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Did Australian Living Standards Stagnate between 1890 and 1940?

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  • McLean, Ian W.
  • Pincus, Jonathan J.

Abstract

Among the developed countries, Australia in the period 1890–1940 experienced the fastest growth in population but the slowest in per capita income. When adjusted to incorporate the direct deflation of consumption expenditure, however, the growth of real GDP is raised by one-third, albeit to the still modest level of 0.8 percent annually. Inspection of a number of historical social indicators, not all caught in GDP, gives no support to the hypothesis of stagnant living standards. Finally, increases in life expectancy, a shorter working week, and earlier retirement also suggest substantial improvements in dimensions of standards of living not directly reflected in measured GDP. Conservatively, we estimate that living standards may have doubled over the half-century.

Suggested Citation

  • McLean, Ian W. & Pincus, Jonathan J., 1983. "Did Australian Living Standards Stagnate between 1890 and 1940?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 193-202, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:43:y:1983:i:01:p:193-202_02
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Graeme Donald Snooks, 2008. "Australia'S Long-Run Economic Strategy, Performance, And Policy: A New Dynamic Perspective," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 27(3), pages 208-232, September.
    2. Geoffrey Brooke & Lydia Cheung, 2019. "Body Sizes in Nineteenth Century New Zealand: An Empirical Investigation using the NZ Contingents in the Second Boer war," Working Papers 2019-05, Auckland University of Technology, Department of Economics.
    3. Graeme Donald Snooks, 2006. "Dynamics Downunder: Australian Economic Strategy and Performance from the Palaeolithic to the Twenty-first Century," CEPR Discussion Papers 539, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    4. Rajabrata Banerjee & John K. Wilson, 2016. "Roles of Education in Productivity Growth in Australia, 1860–1939," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 92(296), pages 47-66, March.
    5. Ian W. Mclean, 2004. "Australian Economic Growth in Historical Perspective," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 80(250), pages 330-345, September.
    6. Andrew Seltzer & Martin Shanahan & Claire Wright, 2022. "The Rise and Fall and Rise (?) of Economic History in Australia," CEH Discussion Papers 05, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    7. David Merrett & Simon Ville, 2011. "Tariffs, Subsidies, And Profits: A Re‐Assessment Of Structural Change In Australia 1901–39," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 51(1), pages 46-70, March.
    8. Johan Fourie & Martine Mariotti & Kris Inwood, 2018. "Military technology and sample selection bias," Working Papers 03/2018, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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