Material well-being and development: insights on the Preston curve1

Life expectancy is a subject of natural interest, also because it is an obvious index of welfare. In 1975 Preston revealed a clear connection between the level of per capita income and life expectancy and this is the subject of this paper. Several authors show that the exact nature of this association is not clear and/or analyzed, and, moreover, the curve is subject to other limitations (e.g.: endogeneity). I show that the use of alternative variables, instead than income, gives very good results and makes a step forward in reducing the limits of the Preston curve.