Abstract
The response of mortality to short-term changes in real wages is analyzed here not just in its own right but more particularly as an indicator of long-term shifts in the general standard of living. It is hypothesized that the response would have been stronger the lower the standard of living. The relationship between age-specific mortality levels and real-wage series for Sweden 1751–1860 is analyzed using a distributed-lag model and spectral analysis. The results suggest a real shift in the material standard of living during the period.
Résumé
La réponse de la mortalité aux fluctuations à court terme des salaires réels est étudiée ici, non pas uniquement en elle-même, mais plus spécialement en tant qu'indicateur de l'évolution à long terme du niveau de vie en général. On pose l'hypothèse que plus le niveau de vie était bas, plus la réponse devait être forte. Au moyen d'un modèle à décalage temporel et par analyse spectrale, on analyse la relation entre niveaux de mortalité par âge et salaires réels en Suède, de 1751 à 1860. Les résultats indiquent un réel changement des conditions d'existence pendant cette période.
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Bengtsson, T., Ohlsson, R. Age-specific mortality and short-term changes in the standard of living: Sweden, 1751–1859. Eur J Population 1, 309–326 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797146
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797146