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The Gold Standard, Bretton Wood and Other Monetary Regimes

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The Gold Standard, Bretton Wood and Other Monetary Regimes 123 Michael TI. Bordo Michael D. Bordo is a professor of economics at Rutgers University and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. For excellent research assistance I would like to thank Jakob Koenes. For helpful comments and suggestions I am grateful to Barn,’ Eichengreen, Allan Meltzer, Leslie Presnell, Hugh Rockoft and Anna Schwartz. • I The Gold Standard, Bretton Woods and Other Monetary Regimes: A Historical Appraisal INTRODUCTION to the presence of credible commitment mechan- isms, that is, to the incentive compatibility fea- Two Questions tures of the regime. Successful fixed-rate regimes, Which international monetary regmm is h ~5t in addition to being based on simple transparent for economic performance? One based on fixed rules, contained lea tures tim t enconraged a center exchange rates, including the gold standard and country to enforce the rules and other coun- its variants? Adjustable peg regimes such as the tries to comply. Brel ton Woods system and the European Mone- tarv System (EMS)? Or one based on floating The Issues exchange rates? This quest ion has been debated These questions touch on a number of impor- since Nurkse’s classic indictment of flexible rates tant issues raised in economic literature. ‘Ihe and Friedmans classic defense. first is the effect of the exchange rate regime Why have some none tarv regimes been more on welfare. The key advantage of fixed successful than others? Specifically, why did the exchange rates is that they reduce the transac- classical gold standaid last for almost a ceo t urv tions costs of exchange. The key disadvantage is (at least for ( reat Britain) and why did Bret ton that in a world of wage and price stickiness the Woods endure for only 25 years (or less)? Why benefits of reduced transactions costs may he was the EMS successful for only a few years? on tweighed by the costs of more volatile output and employment. This paper attempts to answer these questions Helpman and Razin (1979), Helpinan (1981) lo answer the first question, I examine empiri- and others have raised the welfare issue. This cal evidence on the performance of three mone- theoretical literature concludes that it is difficult ta rv regimes: the classical gold s andard Brett on to provide an unambiguous ranking of exchange Woods, and the current float. As a backdrop, I rate arrangements - examine the mixed regime interwar period. I answer the second question by linking regime success Meltzer 11990) argues the need for empirical 1 See Nurkse (1944) and Friedman (1953). 2 See DeKock and Grilli (1989 and 1992). MARCH/APRIL 1993 124 measures of the excess burdens associated with flexible rates, coun try-specific shocks can be off- flexible and fixed exchange rates—the costs of set by independent monetary policy.° increased vo)a tilitv on the one hand compared The evidence on this issue is limited. Bavoumi with the output ccsts of sticky pnces on the and Eichengreen (1 992a) applied the Elanchard- other hand. His comparison of EMS and non- Quah appi-oach to show that both supply (per- EMS countries in the postwar period however, manent) and demand (temporary) shocks, for a does not yield clear-cut results. sample of live countries, were considerabh’ greater Earlier literature comparing the macroeco- under the gold standard than under post—World nomic performance of the classical gold stand- War II regimes. However, they found little dif- ard, Bret ton Woods and the current float also ference in the incidence of shocks between yielded mixed results. tIm-do (1981) and Cooper Bretton Woods and the floating exchange rate (1982) showed that the classical gold standard regime. Their results also showed that the dis- was associated with greater price level and real persion of shocks across countries was higher under the gold standard than under the two output vola t ilitv than post—World War II arrange- ments for the United States and United Kingdom. more recent regimes and slightly higher under On the other hand Klein (1975) and Schwartz llretton Woods than under the floating exchange (1986) presented evidence that the gold stand- rate regime. They attributed the ability of the ard provided greater long-term lirice stahilit~’ gold standard to withstand greater shocks to evi- than did the post—World War- It arrangements.3 dence of a faster speed of adjustment of both prices and output, as measured by impulse Bordo (1993) compared the means and stand- response frmctions.