IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ehbiol/v37y2020ics1570677x19301856.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The biological standard of living in La Paz (Bolivia), 1880s–1920s: Persistent stagnation and inequality

Author

Listed:
  • Branisa, Boris
  • Peres-Cajías, Jose
  • Caspa, Nigel

Abstract

Based on almost 5.000 direct observations on National Identification Cards, this paper offers the first estimation of the evolution of average heights in the city of La Paz (Bolivia) for the decades 1880s–1920s. The analysis focuses on men of middle and upper classes aged 19–50 years old. Despite the city’s growing economic importance and modernization, average heights remained stagnant around 163 cm. It also stands out that whereas average height differences between professional and ethnic groups remained significant and persistent throughout time, average heights remained stagnant in all groups. Three main reasons are provided to explain these inequalities between groups and stagnation across groups: scarce improvements in agricultural production, increasing wage inequalities and the persistence of a bad disease environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Branisa, Boris & Peres-Cajías, Jose & Caspa, Nigel, 2020. "The biological standard of living in La Paz (Bolivia), 1880s–1920s: Persistent stagnation and inequality," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:37:y:2020:i:c:s1570677x19301856
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100849
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570677X19301856
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100849?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martínez-Carrión, José M. & Salvatore, Ricardo D., 2019. "Inequality And Well-Being In Iberian And Latin American Regions Since 1820. New Approaches From Anthropometric History," Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian and Latin American Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 37(2), pages 193-204, September.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2002. "Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 117(4), pages 1231-1294.
    3. Godoy, Ricardo A. & Leonard, William R. & Reyes-Garcia, Victoria & Goodman, Elizabeth & McDade, Thomas & Huanca, Tomas & Tanner, Susan & Vadez, Vincent, 2006. "Physical stature of adult Tsimane' Amerindians, Bolivian Amazon in the 20th century," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 184-205, June.
    4. Llorca-Jaña, Manuel & Navarrete-Montalvo, Juan & Droller, Federico & Araya-Valenzuela, Roberto, 2018. "Height in eighteenth-century Chilean men: Evidence from military records, 1730–1800s," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 168-178.
    5. Baten, Jöerg & Carson, Scott, 2010. "Latin American anthropometrics, past and present--An overview," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 141-144, July.
    6. Baten, Joerg, 2017. "Economics, human biology and inequality: A review of “puzzles” and recent contributions from a Deatonian perspective," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 3-8.
    7. Komlos, John, 2019. "Shrinking in a growing economy is not so puzzling after all," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 40-55.
    8. Alfonso Herranz-Loncán & José Alejandro Peres-Cajías, 2016. "Tracing the reversal of fortune in the Americas: Bolivian GDP per capita since the mid-nineteenth century," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 10(1), pages 99-128, january.
    9. Wehby, George L. & Castilla, Eduardo E. & Lopez-Camelo, Jorge, 2010. "The impact of altitude on infant health in South America," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 197-211, July.
    10. Joerg Baten & Matthias Blum, 2014. "Why are you tall while others are short? Agricultural production and other proximate determinants of global heights," European Review of Economic History, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(2), pages 144-165.
    11. Koenker, Roger W & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1978. "Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(1), pages 33-50, January.
    12. Bodenhorn, Howard & Guinnane, Timothy W. & Mroz, Thomas A., 2017. "Sample-Selection Biases and the Industrialization Puzzle," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 171-207, March.
    13. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    14. Peres-Cajías, José Alejandro & Carreras-Marín, Anna, 2018. "Official Bolivian Trade Statistics (1910-1949): Landlockness And The Limits Of A Standard Accuracy Approach," Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian and Latin American Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(1), pages 53-86, March.
    15. Twrdek, Linda & Manzel, Kerstin, 2010. "The seed of abundance and misery: Peruvian living standards from the early republican period to the end of the guano era (1820-1880)," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 145-152, July.
    16. Salvatore, Ricardo D., 2007. "Heights, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Argentina, ca. 1850–1950. Preliminary Results," Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian and Latin American Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(1), pages 53-85, January.
