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Economic Crisis and Political Response: The Political Economy of the Shipping Act of 1916

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Richard Sicotte
Affiliation:
Richard Sicotte is Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T3A 28, Canada. E-mail: rsicotte@ucalgary.ca.

Abstract

Governments often respond to crisis situations with radical economic policies. The Shipping Act of 1916 created a government-owned shipping company. This significant departure from prior policy arose in the atmosphere of crisis surrounding the war in Europe. The Wilson Administration was able to use political institutions to its advantage and ensure that alternative, more moderate proposals would not be considered by the legislature. Initially thwarted by a filibuster, the administration was forced to compromise in order to maintain party loyalty and pass the bill in 1916.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1999

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