The urban-rural height gap: Evidence from late nineteenth-century Catalonia

This paper aims to establish whether there was a gap in biological living standards between rural and urban areas in late nineteenth-century Catalonia, and if so, to determine its extent. The study makes use of a large new dataset based on military records for the cohort of males born in the year 1890 and enlisted in the year 1911. By combining individual heights with information at municipal level, we conclude that the 1890 cohort of conscripts living in rural areas were shorter than those that resided in towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000 people. We also hypothesize about the reasons why urban dwellers in late nineteenth-century Catalonia were taller than their rural counterparts.Este trabajo tiene como objetivo determinar si existía, y en qué medida, una brecha en los niveles de vida biológicos entre las zonas rurales y urbanas de la Cataluña de finales del siglo XIX. El estudio utiliza una nueva y extensa base de datos obtenida de registros militares para la cohorte de hombres nacidos en el año 1890 y alistados en el año 1911. A partir de la combinación de datos individuales con información a nivel municipal, llegamos a la conclusión de que en la cohorte de nacidos en 1890 la estatura de los reclutas que vivían en las áreas rurales era menor que la de los que residían en poblaciones de más de 20.000 personas. Asimismo, formulamos algunas hipótesis sobre las razones por las que los habitantes de la Cataluña urbana eran más altos que sus homólogos rurales

Height and Industrialisation in a City in Catalonia during the Nineteenth Century

Drawing on anthropometric information, this article investigates the evolution of the biological standard of living in nineteenth-century Catalonia. We focus on the city of Igualada, one of Catalonia’s main textile centres in the early part of the century. The results show a decline in the height of males born between the 1830s and the 1860s, the period in which factory-based industrialisation emerged and became consolidated. The article also suggests that height inequality rose during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The empirical evidence gathered provides further support for the pessimistic view of the evolution of the standard of living during the early stages of industrialisation

The Biological Standard of Living in Nineteenth-Century Industrial Catalonia: A Case Study

Drawing on anthropometric information, this article investigates the evolution of the biological standard of living in nineteenth-century Catalonia. We focus on the city of Igualada, one of Catalonia's main textile centres in the early part of the century. The results show a decline in the height of males born between the 1830s and the 1860s, the period in which factory- based industrialisation emerged and became consolidated. The article also suggests that height inequality rose during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The empirical evidence gathered provides further support for the pessimistic view of the evolution of the standard of living during the early stages of industrialisation

Sibship size and the biological standard of living in industrial Catalonia, c.1860-c.1920: a case study

By using military records and population censuses this article investigates the relationship between sibship size and the biological living standards of young males, as measured by height. Focusing on a medium-sized industrial town in Catalonia the analysis shows that the impact of sibship size on child outcomes, as hypothesised by the resource dilution explanation, was rather weak during the years of the first fertility transition. Sibship size affected the height of young males only in certain socioeconomic groups and in specific periods of time, and not always in the expected direction. The article also explores the potential role of confounding factors in the link between sibship size and height, as well as the complexity of this relationship

Bienestar biológico y crecimiento agrario en la Cataluña rural, 1840-1936

Este artículo analiza la relación entre bienestar biológico y crecimiento agrario en la Cataluña occidental entre mediados del siglo XIX y comienzos de la Guerra Civil. A partir de los promedios de estatura de las generaciones de hombres nacidas entre 1840 y 1936, se muestra que durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX la talla de la población rural permaneció estancada. Ello se produjo en un contexto de notables transformaciones agrarias pero de modestos avances en productividad de la tierra. Por el contrario, durante el primer tercio del siglo XX la estatura de la población rural masculina de la Cataluña occidental creció notablemente, coincidiendo con mayores incrementos de la productividad agrícola. Estos resultados pueden contribuir a una mejor comprensión de la relación entre bienestar humano, nivel de vida y desarrollo económico en las sociedades rurales.This article explores the relationship between biological welfare and agrarian growth in western Catalonia between mid-nineteenth century and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Using average height data for the male cohorts born between 1840 and 1936, it shows that heights remained stagnant during the second half of the 19th century. This stagnation took place in a context of important agrarian changes but modest land productivity improvements. On the contrary, male heights substantially grew in Western Catalonia over the first third of the 20th century, coinciding with the rise of agrarian productivity. These findings may help to a better understanding on the links between human welfare, standard of living, and economic growth in rural societies

