Suchergebnisse

How has human development evolved during the last 150 years of globalization and economic growth? How has human development been distributed across countries? How do developing countries compare to developed countries? Do social systems matter for wellbeing? Are there differences in the performance of developing regions over time? Employing a capabilities approach, Human Development and the Path to Freedom addresses these key questions in the context of modern economic growth and globalization from c.1870 to the present. Leandro Prados de la Escosura shows that health, access to knowledge, standards of living, and civil and political freedom can substitute for GDP per head as more accurate measures of our wellbeing.

Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Introduction -- References -- Main Trends -- 1 GDP and Its Composition -- References -- 2 GDP and GDP Per Head -- References -- 3 GDP per Head and Labour Productivity -- References -- 4 Spain's Performance in Comparative Perspective -- References -- 5 GDP, Income Distribution, and Welfare -- References -- Measurement -- 6 Measuring GDP, 1850-1958: Supply Side -- 6.1 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing -- 6.1.1 Agriculture -- The Construction of Annual Quantity and Price Indices on Reduced Information -- Gross Value Added -- 6.1.2 Forestry -- 6.1.3 Fishing -- 6.1.4 Value Added for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing -- 6.2 Industry -- 6.2.1 Manufacturing -- 6.2.2 Extractive Industries -- 6.2.3 Utilities -- 6.2.4 Value Added for Manufacturing, Extractive Industries and Utilities -- 6.3 Construction -- 6.3.1 Residential and Commercial Construction -- 6.3.2 Non-Residential Construction -- Railways -- Roads -- Hydraulic Infrastructure and Other Public Works -- 6.3.3 Value Added in Residential and Non-Residential Construction -- 6.4 Services -- 6.4.1 Transport and Communications -- 6.4.2 Wholesale and Retail Trade -- 6.4.3 Banking and Insurance -- 6.4.4 Ownership of Dwellings -- 6.4.5 Public Administration -- 6.4.6 Education and Health -- 6.4.7 Other Services -- 6.4.8 Value Added in Services -- 6.5 Total Gross Value Added and GDP at Market Prices -- References -- 7 Measuring GDP, 1850-1958: Demand Side -- 7.1 Consumption of Goods and Services -- 7.1.1 Private Consumption -- Foodstuffs, Beverages and Tobacco -- Clothing and Other Personal Articles -- Housing Current Expenses -- Household Consumption of Durable Goods -- Hygiene and Personal Care -- Transport and Communications -- Leisure -- Education, Financial and Other Services -- 7.1.2 Public Consumption.

AbstractA long‐run view of well‐being over the last one‐and‐a‐half centuries is presented using an Augmented Human Development Index (AHDI) that combines achievements in health, education, material living standards, and political freedom. The AHDI shows substantial gains in world human development since 1870, although significant room for improvement still remains. The AHDI spread unevenly until 1960, in absolute terms, and up to 1929 in relative ones, and reversed this trend thereafter. The main relative gain went to world countries' middle class, but the main absolute gain accrued to the top decile. AHD trends and distribution do not match, but compare favourably with, those in per capita income. The absolute gap between present‐day advanced countries and the rest of the world deepened over time, though fell in relative terms. Life expectancy has led progress in AHD, particularly until 1970, and drove the catching‐up by the rest of the world during the epidemiological transition. Political and civil liberties took over thereafter.

The study of international well-being and its distribution remains focused on income. This paper addresses multidimensional well-being from a capabilities perspective during the last one-and-a-half centuries. Relative inequality (population-weighted) fell in health and education since the late 1920s, due to the globalisation of mass schooling and the health transition, but only dropped from 1970 onwards in terms of political and civil liberties, and declined since 1900 for augmented human development. These results are at odds with per capita income inequality that rose over time and only shrank from 1990 onwards. Relative and absolute well-being distribution behaved differently, with the distance between countries shrinking in relative terms but widening in absolute terms. Countries in the middle and lower deciles of the world distribution achieved the largest relative gain over the last century. Education and political and civil liberties were the main contributors to the evolution of augmented human development inequality, although longevity made a substantial contribution until the 1920s.

En vísperas de la Gran Recesión, la desigualdad había aumentado durante tres décadas en los países desarrollados. Simultáneamente, la libertad económica era más elevada que en cualquier época anterior. ¿Existe un dilema entre preservar la libertad de los individuos y reducir la desigualdad? No se comprueba, sin embargo, una asociación a largo plazo entre libertad económica y desigualdad en los actuales países avanzados. Se advierte, no obstante, una correlación entre libertad económica y concentración del ingreso en períodos específicos y en países anglosajones

This paper provides a long run view of human development as a capabilities measure of well‐being for the last one‐and‐a‐half centuries on the basis of an augmented historical human development index [AHHDI] that combines achievements in health, education, living standard, plus liberal democracy, and provides an alternative to the UN Human Development Index, HDI. The AHHDI shows substantial gains in world human development since 1870, especially during 1913‐1970, but much room for improvement exists. Life expectancy has been the leading force behind its progress, especially until 1970. Human development spread unevenly. The absolute gap between western Europe and its offshoots plus Japan ‐the OECD‐ and the Rest of the world deepened over time, though fell in relative terms, with catching‐up driven by longevity during the epidemiological transition and by democratization thereafter. This result compares favourably with the growing income gap. Economic growth and human development do not always go hand‐in‐hand. ; Financial support from Fundación Rafael del Pino's 'Economic Freedom and Wellbeing in History' research project is gratefully acknowledged.

This paper provides a long run view of human development as a capabilities measure of well-being for the last one-and-a-half centuries on the basis of an augmented historical human development index [AHHDI] that combines achievements in health, education, living standard, plus liberal democracy, and provides an alternative to the UN Human Development Index, HDI. The AHHDI shows substantial gains in world human development since 1870, especially during 1913-1970, but much room for improvement exists. Life expectancy has been the leading force behind its progress, especially until 1970. Human development spread unevenly. The absolute gap between western Europe and its offshoots plus Japan -the OECD- and the Rest of the world deepened over time, though fell in relative terms, with catching-up driven by longevity during the epidemiological transition and by democratization thereafter. This result compares favourably with the growing income gap. Economic growth and human development do not always go hand-in-hand.