PHD Defense: Economic policy during the interwar period

On Monday 22 November Monica Mjøs Værholm will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic, and defend her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH.

19.11.2010 - Lisbeth Heilund

The interwar period is a well researched period. Still, this thesis provides new knowledge on a topic and a period that remains highly controversial and as proven by the latest financial crisis, also highly relevant to today's policymakers.

In this thesis several aspects of economic policy within a turbulent period, including one world war and two of the major economic crises in the international economy in the 20th century, is discussed. The thesis starts by offering new insight into the disintegration and monetary policy during World War I, important factors setting the stage for the economic problems in the years to come. The experiences from the wartime economy also contributed to shaping the modern state.

Værholm discusses how the increased tolerance level for taxes was utilised to finance some of the new social reforms that were implemented in the interwar years, reforms and services later associated with the welfare state.

The agricultural sector remained one of the most important sectors in the Norwegian economy in the interwar period, and a sector facing serious structural problems. Værholm discusses the emergence of the regulation and protection system that forms the basis for the support offered to this sector from the interwar period until today. This system of protection was expanded during the interwar years, but it was introduced before the war, and the experiences from the war regulations clearly influenced the regulations implemented later in the period.

Prescribed topic for the trial lecture:
Historiographical shifts in interpreting interwar economic policy

Time of the trial lecture:
10:15 in Karl Borch's Auditorium, NHH

Title of the thesis:
Essays on Norwegian economic and trade policy 1912-1939 - The consequence of war and crisis on state and policy

Time and place for the defense:
12:15 in Karl Borch's Auditorium, NHH

Members of the evaluation committee:
Professor Bjørn L. Basberg, NHH, chairperson
Professor Lennart Schön, Lund University
Associate professor Camilla Brautaset, University of Bergen

Principal supervisor:
Associate professor Stig Tenold, NHH

The trial lecture and thesis defense will be open to the public. Copies of the thesis will be available from: [email protected]