IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/ecdecc/y2006v54i2p503-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Growth of Agricultural Output and Food Supply in Meiji Japan: Economic Miracle or Statistical Artifact?

Author

Listed:
  • Bassino, Jean-Pascal

Abstract

It is generally accepted that agriculture played a crucial role in Japanese economic development during the Meiji period (1868-1912). According to the Long-Term Economic Statistics of Japan estimates, per capita food consumption grew by 1.1% annually in constant yen between 1874 and 1912. Food-supply data converted into caloric intake indicate a growth of 1.0%, representing a leap from about 1,500 to 2,200 calories per person per day. This spectacular improvement in living standards resulting from induced innovation has affected the analyses of the role of agriculture as well as economic development strategies for twentieth-century developing countries. However, these estimates of staple food consumption appear to be at odds with data from late nineteenth-century surveys: there is mounting evidence that this aspect of the Meiji economic miracle is the result of a statistical artifact.

Suggested Citation

  • Bassino, Jean-Pascal, 2006. "The Growth of Agricultural Output and Food Supply in Meiji Japan: Economic Miracle or Statistical Artifact?," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 54(2), pages 503-520, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:y:2006:v:54:i:2:p:503-20
    DOI: 10.1086/497012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/497012
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1086/497012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ardeni, Pier Giorgio & Freebairn, John, 2002. "The macroeconomics of agriculture," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, in: B. L. Gardner & G. C. Rausser (ed.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 28, pages 1455-1485, Elsevier.
    2. Hanley, Susan B., 1983. "A High Standard of Living in Nineteenth-Century Japan: Fact or Fantasy?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 183-192, March.
    3. Yasuba, Yasukichi, 1986. "Standard of Living in Japan Before Industrialization: From What Level Did Japan Begin? A Comment," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(1), pages 217-224, March.
    4. Ma, Debin, 2004. "Why Japan, Not China, Was the First to Develop in East Asia: Lessons from Sericulture, 1850-1937," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(2), pages 369-394, January.
    5. Yujiro Hayami & Cristina C. David & Piedad Flores‐Moya & Masao Kikuchi, 1978. "Agricultural Growth Against A Land Resource Constraint: The Philippine Experience: Reply," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 22(2-3), pages 210-210, 08-12.
    6. Komlos, John, 1998. "Shrinking in a Growing Economy? The Mystery of Physical Stature during the Industrial Revolution," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 58(03), pages 779-802, September.
    7. Kikuchi, Masao & Hayami, Yujiro, 1978. "Agricultural Growth against a Land Resource Constraint: A Comparative History of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and the Philippines," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(4), pages 839-864, December.
    8. Hayami, Yujiro & Ruttan, V W, 1970. "Factor Prices and Technical Change in Agricultural Development: The United States and Japan, 1880-1960," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(5), pages 1115-1141, Sept.-Oct.
    9. Kelley, Allen C. & Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1971. "Writing History Backwards: Meiji Japan Revisited," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(4), pages 729-776, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Kyoji Fukao & Ralph Paprzycki & Tokihiko Settsu & Tangjun Yuan, 2010. "Regional Inequality and Industrial Structures in Pre-War Japan: An Analysis Based on New Prefectural GDP Estimates," Global COE Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series gd10-138, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    2. Bassino, Jean-Pascal & Lagoarde-Segot, Thomas & Woitek, Ulrich, 2022. "Prenatal climate shocks and adult height in developing countries. Evidence from Japan (1872–1917)," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    3. Bassino, Jean-Pascal, 2006. "Inequality in Japan (1892-1941): Physical stature, income, and health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 62-88, January.
    4. Bassino, Jean-Pascal & Lagoarde-Segot, Thomas & Woitek, Ulrich, 2020. "The irreversible welfare cost of climate anomalies. Evidence from Japan (1872-1917)," Discussion Paper Series 704, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Marion Dovis & John Komlos, 2018. "Biological well-being in late nineteenth-century Philippines," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 12(1), pages 33-60, January.
    2. Bassino, Jean-Pascal & Broadberry, Stephen & Fukao, Kyoji & Gupta, Bishnupriya & Takashima, Masanori, 2019. "Japan and the great divergence, 730–1874," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1-22.
    3. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Marion Dovis & John Komlos, 2015. "Biological Well-Being in Late 19th Century Philippines," NBER Working Papers 21410, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Barker, Randolph & Levine, G., 2012. "Water productivity in context: the experiences of Taiwan and the Philippines over the past half-century," IWMI Research Reports 158343, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Siami-Namini, Sima & Hudson, Darren & Trindade, A. Alexandre & Lyford, Conrad, 2018. "Commodity Prices, Monetary Policy and the Taylor Rule," 2018 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2018, Jacksonville, Florida 266719, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    6. John Komlos, 2009. "Recent Trends in Height by Gender and Ethnicity in the US in Relation to Levels of Income," NBER Working Papers 14635, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Maria-Dolores, Ramon & Martínez Carrion, José Miguel, 2012. "The comovement between height and some economic development indicators in Spain," UMUFAE Economics Working Papers 26464, DIGITUM. Universidad de Murcia.
    8. Komlos, John, 2012. "A Three-Decade “Kuhnian” History of the Antebellum Puzzle: Explaining the shrinking of the US population at the onset of modern economic growth," Discussion Papers in Economics 12758, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    9. Go, Delfin S. & Kearney, Marna & Robinson, Sherman & Thierfelder, Karen, 2004. "An Analysis of South Africa's Value Added Tax," Conference papers 331274, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    10. Stegl, Mojgan & Baten, Joerg, 2009. "Tall and shrinking Muslims, short and growing Europeans: The long-run welfare development of the Middle East, 1850-1980," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 132-148, January.
    11. Sima Siami‐Namini & Darren Hudson & Adao Alexandre Trindade & Conrad Lyford, 2019. "Commodity price volatility and U.S. monetary policy: Commodity price overshooting revisited," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(2), pages 200-218, April.
    12. Liu, Yucan & Shumway, C. Richard, 2009. "Induced innovation and marginal cost of new technology," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 106-109, October.
    13. Czyżewski Andrzej & Grzelak Aleksander, 2018. "Application of the input-output model for structural analysis on the example of the agricultural sector in Poland," Management, Sciendo, vol. 22(2), pages 285-298, December.
    14. Shinichi Kitano, 2021. "Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    15. Robert C. Allen, 2015. "The high wage economy and the industrial revolution: a restatement," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(1), pages 1-22, February.
    16. Nagarajan, Aravindhan, 2019. "Addressing the Climate Change Debate in Agriculture," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 9(1), July.
    17. Kitae Sohn, 2015. "A World Record in the Improvement in Biological Standards of Living in Korea: Evidence from Age at Menarche," CEH Discussion Papers 037, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    18. Scott Carson, 2011. "Demographic, residential, and socioeconomic effects on the distribution of nineteenth-century African-American stature," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 24(4), pages 1471-1491, October.
    19. Fukunishi, Takahiro & Yamagata, Tatsufumi, 2013. "Slow and steady wins the race : how the garment industry leads industrialization in low-income countries," IDE Discussion Papers 412, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    20. Robert C. Allen, 2015. "The high wage economy and the industrial revolution: a restatement," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(1), pages 1-22, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:y:2006:v:54:i:2:p:503-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Journals Division (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/EDCC .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.