Unregulated and regulated free banking: Evidence from the case of Switzerland (1826–1907)

Nils Herger

Explorations in Economic History, 2022, vol. 83, issue C

Abstract: This paper provides a reassessment of the free-banking history of Switzerland, which included both a period of unfettered competition (1826–1881) and one of strong banknote regulation (1881–1907). Unfettered competition between note-issuing banks gave rise to a fragmented paper-money system, with limited liquidity banknotes. To increase confidence in these notes, the federal government introduced a minimum-reserve requirement and a mutual-conversion rule in 1881. Based on a theoretical model and new empirical evidence, this paper shows that this enhanced regulation came at a cost, as it led to the overissuing of banknotes and an inelastic paper-money supply.

Keywords: Competitive money supply; Free banking; Note-issuing bank; Switzerland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E42 N14 N23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:exehis:v:83:y:2022:i:c:s0014498321000450

DOI: 10.1016/j.eeh.2021.101423

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