Convergence (and divergence) in the biological standard of living in the USA, 1820–1900
Areendam Chanda,
Lee Craig (lacraig@ncsu.edu) and
Julianne Treme
Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, 2008, vol. 2, issue 1, 19-48
Abstract:
Standard economic indicators suggest that the USA experienced long-run economic growth throughout the nineteenth century. However, biological indicators, including human stature, offer a different picture, rising early in the century, falling (on average) mid-century, and rising again at the end of the century. This pattern varied across geographical regions. Using a unique data set, consisting of mean adult stature by state, we test for convergence in stature among states in the nineteenth century. We find that during the period of declining mean stature (1820–1870), heights actually diverged. Later in the century (1870–1890) we find a type of “negative” convergence indicating that stature among states tended to converge to a new, lower steady state. Only towards the end of the century (1880–1900) do we find classic convergence behavior. We argue that the diversity of economic experiences across regions, including urbanization, industrialization, and transportation improvements, explain this pattern of divergence and then convergence.
Keywords: Convergence; Nutrition; Stature; Standard of living (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 N11 O47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)
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