    17. Ayuda, María-Isabel & Puche-Gil, Javier, 2014. "Determinants of height and biological inequality in Mediterranean Spain, 1859–1967," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 101-119.
    18. Meisel, Adolfo & Vega, Margarita, 2007. "The biological standard of living (and its convergence) in Colombia, 1870-2003: A tropical success story," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 100-122, March.
    19. Guntupalli, Aravinda Meera & Baten, Joerg, 2006. "The development and inequality of heights in North, West, and East India 1915-1944," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 578-608, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Baten, Joerg & Llorca-Jaña, Manuel, 2021. "Inequality, low-intensity immigration and human capital formation in the regions of Chile, 1820-1939," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Boris Branisa & José Peres-Cajías & Nigel Caspa, 2019. "The biological standard of living in urban Bolivia, 1880s-1920s: stagnation and persistent inequality," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 240, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    2. Llorca-Jaña, Manuel & Clarke, Damian & Navarrete-Montalvo, Juan & Araya-Valenzuela, Roberto & Allende, Martina, 2020. "New anthropometric evidence on living standards in nineteenth-century Chile," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    3. Manuel Llorca-Jaña & Javier Rivas & Damian Clarke & Diego Barría Traverso, 2020. "Height of Male Prisoners in Santiago de Chile during the Nitrate Era: The Penalty of being Unskilled, Illiterate, Illegitimate and Mapuche," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-24, August.
    4. Llorca-Jaña, Manuel & Navarrete-Montalvo, Juan & Droller, Federico & Araya-Valenzuela, Roberto, 2018. "Height in eighteenth-century Chilean men: Evidence from military records, 1730–1800s," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 168-178.
    5. Meisel-Roca, Adolfo & Ramírez-Giraldo, María Teresa & Santos-Cárdenas, Daniela, 2019. "Long run relationship between biological well being, and economic development in Colombia," Working papers 24, Red Investigadores de Economía.
    6. Dobado-González, Rafael & Garcia-Hiernaux, Alfredo, 2017. "Two worlds apart: Determinants of height in late 18th century central Mexico," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 153-163.
    7. Salvatore, Ricardo, 2019. "The biological wellbeing of the working-poor: The height of prisoners in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 1885–1939," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 92-102.
    8. Francisco J. Marco-Gracia & Margarita López-Antón, 2021. "Rethinking the Fertility Transition in Rural Aragón (Spain) Using Height Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-28, August.
    9. Manuel Llorca-Jaña & Juan Navarrete-Montalvo & Roberto Araya-Valenzuela & Federico Droller & Martina Allende & Javier Rivas, 2021. "Height in twentieth-century Chilean men: growth with divergence," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 15(1), pages 135-166, January.
    10. Ricardo D. Salvatore, 2020. "Stunting Rates in a Food-Rich Country: The Argentine Pampas from the 1850s to the 1950s," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-22, October.
    11. Baten, Joerg & Maravall, Laura, 2021. "The influence of colonialism on Africa's welfare: An anthropometric study," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 751-775.
    12. Radatz, Laura & Baten, Joerg, 2023. "Measuring Multidimensional Inequality and Conflict in Africa and in a Global Comparison," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277637, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    13. Martin, Lisa & Baten, Joerg, 2022. "Inequality and Life Expectancy in Africa and Asia, 1820‐2000," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 40-59.
    14. Linares-Luján, Antonio M. & Parejo-Moruno, Francisco M., 2022. "Short men in poor lands: The agrarian workers from southwestern Spain in anthropometric perspective," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    15. Rok Spruk & Mitja Kovac, 2018. "Inefficient Growth," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 9(2).
    16. Galofré-Vilà, Gregori, 2018. "Growth and maturity: A quantitative systematic review and network analysis in anthropometric history," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 107-118.
    17. Robert D. J. Anderson, 2008. "US Consumer Inflation Expectations: Evidence Regarding Learning, Accuracy and Demographics," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 99, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    18. Ito, Keiko, 2004. "Foreign ownership and plant productivity in the Thai automobile industry in 1996 and 1998: a conditional quantile analysis," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 321-353, April.
    19. S. Seo, 2014. "Estimating Tropical Cyclone Damages Under Climate Change in the Southern Hemisphere Using Reported Damages," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 58(3), pages 473-490, July.
    20. Autore, Don M. & Kumar, Raman & Shome, Dilip K., 2008. "The revival of shelf-registered corporate equity offerings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 32-50, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:37:y:2020:i:c:s1570677x19301856. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622964 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.