Paper #1120

Title:

Poor, hungry and ignorant: Numeracy and the impact of high food prices in industrializing Britain, 1780-1850

Authors:

Jörg Baten, Dorothee Crayen and Joachim Voth

Date:

October 2007

Abstract:

This paper uses the ability to recall one�s age correctly as an indicator of numeracy. We show that low levels of nutrition impaired numeracy in industrializing England, 1780-1850. Numeracy declined markedly among those born during the war years, especially where wheat was dear. England�s nascent welfare state mitigated the negative effect of high food prices on cognitive skills. Nutrition during early development mattered for labor market outcomes: individuals born in periods or countries with high age heaping were more likely to sort into occupations with limited intellectual requirements.

Keywords:

Nutrition, cognitive development, age heaping, numeracy, occupational choice, Industrial Revolution, social spending, poverty traps, effects of war.

JEL codes:

O11, O15, N33, I28

Area of Research:

Economic and Business History

Published in:

Review of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming

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