World Economy – Anthropometrics and Child Labour
Anthropometrics and SoL
What are anthropometrics?
• Study of human measures – height-to-age, weight-to-age, weight-to-height
• Provides info on health, nutrition, mortality
• Anthropological evidence can partly reveal economic conditions
What do heights reveal?
Height is a net cumulative measure of SoL (esp at time of birth):
• NET NUTRITIONAL STATUS = NET NUTRITIONAL INTAKE – ENERGY EXPENDED
• If net nutritional status falls it knocks off your growth trajectory
• Height partially reflects household income adjusted by disamenities such as sanitation,
pollution, overcrowding.
e.g. Syrian Civil War going on for 6 years. In 50 years’ time when looking at height data we should
expect to see heights of that generation falling as they were a deprived generation. Same logic
applies here.
Height tells us little alone, but stunted growth describes SoL – stunted growth more important
• Someone in a high percentile can be very tall but stunted
• If you’re on trajectory to be 6’5 and end up 6’ you’re stunted
• If you’re on trajectory to be 5’4 and are 5’4 you’re just short
Evidence on heights
Floud, Wachter and Gregory (1990)
• Used data on 130,000 boys admitted to Marine Society 1770-1870 and Royal Navy Military
Academy after 1806.
• Shows heights rose for those born in late 18th C and early 19th C but fell in late 19th C.
• Disamenities of being born in cities shown through the period of IR – look at graph on
respective page.
Nicholas and Oxley (1993)
• Used data on convicts transported to Australia (inc. women)
• Considered male/ female and rural/ urban comparison using Irish convicts as control
• Heights fall for English over IR – worse fall for rural due to enclosures.
Cinnirella (2008)
• Revisits height data on Military recruits
• Solves data problems – many inconsistencies. Finds a downward trend throughout IR –
consistent with pessimists.
Energy Cost Accounting and SoL – What do the studies show?
Caloric content of diets fell from 3000 in 1750 to less than 2500 in 1850. Calories fell 0.24% per year
from 1750-1850.
• Calories unlikely to have properly satisfied demands
• Adult males needed 3500 for hard work and 2600 for office work
Anthropometrics and SoL
What are anthropometrics?
• Study of human measures – height-to-age, weight-to-age, weight-to-height
• Provides info on health, nutrition, mortality
• Anthropological evidence can partly reveal economic conditions
What do heights reveal?
Height is a net cumulative measure of SoL (esp at time of birth):
• NET NUTRITIONAL STATUS = NET NUTRITIONAL INTAKE – ENERGY EXPENDED
• If net nutritional status falls it knocks off your growth trajectory
• Height partially reflects household income adjusted by disamenities such as sanitation,
pollution, overcrowding.
e.g. Syrian Civil War going on for 6 years. In 50 years’ time when looking at height data we should
expect to see heights of that generation falling as they were a deprived generation. Same logic
applies here.
Height tells us little alone, but stunted growth describes SoL – stunted growth more important
• Someone in a high percentile can be very tall but stunted
• If you’re on trajectory to be 6’5 and end up 6’ you’re stunted
• If you’re on trajectory to be 5’4 and are 5’4 you’re just short
Evidence on heights
Floud, Wachter and Gregory (1990)
• Used data on 130,000 boys admitted to Marine Society 1770-1870 and Royal Navy Military
Academy after 1806.
• Shows heights rose for those born in late 18th C and early 19th C but fell in late 19th C.
• Disamenities of being born in cities shown through the period of IR – look at graph on
respective page.
Nicholas and Oxley (1993)
• Used data on convicts transported to Australia (inc. women)
• Considered male/ female and rural/ urban comparison using Irish convicts as control
• Heights fall for English over IR – worse fall for rural due to enclosures.
Cinnirella (2008)
• Revisits height data on Military recruits
• Solves data problems – many inconsistencies. Finds a downward trend throughout IR –
consistent with pessimists.
Energy Cost Accounting and SoL – What do the studies show?
Caloric content of diets fell from 3000 in 1750 to less than 2500 in 1850. Calories fell 0.24% per year
from 1750-1850.
• Calories unlikely to have properly satisfied demands
• Adult males needed 3500 for hard work and 2600 for office work
