In one of the greatest extensions of property rights in human history, common law countries began giving rights to married women in the 1850s. Before this "women's liberation," the doctrine of coverture strongly incentivized parents of daughters to hold real estate, rather than financial assets...

Central banks create money to lend during credit crunches, which might lead to inflation. We examine whether the two key functions of central banks—price stability and last-resort lending—conflict. We develop a nominal model of bank runs à la Diamond and Dybvig (1983) in which individuals...

Central banks create money to lend during credit crunches, which might lead to inflation. We examine whether the two key functions of central banks - price stability and last-resort lending - conflict. We develop a nominal model of bank runs à la Diamond and Dybvig (1983) in which individuals...