IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/oxf/esohwp/_136.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Feast or Famine: The Welfare Impact of Food Price Controls in Nazi Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Robin Winkler

Abstract

How good was the standard of living in pre-war Nazi Germany? Some historians have argued that household food consumption in the 1930s was at least as high as in the Weimar Republic, in spite of militarisation. This article provides new evidence against this view by demonstrating that food price controls significantly distorted consumption patterns. We estimate that involuntary substitution effects cost average working-class households 7% of their disposable income. Consumer welfare in Nazi Germany was thus meaningfully lower than observed consumption levels and prices suggest. Our finding is based on microeconometric welfare analysis of detailed budget data for 4,376 individual German households surveyed in 1927 and 1937.

Suggested Citation

  • Robin Winkler, 2015. "Feast or Famine: The Welfare Impact of Food Price Controls in Nazi Germany," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _136, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:oxf:esohwp:_136
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2294c824-2476-4a53-96e9-5f22b9d23895
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Huffman, Sonya Kostova & Johnson, Stanley R., 2004. "Empirical tests of impacts of rationing: the case of Poland in transition," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 79-99, March.
    2. Baten, Jorg & Wagner, Andrea, 2003. "Autarchy, market disintegration, and health: the mortality and nutritional crisis in Nazi Germany, 1933-1937," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 1-28, January.
    3. Pollak, Robert A & Wales, Terence J, 1981. "Demographic Variables in Demand Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(6), pages 1533-1551, November.
    4. Wong, Ka-fu, 1996. "Bootstrapping Hausman's exogeneity test," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 139-143, November.
    5. Chiara Martini, 2009. "The distributive effects of carbon taxation in Italy," Departmental Working Papers of Economics - University 'Roma Tre' 0103, Department of Economics - University Roma Tre.
    6. Brian P. Poi, 2012. "Easy demand-system estimation with quaids," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 12(3), pages 433-446, September.
    7. Neary, J. P. & Roberts, K. W. S., 1980. "The theory of household behaviour under rationing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 25-42, January.
    8. Ray, Ranjan, 1982. "The testing and estimation of complete demand systems on household budget surveys," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 349-369.
    9. Nicola Rossi, 1988. "Government Spending, the Real Interest Rate, and the Behavior of Liquidity-Constrained Consumers in Developing Countries," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 35(1), pages 104-140, March.
    10. Silvia Tiezzi, 2002. "Environmental defensive expenditures and households behaviour in Italy," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(16), pages 2053-2061.
    11. Paul Blacklow & Aaron Nicholas & Ranjan Ray, 2010. "Demographic Demand Systems With Application To Equivalence Scales Estimation And Inequality Analysis: The Australian Evidence," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 161-179, September.
    12. Deaton,Angus & Muellbauer,John, 1980. "Economics and Consumer Behavior," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521296762, October.
    13. Pollak, Robert A & Wales, Terence J, 1978. "Estimation of Complete Demand Systems from Household Budget Data: The Linear and Quadratic Expenditure Systems," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 68(3), pages 348-359, June.
    14. Spoerer Mark & Streb Jochen, 2013. "Guns and Butter – But No Margarine: The Impact of Nazi Economic Policies on German Food Consumption, 1933–38," Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte / Economic History Yearbook, De Gruyter, vol. 54(1), pages 75-88, June.
    15. Ray, Ranjan, 1983. "Measuring the costs of children : An alternative approach," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 89-102, October.
    16. James Banks & Richard Blundell & Arthur Lewbel, 1997. "Quadratic Engel Curves And Consumer Demand," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 79(4), pages 527-539, November.
    17. E. Rothbarth, 1941. "The Measurement of Changes in Real Income under Conditions of Rationing," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 8(2), pages 100-107.
    18. Abdulai, Awudu & Aubert, Dominique, 2004. "A cross-section analysis of household demand for food and nutrients in Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 67-79, July.
    19. Blundell, Richard & Pashardes, Panos & Weber, Guglielmo, 1993. "What Do We Learn About Consumer Demand Patterns from Micro Data?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 570-597, June.
    20. X.M. Gao & Eric J. Wailes & Gail L. Cramer, 1996. "A Two-Stage Rural Household Demand Analysis: Microdata Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(3), pages 604-613.
