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Inferring the economic standard of living and health from cohort height: Evidence from modern populations in developing countries

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  • Yoko Akachi
  • David Canning

Abstract

Average adult height is a physical measure of the biological standard of living of a population. While the biological and economic standards of living of a population are very different concepts, they are linked and may empirically move together. If this is so, then cohort heights can also be used to make inferences about the economic standard of living and health of a population when other data are not available.

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  • Yoko Akachi & David Canning, 2015. "Inferring the economic standard of living and health from cohort height: Evidence from modern populations in developing countries," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-093, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2015-093
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Mark E. McGovern & Aditi Krishna & Victor M. Aguayo & S.V. Subramanian, 2017. "A Review of the Evidence Linking Child Stunting to Economic Outcomes," CHaRMS Working Papers 17-03, Centre for HeAlth Research at the Management School (CHaRMS).
    7. de Beer, Hans, 2016. "The biological standard of living in Suriname, c. 1870–1975," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 140-154.
    8. Kirchengast, Sylvia & Waldhör, Thomas & Juan, Alfred & Yang, Lin, 2024. "Secular trends and regional pattern in body height of Austrian conscripts born between 1961 and 2002," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    9. Liczbińska, Grażyna & Czapla, Zbigniew & Piontek, Janusz & Malina, Robert M., 2018. "Age at menarche in Polish University students born before, during and after World War II: Economic effects," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 23-28.
    10. Carolin Schmidt, 2018. "Home is where the health is: Housing and adult height from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries," ERES eres2018_33, European Real Estate Society (ERES).
    11. Marein, Brian, 2020. "Economic development in Puerto Rico after US annexation: Anthropometric evidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
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    13. Lopuszanska-Dawid, M. & Kołodziej, H. & Lipowicz, A. & Szklarska, A. & Kopiczko, A. & Bielicki, T., 2020. "Social class-specific secular trends in height among 19-year old Polish men: 6th national surveys from 1965 till 2010," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).

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