On the other hand, this whiole debate about living standards may
be irrelevant, if we are to believe Greg Clark who, in the EH.R
Forum, 1997, wondered should we "conclude that since Yangzi
Delta living standards equaled those of England, the Yanzi Delta
must have been as technologically advanced as England in 1750"
And let me say that P does assume in his book that, if European
and Chinese living standards were similar, and if Europeans were
"not ahead in overall productivity in 1750, then it is unlikely that the
average level of technology they deployed was superior" (p44).
Clark continues: "Thus even societies with a very primitive
production technology can end up with high living standards fi they
have adverse disease conditions or fertility control. Living standards
in England in 1400 were thus higher than those in 1750, but that
does not on its own imply the production technology was superior
in 1400"
What about the work of M. Harris andd N. Cohen showing that the
living conditions of hunter-gatherers were superior to the average
peasant in the average agrarian society? Not only was their
workload less intensive and of shorter duration, involving less hours
on average per week, but even their diets was more nutritious.
