ECON 2200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 42: Human Capital, World War I
ECON 2200
Lecture 42
• Real per capita earnings increasing
o Rose by 23% between 1919 & 1929
1. High demand for labor drove up wages
2. Human capital increase lead to increased productivity
which drove up wages
1896-1919: "Golden Era" for farmers
• Farm prices & incomes rising
• Property values increasing
• New/improved machinery
o Productivity is up
• Biological & chemical innovations
o Productivity is up
• Farmers encouraged to expand output during WWI (increased
European demand)
o Government price supports for basic crops
o Investments in land & machinery
1. 1915-1922: Farm credit A. doubled
US agricultural output increased
Long term farm debt (mostly for new land):
1910 = $3.2 billion
1923 = $11 billion
. By mid-1920s, farm prices recover, but…
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com