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The Inter-War Gold Exchange Standard: Credibility and Monetary Independence

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  • Michael D. Bordo
  • Ronald MacDonald

Abstract

In this paper we analyze the operation of the inter-war gold exchange standard to see if the evident credibility of the system conferred on participating central banks the ability to pursue independent monetary policies. To answer this question we econometrically analyze two key parity, or arbitrage, conditions, namely uncovered interest rate parity and a yield gap relationship. We find that there were both long- and short-run deviations from the arbitrage conditions. The use to which this policy independence was put is analyzed in the context of a multivariate system, which includes reaction function variables.

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  • Michael D. Bordo & Ronald MacDonald, 2001. "The Inter-War Gold Exchange Standard: Credibility and Monetary Independence," NBER Working Papers 8429, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8429
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    2. Jose A Lopez & Kris James Mitchener, 2021. "Uncertainty and Hyperinflation: European Inflation Dynamics after World War I [Modeling and forecasting realized volatility]," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(633), pages 450-475.
    3. Jean-Baptiste Desquilbet & Nikolay Nenovsky, 2005. "Confiance et ajustement dans les régimes d'étalon-or et de caisse d'émission," Mondes en développement, De Boeck Université, vol. 130(2), pages 77-93.
    4. Marc Flandreau & John Komlos, 2001. "How to Run a Target Zone? Age Old Lessons from an Austro-Hungarian Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 556, CESifo.
    5. Christie Swanepoel & Philip T. Fliers, 2021. "The fuel of unparalleled recovery: Monetary policy in South Africa between 1925 and 1936," Economic History of Developing Regions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(2), pages 213-244, May.
    6. Colvin, Christopher L. & Fliers, Philip T., 2021. "Going Dutch: How the Netherlands Escaped its Golden Fetters, 1925-1936," QBS Working Paper Series 2021/06, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's Business School.
    7. Davide Bernardi & Roberto Ricciuti, 2021. "An Economic Analysis of ‘Quota 90’," Working Papers 09/2021, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
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    9. Pedro Bação & António Portugal Durate & Mariana Simões, 2013. "The International Monetary System in Flux: Overview and Prospects," GEMF Working Papers 2013-07, GEMF, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra.
    10. Ronicle, David, 2022. "Turning in the widening gyre: monetary and fiscal policy in interwar Britain," Bank of England working papers 968, Bank of England.
    11. Fredrik N. G. Andersson, 2023. "The quest for economic stability: a study on Swedish stabilisation policies 1873–2019," Scandinavian Economic History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 71(2), pages 128-156, May.
    12. Pablo Martín-Aceña & Elena Martínez-Ruiz & Pilar Nogues-Marco, 2012. "Floating against the Tide: Spanish Monetary Policy 1870–1931," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, in: Anders Ögren & Lars Fredrik Øksendal (ed.), The Gold Standard Peripheries, chapter 8, pages 145-173, Palgrave Macmillan.
    13. Michael D. Bordo, 2017. "An Historical Perspective on the Quest for Financial Stability and the Monetary Policy Regime," Economics Working Papers 17108, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
    14. António Portugal Duarte & João Sousa Andrade & Adelaide Duarte, 2013. "Exchange Rate Target Zones: A Survey Of The Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 247-268, April.
    15. Lin, Justin Yifu & Fardoust, Shahrokh & Rosenblatt, David, 2012. "Reform of the international monetary system : a jagged history and uncertain prospects," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6070, The World Bank.
    16. 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.
    17. Jevtic, Aleksandar R., 2020. "Gold rush: The political economy of gold standard adoption in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia," eabh Papers 20-02, The European Association for Banking and Financial History (EABH).
    18. José Antonio Ocampo-Gaviria & Carlos Eduardo Caballero Argáez & María del Pilar Esguerra-Umaña & Miguel Urrutia-Montoya & Antonio Hernández-Gamarra, 2023. "Ensayos de historia económica. Cien años del Banco de la República," Books, Banco de la Republica de Colombia, number 2023-isbn:9789586644730 edited by Luis I.Jácome & Samuel Pienknagura & Leonardo Villar Gómez & Esguerra Umaña Pilar, December.
    19. Pittaluga, Giovanni Battista, 2023. "The Genova Conference of 1922: A Reassessment after 100 Years," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 76(4), pages 567-596.
    20. Agyei-Ampomah, Sam & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Mazouz, Khelifa, 2014. "Does gold offer a better protection against losses in sovereign debt bonds than other metals?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 507-521.

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    JEL classification:

    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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