Economic history

Fiscal prioritisation: Lessons from three wars

George Hall, Thomas J. Sargent, 19 May 2013

Can we learn from previous instances of fiscal prioritisation? This column surveys the US Treasury’s response to three wars – the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812 and the Civil War. Contemporary advocates of engaging in fiscal discrimination might ponder the actions of previous US Presidents Madison and Grant, who honoured all existing federal obligations despite challenging fiscal conditions.

Unleashing growth: The decline of innovation-blocking institutions

Klaus Desmet, Stephen L. Parente, 18 May 2013

Innovation is the beating heart of modern growth. This column argues that innovation-blocking institutions weaken when markets expand and competition intensifies. The rise and decline of medieval Italian crafts guilds offer valuable insights into this process. Policies that promote greater market integration and stronger competition are key steps in lowering the barriers to innovation.

The Battle of Bretton Woods

Benn Steil, 29 April 2013

Benn Steil of the Council on Foreign Relations talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his book ‘The Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order’. They discuss the ‘realpolitik’ of the 1944 conference and the scheming of the two central characters, as well as lessons for today’s efforts to reform the Eurozone and the international monetary system. The interview was recorded in London in April 2013.

Medieval monetary practices

Anthony Hotson, 23 April 2013

Medieval monetary practices reveal an alternative approach to currency stabilisation. This column examines the role of Mint prices as a device for stabilising the medieval bullion market. This might seem to be of limited relevance to managing modern currencies, yet a longer historical view helps to highlight different approaches to currency stabilisation. This raises a question for modern policymakers: should the price of some of the asset counterparts of today’s money be anchored, as bullion prices once were under the Mint system?

Girls’ education and medieval commerce

Graziella Bertocchi, Monica Bozzano, 29 March 2013

To what extent can historical and cultural factors explain the reversal of the gender gap? Using a new comprehensive dataset from Italy, this column explores the long-term determinants of the education gender gap. The evidence suggests that cultural values can persist for centuries, but that there have also been critical evolutionary turning points on the road towards equality.