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Canada and the IMF: Trailblazer or Prodigal Son?

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  • Michael Bordo
  • Tamara Gomes
  • Lawrence Schembri

Abstract

Canada played an important role in the postwar establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), yet it was also the first major member to challenge the orthodoxy of the BrettonWoods par value system by abandoning it in 1950 in favour of a floating, market-determined exchange rate. Although the IMF heavily criticized this decision, Canada's trail-blazing experience demonstrated that a flexible exchange rate could operate in a stable and effective manner under a high degree of capital mobility. Equally important, it showed that monetary policy needs to be conducted differently under a flexible exchange rate and capital mobility. The remarkable stability of the dollar during the 1950s contradicted previous wisdom on floating exchange rates, which had predicted significant volatility. In May of 1962, Canada returned to the BrettonWoods system as a "prodigal son" after a period of controversial monetary policy and a failed attempt to depreciate the value of the Canadian dollar. The authors critically analyze the interaction between Canadian and IMF officials regarding Canada's exchange rate policy in view of the economic circumstances and the prevailing wisdom at the time. They also examine the impact on IMF research and policy, because the Canadian experience influenced the work of Rudolf Rhomberg as well as Robert Mundell and Marcus Fleming, resulting in the development of the Mundell–Fleming model. Thus, the Canadian experience with a floating exchange rate not only had important implications for the IMF and the BrettonWoods system, but also for macroeconomic theory and policy in open economies.
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Suggested Citation

  • Michael Bordo & Tamara Gomes & Lawrence Schembri, 2010. "Canada and the IMF: Trailblazer or Prodigal Son?," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 309-333, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:21:y:2010:i:2:p:309-333
    DOI: 10.1007/s11079-009-9134-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anonymous, 1952. "International Monetary Fund," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(3), pages 446-447, August.
    2. Michael D. Bordo & Angela Redish, 1990. "Credible Commitment and Exchange Rate Stability: Canada's Interwar Experience," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 23(2), pages 357-380, May.
    3. James M. Boughton, 2003. "On the Origins of the Fleming-Mundell Model," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 50(1), pages 1-1.
    4. Anonymous, 1952. "International Monetary Fund," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 644-646, November.
    5. Anonymous, 1952. "International Monetary Fund," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(1), pages 121-125, February.
    6. Michael D. Bordo, 1993. "The Bretton Woods International Monetary System: A Historical Overview," NBER Chapters, in: A Retrospective on the Bretton Woods System: Lessons for International Monetary Reform, pages 3-108, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Angela Redish & Olga Marcela Namen, 2012. "Central Banks: Past, Present, Future," Revista ESPE - Ensayos Sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República, vol. 30(67), pages 14-35, July.
    2. Stephen S. Poloz, 2019. "Changing Fortunes: Long-Termism—G-Zero, Artificial Intelligence and Debt," Discussion Papers 2019-12, Bank of Canada.
    3. Rockoff, Hugh & White, Eugene N., 2012. "Monetary Regimes and Policy on a Global Scale: The Oeuvre of Michael D. Bordo," MPRA Paper 49672, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised May 2013.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    IMF; Monetary policy; Capital mobility; Exchange rate policy; Mundell-Fleming model; F41; F55; N12; E52; E58;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements
    • N72 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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