The saving behaviour of households and individuals still belongs to the puzzling issues of economic theory. It seems largely unaffected by some of the most important macro-economic indicators, like interest rates or inflation rates. The setting of interest rates, too, has been found in need of explanation as the relation between nominal interest rates and inflation has been contradicting economists' expectations since Fisher´s "paradox". The puzzling nature of price movements and saving behaviour makes them a perfect object for research in economic history. Formal and hermeneutic approaches to economic history can be combined to understand economic decision-making in a changing social and institutional setting.
Our 3-day workshop is part of the German Research Foundation´s Priority Programme 1859 "Experience and Expectation: Historical Foundations of Economic Behaviour" and will provide an opportunity to discuss the determinants of saving in a historical perspective. We are especially interested in, but not restricted to, the link between price stability (or the loss of) and saving behaviour. Questions that we would like to discuss are: How did households react to periods of inflation or deflation, and how did they make sense of this experience? How did periods of price changes influence the actors' “expectation horizon”? What do we know about the transfer process from changes of expectation to the allocation of savings? How did institutional factors influence the role of price developments for decision-making? Are there historical periods of a specific "saving rationality"?
To address these questions we are looking for contributions centred on one or more of the following fields of research, whether using cliometric methods, hermeneutic approaches or insights from the history of economic thought. First, we are interested in papers addressing the development of price changes and interest rates in a long-term perspective. Second, we are looking for papers dealing with the relationship between macro-economic indicators and saving decisions. Third, we welcome papers that discuss the institutional underpinnings of saving behaviour or the setting of interest rates over time. The workshop intends to bring together experienced scholars, Post-Docs and PhD students.
Scholars interested in submitting a paper that will be discussed during the conference are invited to send a brief abstract of 300 words and a one-page CV by 28 February 2020 to Sebastian.teupe@uni-bayreuth.de. Decisions will be made before the end of March.
The conference will be able to provide up to 4-nights hotel accommodation and cover travel costs (up to 350 € within Europe; 1.000 € outside of Europe) for all presenters.