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The lasting damage to mortality of early-life adversity: evidence from the English famine of the late 1720s

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  • Marc Klemp
  • Jacob Weisdorf

Abstract

This paper explores the long-term impact on mortality of exposure to hardship in early-life. Using survival analysis, we demonstrate that birth during the great English famine of the late 1720s entailed an increased death risk throughout life among those who survived the famine years. Using demographic data from the Cambridge Group's Population History of England, we find the death risk at age 10 among the most exposed group—children born to English Midlands families of a lower socioeconomic rank—is up to 66 percent higher than that of the control group (children of similar background born in the 5 years following the famine). This corresponds to a loss of life expectancy of more than 12 years. However, evidence does not suggest that children born in the 5 years prior to the famine suffered increased death risk. Copyright , Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Klemp & Jacob Weisdorf, 2012. "The lasting damage to mortality of early-life adversity: evidence from the English famine of the late 1720s," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 16(3), pages 233-246, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ereveh:v:16:y:2012:i:3:p:233-246
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ereh/hes003
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    Cited by:

    1. Lahey, Joanna N. & Wanamaker, Marianne H., 2025. "Effects of restrictive abortion legislation on cohort mortality evidence from 19th century law variation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    2. Jacob Weisdorf, 2024. "Church Book Registry: A Cliometric View," Springer Books, in: Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert (ed.), Handbook of Cliometrics, edition 3, pages 589-610, Springer.
    3. van den Berg, Gerard J. & Pinger, Pia R., 2016. "Transgenerational effects of childhood conditions on third generation health and education outcomes," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 103-120.
    4. Marc P. B. Klemp, 2012. "Erratum to: Prices, wages and fertility in pre-industrial England," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 6(2), pages 221-221, May.
    5. Weisdorf, Jacob & Cinnirella, Francesco & Klemp, Marc, 2012. "Malthus in the Bedroom: Birth Spacing as a Preventive Check Mechanism in Pre-Modern England," CEPR Discussion Papers 9116, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Cormac Ó Gráda, 2019. "Economic History: «An Isthmus Joining Two Great Continents»?," Rivista di storia economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 81-120.
    7. Stephen D Billington & Alan J Hanna, 2021. "That’s classified! Inventing a new patent taxonomy [Text matching to measure patent similarity]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 30(3), pages 678-705.
    8. Sharp, Paul & Weisdorf, Jacob, 2013. "Globalization revisited: Market integration and the wheat trade between North America and Britain from the eighteenth century," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 88-98.
    9. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Canuto, Otaviano & da Silva, Luiz Pereira, 2014. "On gender and growth: The role of intergenerational health externalities and women's occupational constraints," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 132-147.
    10. Billington, Stephen D., 2018. "Patent costs and the value of inventions: Explaining patenting behaviour between England, Ireland and Scotland, 1617-1852," QUCEH Working Paper Series 2018-10, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Centre for Economic History.

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