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5 - ‘A Good Deal of Advice’

The Battle over Policy Control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

Harold James
Affiliation:
Princeton University, New Jersey
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Summary

In practice, the early 1980s UK policy involved sporadically – but surprisingly often – responding to exchange rate movements, even when the exchange rate was specifically not designated as either a policy goal or an instrument, as well as raising interest rates as a way to cool down inflation but also economic growth. The 1981 budget, the most controversial of the Thatcher years, was accompanied by the attempt to take the pressure off manufacturing industry by lowering interest rates. The Bank responded to a surge in broad monetary aggregates by overfunding, that is, selling more than the amount of long-term debt (mainly gilts and National Savings instruments) required to finance the government. In 1983, a new Governor, Robin Leigh-Pemberton, who seemed more aligned with Thatcher’s view, came to the Bank of England, replacing Gordon Richardson, whose relationship with the Prime Minister had been strained. In the same year, a new Chancellor the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, began a slow move away from monetarism and the application of monetary targets. The exchange rate came to play an increasing role in policy.

Type
Chapter
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Making a Modern Central Bank
The Bank of England 1979–2003
, pp. 78 - 146
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • ‘A Good Deal of Advice’
  • Harold James, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Making a Modern Central Bank
  • Online publication: 18 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108875189.005
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  • ‘A Good Deal of Advice’
  • Harold James, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Making a Modern Central Bank
  • Online publication: 18 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108875189.005
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • ‘A Good Deal of Advice’
  • Harold James, Princeton University, New Jersey
  • Book: Making a Modern Central Bank
  • Online publication: 18 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108875189.005
Available formats
×