This article was published on-line on March 15, 2018 Final version June 13, 2018 Essays in ECONOMIC & BUSINESS HISTORY The Journal of the Economic &Business History Society Editor Jason E. Taylor Central Michigan University Copyright © 2018, The Economic and Business History Society. This is an open access journal. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ISSN 0896-226X LCC 79-91616 HC12.E2 Giedeman and Compton STEAM ENGINES OF CREDIT: THE ROLE OF BANKS IN SWITZERLAND’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 1850-1913 Daniel C. Giedeman Grand Valley State University
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[email protected] From the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of World War One, the Swiss economy grew to be among the most advanced in the world. Economists however have not yet completely determined the reasons for Switzerland’s economic success. One source of this success may have been the Swiss banking system. This article explores the link between Swiss banks and Swiss economic development using historical analysis and time series econometric techniques. The evidence suggests that Switzerland’s banks contributed to Swiss economic success and that Switzerland’s universal banks in particular contributed to the country’s industrial development. Introduction The importance of financial markets and associated institutions in fostering