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The urban–rural height gap: evidence from late nineteenth-century Catalonia

Author

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  • Ramon Ramon-Muñoz

    (Department of Economic History, Institutions, Politics and World Economy, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Barcelona, Diagonal, 690, 08034, Barcelona, Spain)

  • Josep-Maria Ramon-Muñoz

    (Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain)

Abstract

This paper aims to establish whether there was a gap in biological living standards between urban and rural areas in late nineteenth-century Catalonia, and if so, to determine its extent. The study makes use of a large new dataset based on military records for the cohort of males born in the year 1890 and enlisted in the year 1911. By combining individual heights with information at municipal level, we conclude that the 1890 cohort of conscripts living in rural areas were shorter than those that resided in towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000 people. We also hypothesise about the reasons why urban dwellers in late nineteenth-century Catalonia were taller than their rural counterparts by considering the potential role of rural–urban migration, improvements in public sanitation and health care, and progresses in the quantity and quality of food availability for urban dwellers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramon Ramon-Muñoz & Josep-Maria Ramon-Muñoz, 2024. "The urban–rural height gap: evidence from late nineteenth-century Catalonia," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 18(1), pages 103-149, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:cliome:v:18:y:2024:i:1:p:103-149
    DOI: 10.1007/s11698-022-00263-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Voth, Hans-Joachim, 1998. "Time and Work in Eighteenth-Century London," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 58(1), pages 29-58, March.
    2. Zimran, Ariell, 2019. "Sample-Selection Bias and Height Trends in the Nineteenth-Century United States," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(1), pages 99-138, March.
    3. Voth, Hans-Joachim, 2001. "The Longest Years: New Estimates Of Labor Input In England, 1760–1830," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(4), pages 1065-1082, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pere Castell & Ramon Ramon-Muñoz, 2022. "Deterministic and Contingent Factors in the Genesis of Agribusiness Clusters: The Pigmeat Industry in Nineteenth-Century Catalonia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-24, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Biological living standards · Well-being · Urban penalty · Urban premium;

    JEL classification:

    • N33 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N93 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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