The biological wellbeing of the working-poor: The height of prisoners in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 1885–1939

As a way to contribute to the debate on social inequality, poverty, and well-being in Argentina's long-term development, this article presents new evidence on the stature of prisoners in Buenos Aires province, the richest province in the Pampa region. The evidence shows very modest gains in the stature of prisoners for the period 1885–1939. This finding clearly indicates the persistence of early childhood malnutrition and poor health among families of the working-poor in the small towns of Buenos Aires province. Five decades of modest stature growth underscores the limitation of state policies of education, sanitation, and social reform in elevating the health and nutrition conditions of the working-poor. At the heart of the pampas, in the context of a successful food exporting economy, a working-class population cursed by the combination of low human capital and social vulnerability failed to attained a substantial improvement in their biological wellbeing.