Monetary Intervention Mitigated Banking Panics During the Great Depression: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Federal Reserve District Border in Mississippi, 1929 to 1933

Gary Richardson and William Troost

No 12591, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided Mississippi between the 6th (Atlanta) and 8th (St. Louis) Federal Reserve Districts. Before and during the Great Depression, these districts' policies differed. The Atlanta Fed championed monetary activism and the extension of credit to troubled banks. The St. Louis Fed adhered to the doctrine of real bills and eschewed expansionary initiatives. Outcomes differed across districts. In the 6th District, banks failed at lower rates than in the 8th District, particularly during the banking panic in the fall of 1930. The pattern suggests that discount lending reduced failure rates during periods of panic. Historical evidence and statistical analysis corroborates this conclusion.

JEL-codes: E5 E6 E65 N1 N2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-his, nep-mac and nep-mon
Note: DAE ME
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Published as Richardson, Gary and William Troost. "Monetary Intervention Mitigated Banking Panics During the Great Depression: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Federal Reserve District Border in Mississippi, 1929 to 1933." Journal of Political Economy 117, 6 (2009): 1031-1073.

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