Alimentació, mortalitat i nivells de vida a Espanya (segles XIX i XX)

In this project we try to study the standard of living of the Spanish population during the XIX and XX centuries, so as to be able to influence the recent controversies on the way of estimating thisvariable and rendering its changes along the time. With this purpose we will study the existing relations between the nutritional and epidemiological transitions that Spain has undergone during its industrialization and urbanization processes. The project will produce new indicators on the evolution of theses variables on the long run and will examine its relationships on three levels. First we will study the availability of food, the composition of the diets and the evolution of the death rate, focussing on the regional disparities and the evolution of the industrial areas in Catalonia and Valencia. Secondly, will analyse the animal protein intake, as an important indicator of the nutritional transition in western societies. As a third step, we will study the food consumption habits of different social groups, with the object of analysing the differences in diets and the impact of its variableness on the disease and death rate. As a whole we will try to point out which role the nutritional and health conditions play on modern economic growth and the incidence on this conditions of three variables: (1) the technical and scientific progress, (2) the public policies and (3) the inequality rate.