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The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology

Online ISBN:
9780190611842
Print ISBN:
9780199389292
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology

John Komlos (ed.),
John Komlos
(ed.)
Economics, University of Munich
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John Komlos is Professor Emeritus of Economics and Economic History at the University of Munich

Inas R. Kelly (ed.)
Inas R. Kelly
(ed.)
Economics, Queens College of the City University of New York
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Inas R. Kelly is an associate professor of economics at Queens College of the City University of New York, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Co-Editor of Economics and Human Biology

Published online:
6 August 2015
Published in print:
30 May 2016
Online ISBN:
9780190611842
Print ISBN:
9780199389292
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology provides an extensive and insightful overview of how economic conditions affect human well-being and how human health influences economic outcomes. The book addresses both macro and micro factors, as well as their interaction, providing new understanding of complex relationships and developments in economic history and economic dynamics. Among the topics explored is how variation in height, whether over time, among different socioeconomic groups, or in different locations, is an important indicator of changes in economic growth and economic development, levels of economic inequality, and economic opportunities for individuals. The book covers a broad geographic range: Africa, Latin and North America, Asia, and Europe. Its temporal scope ranges from the late Iron Age to the present. Taking advantage of recent improvements in data collection and economic methods, the book also explores how humans’ biological conditions influence and are influenced by their economic circumstances, including poverty. Among the issues addressed are how height, body mass index (BMI), and obesity can affect and are affected by productivity, wages, and wealth. How family environment affects health and well-being is examined, as is the importance of both pre-birth and early-childhood conditions for subsequent economic outcomes. The volume shows that well-being is a salient aspect of economics, and the new toolkit of evidence from biological living standards enhances understanding of how industrialization, commercialization, income distribution, the organization of health care, social status, and the redistributive state affect such human attributes as physical stature, weight, and the obesity epidemic in historical and contemporary populations.

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