The transformation of hunger
Subtitle: the demand for calories past and present
By: Trevon D. Logan.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series ;; working paper 11754; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) ;; working paper no. 11754.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Poor -- United States -- Nutrition -- History -- 19th century.; Poor -- Great Britain -- Nutrition -- History -- 19th century.; Poor -- Developing countries -- Nutrition.; Food -- Caloric content -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; Food -- Caloric content -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.; Food -- Caloric content -- Developing countries.
Description: "According to conventional income measures, nineteenth century American and British industrial workers were two to four times as wealthy as poor people in developing countries today.  Surprisingly, however, today's poor are less hungry than yesterday's wealthy industrial workers.  I estimate the demand for calories of American and British industrial workers using the 1888 Cost of Living Survey and find that the estimated calorie elasticities for both American and British households are greater than calorie elasticity estimates for households in present day developing countries.  The results are robust to measurement error, unreported food consumption, and indirect estimation bias.  This finding implies substantial nutritional improvements among the poor in the twentieth century.  Using the Engel curve implied by the historical calorie elasticities, I derive new income estimates for developing countries which yield income estimates that are six to ten times greater than those derived using purchasing power parity or GDP deflators"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Title from PDF file as viewed on 12/8/2005.
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Mode of access: World Wide Web.