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Inequality, economic stress, and demographic response

(2025) In Explorations in Economic History
Abstract
This special issue is devoted to empirical studies on inequalities in living standard for different social groups in the past measured as their sensitivity to economic hardship, such as high food prices. The studies are similar in that they all make use of longitudinal microdata constructed from population registers and related sources that record the demographic behavior of individuals and situate it in their household and community. Such data allows not only differentiation by age and sex, but also by occupational status and household structure. They are also similar in that they all use local data on hardship, such as food prices. The special issue moves beyond the studies of living standards in preindustrial societies conducted by the... (More)
This special issue is devoted to empirical studies on inequalities in living standard for different social groups in the past measured as their sensitivity to economic hardship, such as high food prices. The studies are similar in that they all make use of longitudinal microdata constructed from population registers and related sources that record the demographic behavior of individuals and situate it in their household and community. Such data allows not only differentiation by age and sex, but also by occupational status and household structure. They are also similar in that they all use local data on hardship, such as food prices. The special issue moves beyond the studies of living standards in preindustrial societies conducted by the EurAsia Project on Population and Family History in terms of geography, time span, and scope. Geographically, it enriches comparisons by adding sites in Estonia, Hungary, Germany, Scotland, Spain, and South Africa. Studies from these new sites improve our understanding of how different social and economic contexts influenced the lives of different social groups. This is especially the case in Eastern Europe, where the marriage age was lower and households more complex than in Western Europe. Temporally, it expands into the twentieth century, examining living standards and demographic behavior as marketization and industrialization proceeded and modern welfare programs developed. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Explorations in Economic History
editor
LU ; Campbell, Cameron and Clay, Karen
publisher
Academic Press
ISSN
1090-2457
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dc405dda-76be-4c05-8dcf-8001586516ca
date added to LUP
2025-10-07 12:30:11
date last changed
2025-10-08 10:49:18
@misc{dc405dda-76be-4c05-8dcf-8001586516ca,
  abstract     = {{This special issue is devoted to empirical studies on inequalities in living standard for different social groups in the past measured as their sensitivity to economic hardship, such as high food prices. The studies are similar in that they all make use of longitudinal microdata constructed from population registers and related sources that record the demographic behavior of individuals and situate it in their household and community. Such data allows not only differentiation by age and sex, but also by occupational status and household structure. They are also similar in that they all use local data on hardship, such as food prices. The special issue moves beyond the studies of living standards in preindustrial societies conducted by the EurAsia Project on Population and Family History in terms of geography, time span, and scope. Geographically, it enriches comparisons by adding sites in Estonia, Hungary, Germany, Scotland, Spain, and South Africa. Studies from these new sites improve our understanding of how different social and economic contexts influenced the lives of different social groups. This is especially the case in Eastern Europe, where the marriage age was lower and households more complex than in Western Europe. Temporally, it expands into the twentieth century, examining living standards and demographic behavior as marketization and industrialization proceeded and modern welfare programs developed.}},
  editor       = {{Bengtsson, Tommy and Campbell, Cameron and Clay, Karen}},
  issn         = {{1090-2457}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Explorations in Economic History}},
  title        = {{Inequality, economic stress, and demographic response}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}