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Fireside Chats: Communication and Consumers’ Expectations in the Great Depression

Author

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  • Mathieu Pedemonte

    (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)

Abstract

This paper shows how policy announcements can be used to manage expectations. Using regional variation in radio exposure, I evaluate the impact of FDR’s 1935 Fireside Chat, in which he showcased the introduction of important social policies, establishing a new expansionary cycle of the New Deal. I document that cities with higher exposure to the announcement exhibited a significant increase in spending on durable goods. The estimated effect is consistent with changes in expectations in line with the policies announced. This paper shows the power of communication as a policy tool.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Pedemonte, 2024. "Fireside Chats: Communication and Consumers’ Expectations in the Great Depression," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(4), pages 997-1011, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:106:y:2024:i:4:p:997-1011
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01200
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    Cited by:

    1. Jaremski, Matthew & Richardson, Gary & Vossmeyer, Angela, 2025. "Signals and stigmas from banking interventions: Lessons from the Bank Holiday of 1933," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    2. Candia, Bernardo & Coibion, Olivier & Gorodnichenko, Yuriy, 2024. "The inflation expectations of U.S. firms: Evidence from a new survey," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(S).
    3. Olivier Coibion & Dimitris Georgarakos & Yuriy Gorodnichenko & Geoff Kenny & Michael Weber, 2024. "The Effect of Macroeconomic Uncertainty on Household Spending," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 114(3), pages 645-677, March.
    4. Carlson, Mark, 2025. "Durable consumption, bank distress, economic concerns, and how they interacted during the great depression," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    5. Bernardo Candia & Mathieu Pedemonte, 2025. "Export-Led Decay: The Trade Channel in the Gold Standard Era," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 23(3), pages 1173-1201.
    6. Bernardo Candia & Olivier Coibion & Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2020. "Communication and the Beliefs of Economic Agents," NBER Working Papers 27800, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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