EH.Net Abstracts in Economic History

AEH: WORLD.INST: Exchange-Rate Regimes and International Trade: Evidence from the Classical Gold Standard Era

Christopher Meissner (meissner at econ.berkeley.edu)

Mon Jan 29 12:08:10 EST 2001

                ABSTRACTS IN ECONOMIC HISTORY
                     (c) 2001 EH.Net
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Name: Christopher Meissner
Email: meissner at econ.berkeley.edu
Institution: University of California at Berkeley

Co-author: Jose Ernesto Lopez Cordova
Trade Economist
Integration, Trade, and Hemispheric Issues Division
Inter-American Development Bank
1300 New York Ave. NW
Stop W0608
Washington, DC 20577
U.S.A.

Tel: (202)623-2469
Fax: (202)623-2169
Email: joselc at iadb.org

Title: Exchange-Rate Regimes and International Trade: Evidence from 
the Classical Gold Standard Era

Internet Address of abstracted work:
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/iber/wps/ciderwp.htm

By mail:
Department of Economics
U.C. Berkeley
549 Evans Hall, #3880
Berkeley, CA 94720-3880

Phone:  (510) 841-0736
Fax:  (510) 841-0736

Language: English

Abstract:

In this paper we show that the spread of the classical gold standard 
in the late nineteenth century increased international trade flows. 
This positive effect was compounded whenever a group of countries 
formed a monetary union. Applying the gravity model of trade to more 
than 1,100 country pairs during the 1870-1910 period, we find that 
two countries on gold would trade 60 percent more with each other 
than with countries on a different monetary standard. Moreover, a 
monetary union would more than double bilateral trade flows. Our 
findings are relevant for current discussions on alternative monetary 
arrangements for the twenty-first century.

Bibliography: Meissner, Christopher and Jose Ernesto Lopez Cordova. 
"Exchange-Rate Regimes and International Trade: Evidence from the 
Classical Gold Standard Era." Manuscript, University of California at 
Berkeley and Inter-American Development Bank, 2001.

Subject: H,S
Geographical Area: 0
Country/Region:
Time Period: 7,8

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