Variaciones Regionales De Los Precios De Consumo Y De Las Dietas En España, En Los Inicios De La Transición Demográfica

Price statistics and, in particular, food price statistics are much more abundant that those of consumption. In this article we use price statistics to analyze the qualitative variations in consumption and, specifically, the diet composition, a variable which is difficult to observe, but has remarkable implications in the evolution of living standards, health and mortality. Our analysis focuses on the years between 1910 and 1912, in a period of important changes in Spanish mortality, in order to analyze the provincial variation in the level and structure of food prices. The estimated relative price indexes suggest significant regional differences in diets which should be taken into account in living standards and mortality studies. © 2006, Instituto Figuerola de Historia y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. All rights reserved.