~ ai-d deviations of nine variables for the Group A third issue is the case for rules vs. discre- of Seven countries under the three regimes, as 4 tion. A fixed exchange rate max’ he viewed as a well as the interwar period According to these commitment mechanism or rule. It binds the measm’es, the Bretton Woods convertible period hands of polic makers to prevent them from from 1959 to 1971) was the most stable regime following inflationary discretionary policiesi for the majority of countries and variables The monetary authority, in a closed economy or examined. Eichengreen 1 1992a) measured volatil- under flexible rates, might be tempted to engi- ity applying two filters (the first difference of neer an inflation surprise to raise ret-enue.” ‘lie logarithms and a linear trend).~Comp n’ing Bret- outcome is higher inflation because the public, ton Woods and the float for a sample of 10 assuming rational expectations, will anticipate countries, he found no clear-cut connection the policy. Wet-c some credible mechanism, between the volatility of real growth and the such as a monetary rule, in place the expansion- exchange rate regime. He also found no signifi- arv policy would not he implemented. Alterna- cant difference in the correlation of output vola- tivelv, a commitment to a fixed exchange rate tility across countries between the two regimes. through a pledge to maintain gold convertibility, A second issue is whether the exchange rate for example could achie~’ethe same results, hut regime provides insulation from shocks and because it is more transparent, it would possibly monetary policy independence. Under fixed cost less. 10 Such binding commitments may, how- rates, coordinated monetary policy may provide ever, be undesir-ahle in the presence of extreme effective insulation from common supply shocks, emergencies such as major wars, supply shocks but not from country-specific shocks. tinder or financial crises.11 Undet- such circumstances ~Thisresult is disputed by Mettzer and Robinson (1989). apply this methodology to examine the incidence of 4 shocks within Western Europe and within regions of North The Group of Seven countries are Canada, France, Ger- America. many, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United 8 States. See Kydland and Prescott (1977), Barro and Gordon 5 (1983), and Persson and Tabellini (1990). Eichengreen followed the methodology of Baxter and 9 Stockman (1989). Alternatively the monetary authority may create an inflation t surprise to offset a labor market distortion that raises the Similarty a monetary union such as the proposed Euro- unemployment rate above some desired level. pean Monetary Union could provide effective insulation 10 from common supply shocks for its members. However, 5ee Giavazzi and Pagano (1988). 11 giving up monetary independence imposes additional bur- 5ee Rogoff (1985a) and Fischer (1990). dens in the case of member-specific (regional) shocks, Feldstein (1992). 7 Addressing the issue of the optimum currency area, Bay- oumi and Eichengreen (1992b, 1992c and 1992d) also FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS 125 a contingent rule, or one with escape clauses tionaty policies. 17 Thus for an international mone- that allow member countries to suspend parity taty arrangement to be effective both between (convertibility) temporarily, may be optimal.12 countries and! within them, a consistent credible com- mitment mechanism is required. Such a mechanism The rule constrains the government to adhere to likely prevailed under the gold standard but the fixed exchange i-ate except in the case of a well- was less evident under Bretton Woods. understood emergency, ~~‘lienit can suspend pal-it)’ (convertibility under the gold standard) A fifth and final issue is the case for international and issue fiat money. Once the emergency has monetary refoi-m. Several, prominent proposals passed, with allowance for a suitable delay, the have been made to reform the present managed authority is expected to return to the rule—that floating exchange rate regime and move it hack is, to the fixed rate at the original parity. If the toward one of greater fixity. These proposals in putilic believes in the government’s commitment part derive from a pet-ception, based on the to return to the rtile, the government will be able historical record, that fixed exchange rates are to raise more revenue than it could with no credi- preferable to the current float. These proposals bility. ‘the inflation rate during the emergency include McKinnon’s case for a gold standard with- would he higher than undet- the rule (when pre- out gold, Mundell’s proposal to target the real sumably it would he zero) hut tess than in the price of gold and the case for target exchange case of put-c discretion. The pattern of alternat- rate zones presented by Williamson and Berg- big fixed and floating exchange rate regimes sten)’ Even more immediate is the move to con- over the past 200 years may he well explained vert the adjustable peg of the EMS to a by adherence to a rule with an escape clause. 13 unified currency area with irrevocably fixed exchange rates. On the other hand, in a regime of floating exchange rates the inflationary bias of discre- ()tTtSftTjp tif tionai-y policy may he overcome by instituting The paper accomplishes a number of tasks.
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