An active carrier program preserves designs for wartime expansion

Would a larger interwar carrier program help develop wartime escort carriers?

Yes. Designs could be reused and an established program could continue building when cumulative treaty limits ceased to constrain it.

An interwar small-carrier program would leave designs available to reuse when wartime demand grew. Continued production could also avoid having to restart construction around an inactive design. In the American case, ships already being built during the 1930s could remain in production as cumulative treaty limits ceased to constrain the program. Existing ships and construction experience would give expansion a firmer starting point.