Swiss Monetary History since the Early 19th Century

Ernst Baltensperger is Professor Emeritus of macroeconomics at Universität Bern, Switzerland and former director of the study center Gerzensee of the Swiss National Bank. He studied economics at Universität Zürich and received his Ph.D. in economics from The Johns Hopkins University. He was an advisor to the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Government, and served as an editor of several academic journals. Peter Kugler is Professor Emeritus of monetary economics at Universität Basel, Switzerland. He has held previous positions as Professor of statistics at Universität Basel, Switzerland, of econometrics at Universität Bern, Switzerland and economics at Universität Wien, Austria. He served as member of the scientific advisory board of the Deutsche Bundesbank and was external advisor to the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Government.

• Introduction; Part I. Political and Economic Development of Switzerland: 1. The Swiss political system and general economic development since the formation of the Federal State (1848); Part II. A Chronological Review of Swiss Monetary History in the 19th and 20th Century: 2. Creation of a national currency (1848–1881); 3. The long road to a Swiss central bank (1881–1914); 4. World War I and the postwar period (1914–1929); 5. From the Great Depression to World War II (1929–1945); 6. Switzerland under the system of Bretton Woods (1945–1973); 7. The era of flexible exchange rates (1973–present); Part III. Key Questions and General Insights from Swiss Monetary Experience: 8. The Swiss experience with currency and note issue competition 1825–1905; 9. Swiss money demand and supply 1851–2010; 10. The Swiss interest island 1837–1970; 11. The Swiss Franc at the foreign exchange market 1850–2010; 12. Monetary and macroeconomic effects of Swiss banking and finance 1890–2010; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

'The Swiss franc has been one of the strongest currencies in modern times, often serving as a safe haven for 'hot money'. Understanding its history therefore provides new insights into the institutional foundations of monetary policy and the vagaries of international capital flows. Ernst Baltensperger and Peter Kugler do a superb job in explaining these topics. The book is required reading for anyone interested in monetary and financial history.' Tobias Straumann, Universität Zürich