Economic development in Puerto Rico after US annexation: Anthropometric evidence.

Pubmed ID: 32473538

Journal: Economics and human biology

Publication Date: Aug. 1, 2020

Affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States. Electronic address: brian.marein@gmail.com.

MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Adult, Aged, United States, Middle Aged, Socioeconomic Factors, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, Puerto Rico, Body Weights and Measures, Population Dynamics, Latin America, Economic Development, Hispanic or Latino

Authors: Marein B

Cite As: Marein B. Economic development in Puerto Rico after US annexation: Anthropometric evidence. Econ Hum Biol 2020 Aug;38:100892. Epub 2020 May 19.

Studies:

Abstract

This paper considers economic development in Puerto Rico following its annexation by the United States in 1898, a watershed moment in the history of the island and the pinnacle of American imperialism in Latin America. Drawing on data from three surveys, I show that male height in Puerto Rico increased at more than twice the average rate for Latin America and the Caribbean between 1890 and 1940. I also show that Puerto Ricans at mid-century were among the tallest Latin Americans outside of Argentina and Uruguay. The evidence supports the conclusion that conditions improved substantially after US annexation, in contrast to the prevailing view in the literature.