A. C. Pigou’s Membership of the ‘Chamberlain-Bradbury’ Committee Part I: The Historical Context

In 1924-25 A. C. Pigou was a member of the “Committee on the Currency and Bank of England Note Issues”, which became known as the ‘Chamberlain-Bradbury’ Committee after its two successive chairmen. The Committee’s report is historically important for recommending a bold and quick return to the gold standard, which the British government accepted and acted on. This paper, which is the first in a three part study, briefly provide the historical context for the Committee’s establishment; and reviews those parts of the transcripts of testimony given to the Committee by its witnesses that Pigou highlighted and which are suggestive of his understanding of the Committee’s intended purpose. As such, the purpose of this paper is to lay the foundation for the subsequent two parts of the study of Pigou’s membership of the ‘Chamberlain-Bradbury’ Committee.