Biological Standards of Living in Rural Catalonia over the Long-Run: A Comparison with Urban Areas (1840-1960)

Objective: to assess the long-term evolution of biological living standards in rural Catalonia and to compare it with the corresponding figures in urban areas. Methods: using data from military records of conscripts from six towns in western Catalonia, we construct an annual height series. Height is standardised at the age of 21 years. We also construct a body mass index (BMI) for conscripts born in 1891 and 1934-39. The annual height series for western Catalonia is systematically compared to the series for Reus, Catalonia's second largest city during the second half of the 19th century. Results: comparing the cohorts born in the periods 1840-49 and 1951-60, we find that height increased by 5.7 centimetres over this period. However, the increase was not distributed equally over time. In the second half of the 19th century, rural heights stagnated over the long run and declined relative to urban heights. In the cohorts born in the decades between 1910 and 1950, rural heights rose by more than 5 centimetres, and converged with those of Reus. Conclusion: we provide new evidence for the current debate on the rural-urban height gap. Between the 1840s and the 1950s, heights in rural western Catalonia grew at rates similar to those recorded in certain urban areas, but growth rates differed depending on the period of analysis. This study underlines the importance of adopting long-term perspectives, and stresses that rural-urban height differences tend to be time-and space-specific

The urban-rural height gap: evidence from late nineteenth-century in Catalonia

This paper aims to establish whether there was a gap in biological living standards between urban and rural areas in late nineteenth-century Catalonia, and if so, to determine its extent. The study makes use of a large new dataset based on military records for the cohort of males born in the year 1890 and enlisted in the year 1911. By combining individual heights with information at municipal level, we conclude that the 1890 cohort of conscripts living in rural areas were shorter than those that resided in towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000 people. We also hypothesise about the reasons why urban dwellers in late nineteenth-century Catalonia were taller than their rural counterparts by considering the potential role of rural–urban migration, improvements in public sanitation and health care, and progresses in the quantity and quality of food availability for urban dweller

Cambio agrario, uso del suelo y regadío: el impacto del Canal de Urgell, 1860-1935.

Este trabajo analiza el impacto de la expansión del regadío en la agricultura española entre mediados del siglo XIX y primer tercio del siglo XX. A partir del caso del Canal de Urgell, la mayor infraestructura hidráulica para usos agrícolas realizada en la España del siglo XIX, explora las consecuencias que esta construcción tuvo sobre el uso del suelo agrícola. Los datos disponibles muestran que la irrigación no consiguió alterar significativamente la estructura de cultivos de los territorios del llano de Urgell (Cataluña occidental). Al final del período, los cultivos tradicionales siguieron acaparando el mayor porcentaje de la superficie regada. Sin negar la importancia de otros factores, este artículo sugiere que la falta de un caudal de agua suficiente fue una de las principales limitaciones para un mayor desarrollo de cultivos intensivos y de productos de mayor valor añadido.This article analyses the impact of the expansion of irrigation that took place in Spanish agriculture between the mid‐nineteenth and the first third of the twentieth centuries. It explores the impact on agricultural land use of the Urgell canal, located in western Catalonia and constituting the largest water infrastructure built in nineteenth century Spain for agricultural purposes. The available data show that irrigation failed to significantly alter the mix of crops planted in the territories of the Urgell plain. At the end of this period, traditional crops still covered a majority of the irrigated area. Without denying the importance of other factors, this article suggests that the lack of an adequate water flow was one of the main limitations in developing a greater production of intensive crops and other products with higher added value