This chapter summarizes the case for considering money as a legal institution. The Western liberal tradition, represented here by John Locke’s iconic account of money, describes money as an item that emerged from barter before the state existed. Considered as an historical practice, money is...

In this paper we argue that, in substance, the Quantitative Easing (QE) programmes introduced by central banks around the world amount to monetary financing of government deficits. As such, these programmes are unlawful under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). However,...

Unrestrained power to create money makes possible the arbitrary seizure of property, either through an unlegislated transfer of wealth from the private to the public sector or through the capricious transfer of wealth between individuals. Money creation -- and by implication the seigniorage that...