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Welfare Trends among the Yoruba in the Early Nineteenth Century: The Anthropometric Evidence

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  • Eltis, David

Abstract

Analysis indicates that the Yoruba were taller than other West African peoples in the early nineteenth century. Disease, workloads, and environmental or genetic factors explain little of this differential. Rather, it appears due to a superior nutritional status made possible by Yoruba social structures, in particular, Yoruba towns. Yoruba stature declined both absolutely and relatively over the forty years corresponding to the collapse of the Oyo Empire. Regression analysis suggests a systematic relationship between these two events.

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  • Eltis, David, 1990. "Welfare Trends among the Yoruba in the Early Nineteenth Century: The Anthropometric Evidence," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(3), pages 521-540, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:50:y:1990:i:03:p:521-540_03
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    Cited by:

    1. Sédi-Anne Boukaka & Giulia Mancini & Giovanni Vecchi, 2021. "Poverty and inequality in Francophone Africa, 1960s–2010s," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 1-29, January.
    2. Gareth Austin & Stephen Broadberry, 2014. "Introduction: The renaissance of African economic history," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 67(4), pages 893-906, November.
    3. Angeles, Luis, 2012. "On the causes of the African Slave Trade," SIRE Discussion Papers 2012-91, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    4. Klas Rönnbäck, 2014. "Living standards on the pre-colonial Gold Coast: a quantitative estimate of African laborers’ welfare ratios," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 18(2), pages 185-202.
    5. Luis Angeles, 2013. "On the Causes of the A frican Slave Trade," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(1), pages 1-26, February.
    6. J. R. Ward, 2018. "The amelioration of British West Indian slavery: anthropometric evidence," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 71(4), pages 1199-1226, November.

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