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Did the US annexation of Puerto Rico in 1898 increase the biological standard of living of its population? A first anthropometric approach

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  • Javier Moreno Lázaro

    (Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain)

Abstract

This paper hypothesises that the annexation of Puerto Rico by the United States in 1898 led to a decline in material well-being, as measured by individual height, that lasted for the first three decades of the twentieth century. To demonstrate this, a significant sample has been created made up of the height of males born in Puerto Rico between 1877 and 1929 who were enlisted in the army between 1940 and 1947. In order to make the relevant comparisons a second sample with the heights of California residents has also been created. The results of the calculations show a sharp decline in the height of Puerto Ricans, both in relative and absolute terms. This deterioration was due to the shortcomings of the public policies implemented by the US government, which failed to improve the working, food, health and residential conditions of Puerto Ricans. In addition, they suffered the social costs of the price of sugar on the world market as well as those inherent in the late adoption of industrial capitalism. These results call into question the indolence of Spanish colonialism and highlight the difficulties of emerging US colonialism in generating welfare in the territories it occupied.

Suggested Citation

  • Javier Moreno Lázaro, 2024. "Did the US annexation of Puerto Rico in 1898 increase the biological standard of living of its population? A first anthropometric approach," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 2404, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    • Handle: RePEc:ahe:dtaehe:2404
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raymond E. Crist, 1948. "Sugar Cane and Coffee in Puerto Rico, III," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(4), pages 469-474, July.
    2. Raymond E. Crist, 1948. "Sugar Cane and Coffee in Puerto Rico, II," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 321-337, April.
    3. Raymond E. Crist, 1948. "Sugar Cane and Coffee in Puerto Rico, I," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(2), pages 173-184, January.
    4. Steckel, Richard H., 2009. "Heights and human welfare: Recent developments and new directions," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 1-23, January.
    5. Baten, Joerg & Pelger, Ines & Twrdek, Linda, 2009. "The anthropometric history of Argentina, Brazil and Peru during the 19th and early 20th century," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 319-333, December.
    6. Richard H. Steckel & Roderick Floud, 1997. "Introduction to "Health and Welfare during Industrialization"," NBER Chapters, in: Health and Welfare during Industrialization, pages 1-16, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Richard H. Steckel & Roderick Floud, 1997. "Health and Welfare during Industrialization," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number stec97-1.
    8. Marein, Brian, 2020. "Economic development in Puerto Rico after US annexation: Anthropometric evidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    9. Richard H. Steckel, 1995. "Stature and the Standard of Living," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 33(4), pages 1903-1940, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Anthropometry; Puerto Rico; Spain; United States; colonialism; standard of living;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F54 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - Colonialism; Imperialism; Postcolonialism
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • N36 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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