useful to professional practitioners, policy makers and the public.

Institutions, Innovation, and Industrialization

Institutions, Innovation, and Industrialization PDF Author: Avner Greif
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691202737
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
This book brings together a group of leading economic historians to examine how institutions, innovation, and industrialization have determined the development of nations. Presented in honor of Joel Mokyr—arguably the preeminent economic historian of his generation—these wide-ranging essays address a host of core economic questions. What are the origins of markets? How do governments shape our economic fortunes? What role has entrepreneurship played in the rise and success of capitalism? Tackling these and other issues, the book looks at coercion and exchange in the markets of twelfth-century China, sovereign debt in the age of Philip II of Spain, the regulation of child labor in nineteenth-century Europe, meat provisioning in pre–Civil War New York, aircraft manufacturing before World War I, and more. The book also features an essay that surveys Mokyr's important contributions to the field of economic history, and an essay by Mokyr himself on the origins of the Industrial Revolution. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Gergely Baics, Hoyt Bleakley, Fabio Braggion, Joyce Burnette, Louis Cain, Mauricio Drelichman, Narly Dwarkasing, Joseph Ferrie, Noel Johnson, Eric Jones, Mark Koyama, Ralf Meisenzahl, Peter Meyer, Joel Mokyr, Lyndon Moore, Cormac Ó Gráda, Rick Szostak, Carolyn Tuttle, Karine van der Beek, Hans-Joachim Voth, and Simone Wegge.

The Standard of Living and Revolutions in Imperial Russia, 1700-1917

The Standard of Living and Revolutions in Imperial Russia, 1700-1917 PDF Author: Boris Mironov
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136315195
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 706

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Book Description
This is the first full-scale anthropometric history of Imperial Russia (1700-1917). It mobilizes an immense volume of archival material to chart the growth, weight, and other anthropometric indicators of the male and female populations in order to chart how the standard of living in Russia changed over slightly more than two centuries. It draws on a wide range of data—statistics on agricultural production, taxation, prices and wages, nutrition, and demography—to draw conclusions on the dynamics in the standard of living over this long period of time. The economic, social, and political interpretation of these findings make it possible to reconsider the prevailing views in the historiography and to offer a new perspective on Imperial Russia.