Abstract
Health is an asset with an intrinsic value as well as an instrumental value. Being healthy is a source of wellbeing and one of the goals most valued by human beings throughout the world.1 Health is not only the absence of illness, but also the capacity of developing a person’s potential throughout life. As the pioneer work by Nobel Prize winner Robert Fogel2 shows, health is also an important determinant of economic growth. This author finds that between one-third and one-half of Britain’s economic growth in the past 200 years is due to improvements in the population’s calorific intake, which resulted in better health and higher productivity.
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© 2007 United Nations University
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Lustig, N. (2007). Investing in Health for Economic Development: The Case of Mexico. In: Mavrotas, G., Shorrocks, A. (eds) Advancing Development. Studies in Development Economics and Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230801462_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230801462_10
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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