How was life? Volume II : new perspectives on well-being and global inequality since 1820.

Description

Preface Foreword Acknowledgements Readers’ Guide Conventions Executive summary References 1 New perspectives on global inequality throughout history Introduction Aim of this report Practical issues Introduction to individual chapters References Notes 2 The long view on economic growth: New estimates of GDP Introduction Description of the concepts used Gross Domestic Product per capita The Income approach to measuring GDP The Expenditure approach to measuring GDP The Production approach to measuring GDP Relative prices Historical GDP Benchmarks Historical sources and data quality Long-run global developments in per capita GDP: Comparing the three approaches The first test: Subsistence income Analysing the accuracy of backward projections through comparisons with historical GDP benchmarks Incorporating important historical benchmarks of GDP per capita The world in 1820 Developments since 1820 Priorities for future research References Notes 3 The working week in manufacturing since 1820 Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Data quality Main highlights of historical trends in working hours Holidays and annual working time Correlation with GDP per capita Priorities for future research References Notes 4 Social spending and the welfare state Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources and data quality Main highlights of social spending trends Social spending under, and since, communism Correlation with GDP per capita and related social indicators Priorities for future research References Annex 4.A. Data sources for individual countries Countries covered in the chapter Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Japan Italy Kenya Netherlands Nigeria Poland South Africa Spain Russia Sweden Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Notes 5 Wealth inequality in the long run Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Data quality Main highlights of historical trends in wealth inequality Developments in individual countries Regional comparisons A first glance at the global wealth distribution Correlation with GDP per capita Priorities for Future Research References Notes 6 Life expectancy and length of life inequality in the long run Introduction Description of the concepts used Measurement Historical sources Data quality Main highlights of trends in life expectancy and length of life inequality Life expectancy Length of life inequality Trajectories of countries Correlations with GDP per capita Priorities for future research References Annex 6.A. Inequality measurement Note 7 Inequality in educational achievement Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Data quality Main highlights of trends in educational achievement Correlation of educational inequality with income Priorities for future research References Notes 8 Gender equality since 1900 Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Data quality Main highlights of historical developments in gender equality Historical developments in different aspects of gender inequality Historical developments in a composite measure of gender inequality Correlation with GDP per capita Priorities for future research References Annex 8.A. Additional evidence Note 9 Global extreme poverty: Present and past since 1820 Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Prices from the ILO October inquiry Consumption and income distributions Estimating unobserved household mean income Imputations Data quality Main highlights on trends in extreme poverty Global extreme poverty Extreme poverty in world regions China Correlation with GDP per capita Priorities for future research References Notes 10 Biodiversity trends in a historical perspective Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources Biodiversity indices for world regions Biodiversity state and pressure indicators based on historical research Case study: Biodiversity change in the Netherlands, 1900-2010 Data quality Main highlights on historical trends in biodiversity Biodiversity indices for world regions Biodiversity state and pressure indicators based on historical research Case study: Biodiversity change in the Netherlands 1900-2010 Correlation with GDP per capita Priorities for future research References Notes 11 A composite view on inequality and well-being Introduction Description of the concepts used Historical sources and data quality Main highlights Correlation with GDP per capita Trends in well-being inequality Composite indicators Conclusions and priorities for further research References Annex 11.A. Supporting material Notes