Managing the Franc in Belgium and France : The Economic Consequences of the Exchange-Rate Policies, 1925-1936

Abstract

The central feature of this comparative analysis of the French and Belgian experience is the distinction between the international and domestic sectors of the two economies. The author shows that in Belgium, as in France, the stabilization of the franc in 1926 brought a period of export‐led growth to an end, and further economic expansion rested on a boom in the domestic sector, with high profitability and a surge in private investment. In the case of Belgium, the domestic sector remained relatively prosperous during the initial stages of the Great Depression, but the strict deflationary policies imposed in the attempt to sustain the gold standard eventually reduced domestic demand and the economy plunged into depression. Both countries were forced to devalue, but political and economic differences made the process more successful in Belgium than in France.