    21. Tiezzi, Silvia, 2005. "The welfare effects and the distributive impact of carbon taxation on Italian households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(12), pages 1597-1612, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Robin Winkler, 2015. "Feast or Famine: The Welfare Impact of Food Price Controls in Nazi Germany," Economics Series Working Papers Number 136, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    2. Li, Shaoting & Chen, Xuan & Ren, Yanjun & Glauben, Thomas, 2024. "The impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes: Evidence from China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 23(2), pages 414-429.
    3. Thomas, Alastair, 2019. "Who Would Win from a Multi-rate GST in New Zealand: Evidence from a QUAIDS Model," Working Paper Series 8127, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    4. Thomas, Alastair, 2019. "Who Would Win from a Multi-rate GST in New Zealand: Evidence from a QUAIDS Model," Working Paper Series 20932, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    5. De Agostini, Paola, 2014. "The effect of food prices and household income on the British diet," ISER Working Paper Series 2014-10, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    6. Korir, Lilian & Rizov, Marian & Ruto, Eric, 2020. "Food security in Kenya: Insights from a household food demand model," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 92, pages 99-108.
    7. Ping Wang & Nhuong Tran & Dolapo Enahoro & Chin Yee Chan & Kelvin Mashisia Shikuku & Karl M. Rich & Kendra Byrd & Shakuntala H. Thilsted, 2022. "Spatial and temporal patterns of consumption of animal‐source foods in Tanzania," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(2), pages 328-348, April.
    8. Braha, Kushtrim & Cupak, Andrej & Qineti, Artan & Pokrivcak, Jan, 2018. "Food Demand System in Transition Economies: Evidence from Kosovo," 162nd Seminar, April 26-27, 2018, Budapest, Hungary 272050, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Nikodinoska, Dragana & Schröder, Carsten, 2016. "On the emissions–inequality and emissions–welfare trade-offs in energy taxation: Evidence on the German car fuels tax," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 206-233.
    10. Distante, Roberta & Verdolini, Elena & Tavoni, Massimo, 2016. "Distributional and Welfare Impacts of Renewable Subsidies in Italy," MITP: Mitigation, Innovation and Transformation Pathways 236238, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    11. Bruno Palialol & Paula Pereda, 2019. "In-kind transfers in Brazil: household consumption and welfare effects," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2019_26, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    12. Gozalo, Pedro L., 1997. "Nonparametric bootstrap analysis with applications to demographic effects in demand functions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 357-393, December.
    13. García-Germán, Sol & Romeo, Alessandro & Magrini, Emiliano & Balié, Jean, 2016. "The impact of food price shocks on weight loss: Evidence from the adult population of Tanzania," DARE Discussion Papers 1611, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    14. Andrej Cupák & Peter Tóth, 2017. "Measuring the Efficiency of VAT reforms: Evidence from Slovakia," Working and Discussion Papers WP 6/2017, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    15. Oliver, Atara Stephanie, 2013. "Information Technology and Transportation: Substitutes or Complements?," MPRA Paper 46548, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Cantos-Sánchez, Pedro & Gutiérrez-i-Puigarnau, Eva & Mulalic, Ismir, 2018. "The impact of scrappage programmes on the demand for new vehicles: Evidence from Spain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 83-96.
    17. Cupák, Andrej & Pokrivčák, Ján & Rizov, Marian, 2015. "Food Demand and Consumption Patterns in the New EU Member States: The Case of Slovakia," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 63(4), pages 339-358.
    18. Gilles Quentin Kane & Gwladys Laure Mabah Tene & Jean-Joël Ambagna & Isabelle Piot-Lepetit & Fondo Sikod, 2015. "The impact of food price volatility on consumer welfare in Cameroon," Working Papers hal-02801351, HAL.
    19. Huffman, Sonya Kostova & Johnson, Stanley R., 2004. "Empirical tests of impacts of rationing: the case of Poland in transition," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 79-99, March.
    20. Rizoc, Marian & Cupak, Andrej & Pokrivcak, Jan, 2015. "Food Security and household consumption patterns in Slovakia," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211553, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic history; economic development; standard of living; consumer welfare; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N14 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets

    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:oxf:esohwp:_136. 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: Anne Pouliquen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sfeixuk.html .

    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.