Monetary Intervention Mitigated Banking Panics During the Great Depression: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Federal Reserve District Border in Mississippi, 1929 to 1933 / Gary Richardson, William Troost.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Richardson, Gary.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Troost, William.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w12591.

NBER working paper series no. w12591

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Monetary Intervention Mitigated Banking Panics During the Great Depression

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2006.

Summary:

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided Mississippi between the 6th (Atlanta) and 8th (St. Louis) Federal Reserve Districts. Before and during the Great Depression, these districts' policies differed. The Atlanta Fed championed monetary activism and the extension of credit to troubled banks. The St. Louis Fed adhered to the doctrine of real bills and eschewed expansionary initiatives. Outcomes differed across districts. In the 6th District, banks failed at lower rates than in the 8th District, particularly during the banking panic in the fall of 1930. The pattern suggests that discount lending reduced failure rates during periods of panic. Historical evidence and statistical analysis corroborates this conclusion.

Notes:

Print version record

October 2006.