Richard Hall Steckel (born 1944) is an American economist with a focus on

economic history Economic history is the study of history using methodological tools from economics or with a special attention to economic phenomena. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the Applied economics ...

. Steckel is the SBS Distinguished Professor of Economics, Anthropology and History at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

(OSU) and a research associate at the

National Bureau of Economic Research The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic co ...

(NBER). He is well known for his work on

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

and

well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...

, in which he is a major contributor to

anthropometric history Anthropometric history is the study of the history of human height and weight. The concept was formulated in 1989 although it has historical roots. In the 1830s, Adolphe Quetelet and Louis R. Villermé studied the physical stature of populations. ...

along with

John Komlos John Komlos (born 28 December 1944) is an American economic historian of Hungarian descent and former holder of the chair of economic history at the University of Munich. Personal life Komlos was born in 1944 in Budapest in Hungary during the ...

. Their work was highlighted in a 1996 ''Time'' magazine front page article. Between 2004 and 2005 he served as president of the

Social Science History Association Social Science History Association was formed in 1972 and brings together scholars from numerous disciplines interested in social history. The Social Science History Association's core purpose is: "To bring together members of various disciplines ...

.National Bureau of Economic Research: Richard Steckel
(Accessed Dec 2011) Steckel earned an A.B. in economics at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in 1966, M.A.s in economics and mathematics at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

(OU) in 1970, a M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1973 and 1977, respectively. He began as an instructor in economics at OSU in 1974, became an assistant professor in 1981, was promoted to professor in 1989, and was named SBS Distinguished Professor in 2004. He is a research associate of NBER since 1982 and serves the Conference on Research on Income and Wealth since 1989. He has served as a visiting fellow at

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

; the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

; the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

;

Flinders University of South Australia Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Selected publications

* Steckel, Richard H. and Jerome C. Rose (eds.) (2002). ''The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere''. New York: Cambridge University Press. * Haines, Michael and Richard H. Steckel (eds.) (2000). ''A Population History of North America''. New York: Cambridge University Press. * Steckel, Richard H. and Roderick Floud (eds.) (1997). Health and Welfare during Industrialization. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. * Steckel, Richard H. (1985). The Economics of U.S. Slave and Southern White Fertility. New York: Garland Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steckel, Richard H. 1944 births Living people Economic historians Oberlin College alumni University of Oklahoma alumni University of Chicago alumni Ohio State University faculty Auxologists Presidents of the Economic History Association

Selected publications

See also

References