Do you know of a typical measure (or component) of living standard that would have been measured for the US across both the great depression and WW2? The standard story I have heard informally is that WWII efforts did actually increase standards of living. I’m not surprised to learn that that’s false, but given the level of consensus in the group-think I’ve encountered, I’d be interested in seeing some hard numbers. Plus, I’m interested in seeing whether there was a drop in living standards.
Do you know of a typical measure (or component) of living standard that would have been measured for the US across both the great depression and WW2? The standard story I have heard informally is that WWII efforts did actually increase standards of living. I’m not surprised to learn that that’s false, but given the level of consensus in the group-think I’ve encountered, I’d be interested in seeing some hard numbers. Plus, I’m interested in seeing whether there was a drop in living standards.