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Harry Johnson's "case for flexible exchange rates"—50 years later

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  • Maurice Obstfeld

    (Peterson Institute for International Economics)

Abstract

Fifty years ago, Harry G. Johnson published "The Case for Flexible Exchange Rates, 1969," its title echoing Milton Friedman's classic essay of 1953. Though somewhat overlooked today, Johnson's reprise was an important element in the late 1960s debate over the future of the international monetary system. In this Working Paper, Obstfeld lays out the historical context in which Johnson’s "Case" was written and read and then examines Johnson’s main points and sees how they stand up to nearly five decades of experience with floating exchange rates since the end of the Bretton Woods system. He also reviews the most recent academic critiques of exchange rate flexibility and asks how fatal they are to Johnson’s basic argument. He concludes that the essential case for exchange rate flexibility still stands strong.

Suggested Citation

  • Maurice Obstfeld, 2020. "Harry Johnson's "case for flexible exchange rates"—50 years later," Working Paper Series WP20-12, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:iie:wpaper:wp20-12
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard T. Froyen & Alfred V. Guender, 2022. "The Mundellian Trilemma and Optimal Monetary Policy in a World of High Capital Mobility," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 631-656, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monetary policy; natural rate of interest; Phillips curve; current account; capital flows; policy spillbacks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics

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