IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/adl/wpaper/2005-19.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Recovery from Depression: Australia in an Argentine Mirror: 1895-1913

Author

Listed:
  • Ian W. McLean

    (School of Economics, University of Adelaide)

Abstract

The recovery from the 1890s depression in Australia was prolonged, and economic growth 1895-1913 was below that in the comparable settler economies of Argentina and Canada. Why? Australia's hesitant initial recovery is typically attributed to the imbalances in the economy resulting from the preceding boom, and its further delay to severe drought. Drawing on Argentine experience, it is suggested that additional factors need to be considered. Unlike Argentina, the unwillingness or inability of Australian governments to reschedule foreign debt or devalue the exchange rate exacerbated the slump. And the era of low-cost pioneer farming ended earlier than in Argentina (or Canada).

Suggested Citation

  • Ian W. McLean, 2005. "Recovery from Depression: Australia in an Argentine Mirror: 1895-1913," School of Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 2005-19, University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:adl:wpaper:2005-19
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://media.adelaide.edu.au/economics/papers/doc/wp2005-19.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fishlow, Albert, 1985. "Lessons from the past: capital markets during the 19th century and the interwar period," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(3), pages 383-439, July.
    2. Taylor, Alan M., 1997. "Peopling the Pampa: On the Impact of Mass Migration to the River Plate, 1870-1914," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 100-132, January.
    3. Peter H. Lindert & Peter J. Morton, 1989. "How Sovereign Debt Has Worked," NBER Chapters, in: Developing Country Debt and the World Economy, pages 225-236, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Eichengreen, Barry & Sachs, Jeffrey, 1985. "Exchange Rates and Economic Recovery in the 1930s," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(4), pages 925-946, December.
    5. Valentine, T. J., 1987. "The causes of the depression in Australia," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 43-62, January.
    6. Williamson Jeffrey G., 1995. "The Evolution of Global Labor Markets since 1830: Background Evidence and Hypotheses," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 141-196, April.
    7. Ronald Findlay, 1995. "Factor Proportions, Trade, and Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262061759, December.
    8. repec:ucp:bknber:9780226645568 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Barry Eichengreen, 1991. "Historical Research on International Lending and Debt," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(2), pages 149-169, Spring.
    10. Gerardo della Paolera & Alan M. Taylor, 2001. "Straining at the Anchor: The Argentine Currency Board and the Search for Macroeconomic Stability, 1880-1935," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number paol01-1, March.
    11. Jeffrey D. Sachs, 1989. "Developing Country Debt and Economic Performance. The International Financial System," NBER Chapters, in: Developing Country Debt and Economic Performance, Volume 1: The International Financial System, pages -12, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Fishlow, Albert, 1987. "Lessons of the 1890s for the 1980s," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt1g7324hr, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    13. A. G. Ford, 1956. "Argentina And The Baring Crisis Of 1890," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 127-160.
    14. M C. Urquhart, 1986. "New Estimates of Gross National Product, Canada, 1870-1926: Some Implications for Canadian Development," NBER Chapters, in: Long-Term Factors in American Economic Growth, pages 9-94, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Anthony M. Solomon & William S. Ogden & Eduardo Wiesner & R. T. McNamar, 1988. "Developing Country Debt," NBER Chapters, in: International Economic Cooperation, pages 233-320, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Bordo,Michael D. & Capie,Forrest, 2006. "Monetary Regimes in Transition," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521030427.
    17. BARRY EICHENGREEN & IAN W. McLEAN, 1994. "The supply of gold under the pre-1914 gold standard," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 47(2), pages 288-309, May.
    18. Taylor, Alan M., 1998. "Argentina and the world capital market: saving, investment, and international capital mobility in the twentieth century," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 147-184, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Peter L. Rousseau & Paul Wachtel, 2015. "Episodes of Financial Deepening: Credit Booms or Growth Generators?," Working Papers 15-09, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    2. Stephen Broadberry & Douglas A. Irwin, 2007. "Lost Exceptionalism? Comparative Income and Productivity in Australia and the UK, 1861–1948," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 83(262), pages 262-274, September.
    3. Xavier Tafunell & Cristián Ducoing, 2016. "Non-Residential Capital Stock in Latin America, 1875–2008: New Estimates and International Comparisons," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 56(1), pages 46-69, March.
