Transport and Biological Living Standards: Evidence from Late 19th-Century Catalonia

The living standard of a population is influenced by numerous factors, which, in addition, may change over time. Transport can be one of them as it acts as a mediator for other factors: it influences the price and supply of essential foods; it affects wages and income; it has an impact on the speed of contagious disease spread; it plays a role in the time to access health services. Using Catalonia as a case study, we explore the relationship between transport linkages and well-being in the late nineteenth century. To test this relationship, we rely on two rich and new datasets; one is on individual male heights, and the other consists of municipal market and port access. We conclude that the transport linkages-height nexus was positive, statistically significant and of a non-negligible magnitude, and, contrary to other studies, we do not find evidence that rural areas were negatively affected by market integration, although urban settings appear to have benefited the most. We suggest that the primary mechanisms underlying this positive association were improved food accessibility, along with urban economies and rural development.