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The biological standard of living and body height in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia, 1770–2000

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  • Jörg Baten
  • Mojgan Stegl
  • Pierre Eng

Abstract

How did the biological standard of living develop in Indonesia during colonial times? Did it increase substantially after decolonization? In our study, we use four sets of anthropometric data to construct time series of average human height since the 1770s. The paper observes a significant decline in heights in the 1870s, followed by only modest recovery during the next three decades, both of which are related to a sequence of disasters. Average heights increased from the 1900s and accelerated after World War II. The World Economic Crisis, the Japanese occupation and the war of independence in the 1930s and 1940s constituted a difficult period. Average height growth thereafter is related to improvements in food supply and the disease environment, particularly hygiene and medical care. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2013

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  • Jörg Baten & Mojgan Stegl & Pierre Eng, 2013. "The biological standard of living and body height in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia, 1770–2000," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 103-122, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbioec:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:103-122
    DOI: 10.1007/s10818-012-9144-2
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    Cited by:

    1. van der Eng, Pierre & Sohn, Kitae, 2019. "The biological standard of living in Indonesia during the 20th century: Evidence from the age at menarche," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 216-224.
    2. Hatton, Timothy J. & Sparrow, Robert & Suryadarma, Daniel & van der Eng, Pierre, 2018. "Fertility and the health of children in Indonesia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 67-78.
    3. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Marion Dovis & John Komlos, 2018. "Biological well-being in late nineteenth-century Philippines," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 12(1), pages 33-60, January.
    4. Yi Xu & Zhihong Shi & Bas Leeuwen & Yuping Ni & Zipeng Zhang & Ye Ma, 2017. "Chinese National Income, ca. 1661–1933," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(3), pages 368-393, November.
    5. Begoña Candela-Martínez & José M. Martínez-Carrión & Cándido Román-Cervantes, 2021. "Biological Well-Being and Inequality in Canary Islands: Lanzarote (Cohorts 1886–1982)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-21, December.
    6. Hal Hill, 2020. "Indonesian Living Standards over 50 Years: A Multidimensional Analysis," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 249-274, September.
    7. Carolin Schmidt, 2018. "Home is where the health is: Housing and adult height from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries," ERES eres2018_33, European Real Estate Society (ERES).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Biological standard of living; Human heights; Indonesia; Welfare; Economic development; N35; O15; I31;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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