    4. McLean, Ian W., 2007. "Why was Australia so rich?," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 635-656, October.
    5. Andrew Seltzer & Martin Shanahan & Claire Wright, 2022. "The Rise and Fall and Rise (?) of Economic History in Australia," CEH Discussion Papers 05, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    6. Muge Adalet & Barry Eichengreen, 2007. "Current Account Reversals: Always a Problem?," NBER Chapters, in: G7 Current Account Imbalances: Sustainability and Adjustment, pages 205-246, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Inekwe, John & Ivanovski, Kris & Smyth, Russell, 2020. "Stationarity properties of per capita CO2 emissions in the OECD in the very long-run: A replication and extension analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Xavier Tafunell & Cristián Ducoing, 2015. "Non-residential capital stock in Latin America. 1875-2008," Economics Working Papers 1472, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sule Ozler, 1992. "Have Commercial Banks Ignored History?," NBER Working Papers 3959, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Rui Pedro Esteves, 2007. "Quis custodiet quem? Sovereign Debt and Bondholders` Protection Before 1914," Economics Series Working Papers 323, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    3. Prados de la Escosura, Leandro, 2000. "International Comparisons of Real Product, 1820-1990: An Alternative Data Set," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1-41, January.
    4. Reinhart, Karmen & Rogoff, Kenneth, 2009. ""This time is different": panorama of eight centuries of financial crises," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 1, pages 77-114, March.
    5. Barry Eichengreen, 1991. "Historical Research on International Lending and Debt," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(2), pages 149-169, Spring.
    6. Bordo, Michael D. & Schwartz, Anna J., 1999. "Monetary policy regimes and economic performance: The historical record," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 3, pages 149-234, Elsevier.
    7. repec:cuf:journl:y:2015:v:16:i:1:reinhart:rogoff is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Baer, Werner & Hargis, Kent, 1997. "Forms of external capital and economic development in Latin America: 1820-1997," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(11), pages 1805-1820, November.
    9. Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2014. "This Time is Different: A Panoramic View of Eight Centuries of Financial Crises," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 15(2), pages 215-268, November.
    10. Federico Sturzenegger & Punan Chuham, 2003. "Default`s in the 1990`s: What have we learned?"," Business School Working Papers seis, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.
    11. Klein, Alexander & Otsuy, Keisuke, 2013. "Efficiency, Distortions and Factor Utilization during the Interwar Period," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 147, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    12. Bordo, Michael D., 1986. "Explorations in monetary history: A survey of the literature," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 339-415, October.
    13. Schweickert, Rainer, 1996. "[Book Review of] Coping with capital surges: the return of finance to Latin America, Ricardo Ffrench-Davis ... (eds.): Boulder, Rienner, 1995," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 2215, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    14. Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2011. "The Forgotten History of Domestic Debt," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(552), pages 319-350, May.
    15. Nunnenkamp, Peter, 1995. "Wirtschaftsreformen in Entwicklungs- und Transformationsländern: Anreizprobleme, Glaubwürdigkeitsdefizite und die Erfolgschancen umfassender Reformen," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 1636, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    16. Adrian Penalver, 2003. "Capital flows to emerging markets," Bank of England working papers 183, Bank of England.
    17. Mr. Juan Sole, 2006. "Lending Resumption After Default: Lessons from Capital Markets During the 19th Century," IMF Working Papers 2006/176, International Monetary Fund.
    18. Reinhart, Carmen M. & Rogoff, Kenneth S., 2013. "Banking crises: An equal opportunity menace," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4557-4573.
    19. Josefin Meyer & Carmen M Reinhart & Christoph Trebesch, 2022. "Sovereign Bonds Since Waterloo," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(3), pages 1615-1680.
    20. Meissner, Christopher M., 2014. "Growth from Globalization? A View from the Very Long Run," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 8, pages 1033-1069, Elsevier.
    21. Barry Eichengreen., 1997. "The Baring Crisis in a Mexican Mirror," Center for International and Development Economics Research (CIDER) Working Papers C97-084, University of California at Berkeley.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N16 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N17 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Africa; Oceania

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:adl:wpaper:2005-19. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Qazi Haque (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/decadau.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.