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Height, Literacy and Survival: A Composite Index of Wellbeing Based on Data from Military Recruitment (1880–1980)

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Abstract

Starting from the same assumptions used for building the Physical Quality of Life Index and the Human Development Index and trying to overcome the deficiencies inherent in the GDP per capita series estimated for Spain before 1955, this article aims to show how an alternative composite index of standard of living can be elaborated through military recruitment sources. More specifically, the research that we propose here, which is based on the existing information for thirty towns and villages in Extremadura, endeavors to combine in one dynamic annual indicator three variables: average height, survival, and literacy rate. The first one comes from the anthropometric information provided by the Records of Classification and Declaration of Soldiers. The second one, calculated as the proportion of recruits who were still alive at the legal age of enlistment to the total born in each generation, derives from the individualized information that, in order to proceed with the calls necessary for the preparation of the aforementioned records, was collected annually by the local or county civil registers and/or the parishes. Finally, the index incorporates an educational variable: the proportion of recruits who were able to read and write over the total ones who attended each call. With the combination of these three variables and following the path of research by Costa, Steckel, Floud, Harris and Crafts, we are able to discern the historical evolution of well-being in the poorest region of Spain and one of the least developed regions of Europe.

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Fig. 1

Sources: Municipal Archive of Aceuchal, Almendralejo, Arroyo de la Luz, Azuaga, Barcarrota, Cáceres, Don Benito, Fuentes de León, Garrovillas de Alconétar, Hervás, Jaraíz de la Vera, Jerez de los Caballeros, La Albuera, La Coronada, Madroñera, Magacela, Mérida, Montánchez, Oliva de la Frontera, Plasencia, Quintana de la Serena, Salvaleón, San Vicente de Alcántara, Valle de la Serena, Valverde de Leganés, Villanueva de la Serena, Zafra, Zahínos, Zarza la Mayor and Zorita, Quintas y Milicias, “Military Conscription Records” (Enlistments 1901–2001)

Fig. 2

Sources: The same as Fig. 1

Fig. 3

Sources: For Extremadura, the same as Fig. 1. For Spain, Quiroga (2002: 179 y 244), Nicolau (2005: 129) and Núñez (2005: 230)

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Change history

  • 10 April 2019

    In the original publication of this article, the acknowledgement section has been published incorrectly. Now the correct text has been provided in this correction.

Notes

  1. This period of recorrent crisis in the whole of the country, to which Extremadura was no stranger, would explain in part the erratic evolution of our composite indicator of wellbeing in the period prior to 1900, which is appreciable in the index numbers that have been calculated in Table 1.

  2. We refer to the spectacular relative growth of the indicator estimated between 1900 and 1980, visible in Table 1, which increased from an index of 287 in 1900–1904 to another of 943 in the last 5-year period considered in our study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the financial support provided by the Government of Extremadura and by the EU through ERDF funds.

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Linares-Luján, A.M., Parejo-Moruno, F.M. Height, Literacy and Survival: A Composite Index of Wellbeing Based on Data from Military Recruitment (1880–1980). Soc Indic Res 144, 999–1019 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02077-0

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