Interwar Foreign Economic Policy Data on Gold Standard Adherence

James B Allen's study analyzes why governments abided by or defected from the gold standard during the 1920s and 1930s. The work uses cross-sectional time series data and four case studies to profile domestic political and institutional factors linked to capital flight, current account deficits, currency devaluation, and tariff protection. It demonstrates that capital flight and deficits stemmed from a lack of credible anti-inflationary policies, while externalization decisions were driven by domestic politics.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between domestic political regimes and economic adjustment strategies based on the study's analysis.
• Analyzing the drivers of capital flight and current account deficits during the interwar period based on the described policy credibility factors.
• Investigating the political conditions leading to tariff protection or currency devaluation decisions as described in the study.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on cross-sectional time series data, which suggests a structured temporal and comparative dimension.
• The study integrates four case studies, which may provide qualitative depth to the quantitative analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is described as 'closed' license, which restricts access and reuse.

Provenance

Source

James B Allen

Collection Method

The description mentions the use of cross-sectional time series data and four case studies.

Time Range

1920s and 1930s (Interwar Years)