This paper examines the recently noted finding that the Classical gold standard represented a credible, well-behaved target zone system from the perspective of the well-documented failure of countries to play by the rules of the game in the classical period. In particular, we test an hypothesis of Svensson (1994) that a credible target zone can confer on a country a degree of independence in the operation of its monetary policy. We propose a number of ways of testing this proposition and implement them for a newly created monthly data base over the period 1880-1913. We demonstrate that the Classical gold standard worked in the way predicted by Svensson's model. This would seem to have an important bearing on the kind of institutional framework required for a modern day target zone (such as the Exchange Rate Mechanism of the European Monetary System) to function effectively and, in particular, to weather speculative attacks.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
6115.
Length: Date of creation: Jul 1997 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:6115
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Find related papers by JEL classification: F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions
References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Michele Fratianni & Franco Spinelli, 1984.
"Italy in the Gold Standard Period, 1861-1914,"
NBER Chapters,
in: A Retrospective on the Classical Gold Standard, 1821-1931, pages 405-454
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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