Central Banking without Romance

European Journal of Comparative Economics, 15(2) 2018: 293-314.

27 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2014 Last revised: 16 May 2019

See all articles by Thomas L. Hogan

Thomas L. Hogan

American Institute for Economic Research

Daniel J. Smith

Political Economy Research Institute and Department of Economics and Finance at Middle Tennessee State University

Robin Aguiar-Hicks

Troy University

Date Written: August 25, 2015

Abstract

Many economists, including former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, believe that the gold standard generates poor economic outcomes including output volatility, price instability, financial panics, the spread of recessions via the exchange rate, and speculation-induced collapse. These problems, however, do not by themselves demonstrate the superiority of central banks over the gold standard. Comparative institutional analysis requires demonstrating that the relevant alternative, in this case a central bank, can improve upon these outcomes in practice. We use this standard to compare central banking and the gold standard in the United States. Recent theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that the Fed has not been able to measurably improve upon the gold standard even when it comes to these deficiencies.

Keywords: Ben Bernanke; Federal Reserve; Gold standard; Public Choice; Stability

JEL Classification: E31, E32, E42, E58, N10

Suggested Citation

Hogan, Thomas L. and Smith, Daniel J. and Aguiar-Hicks, Robin, Central Banking without Romance (August 25, 2015). European Journal of Comparative Economics, 15(2) 2018: 293-314. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2536431 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2536431

Thomas L. Hogan (Contact Author)

American Institute for Economic Research ( email )

PO Box 1000
Great Barrington, MA 01230
United States

Daniel J. Smith

Political Economy Research Institute and Department of Economics and Finance at Middle Tennessee State University ( email )

MTSU Box 190
1301 E. Main St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37132-0001
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.danieljosephsmith.com/

Robin Aguiar-Hicks

Troy University ( email )

Troy, AL
United States

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