The Postbellum Deflation and its Lessons for Today

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2007

Keywords

Aggregate demand, Aggregate supply, Benign deflation, Monetary policy, Postbellum period

Abstract

A number of recent studies examining historical experiences with deflation have called into question the widely-held view that maintains deflation is economically harmful. These studies contend that a broad, historical perspective reveals a more nuanced view of deflation, one that requires taking seriously both malign and benign deflation. This paper builds on these findings by taking an in-depth look at the U.S. experience with deflation during the postbellum period and considers whether it supports the claim that deflation can be benign. This paper also considers the lessons of this deflation experience for monetary policy today. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

North American Journal of Economics and Finance

Volume

18

Issue

2

First Page

195

Last Page

214

DOI

10.1016/j.najef.2006.12.003

First Department

School of Business Administration

Link to Full Text

@ the James White Library

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