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Wildcat Bankers or Political Failure? The Irish Financial Pantomime, 1797-1826

Author

Listed:
  • Kenny, Seán

    (Department of Economic History, Lund University)

  • Turner, John D.

    (Queen's University Belfast)

Abstract

Using a new biography of banks, we examine the stability of Irish banking from 1797 to 1826 by constructing a failure rate series. We find that the ultimate cause of the frequent and severe banking crises was the crisis-prone structure of the banking system, which was designed to benefit the political elite. There is little evidence to suggest that wildcat banking or the failure of the Bank of Ireland to act as a lender of last resort were to blame. We also find that the main economic effect of the episodic crises was major diminutions in the money supply.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenny, Seán & Turner, John D., 2018. "Wildcat Bankers or Political Failure? The Irish Financial Pantomime, 1797-1826," Lund Papers in Economic History 176, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:luekhi:0176
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kenny, Seán & Lennard, Jason & Turner, John D., 2021. "The macroeconomic effects of banking crises: Evidence from the United Kingdom, 1750–1938," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    banking crisis; bank failure; Ireland; partnership; wildcat banking; political economy of banking;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913

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