In the modern lexicon, money is pure instrumentality, a colorless medium that transparently expresses real value. Contrary to that trope, however, we can get “inside” money: we can reconnoiter it as a structure entailing value that is engineered by certain societies. Taking a...

In early monetary systems the unit of account was separate from the medium of exchange. Commodity prices and prices of coins were quoted in terms of a fixed quantity of metal that was embodied by an 'index coin'. Coins circulated at their metal value because coinage was imperfect and fixed...

Exploiting a neglected account of earlier macroeconomic thinking, the present study addresses continuing controversies over the revolutionary status of Keynes' General Theory, and the origins of the Great Depression that inspired it. Although G.D.H. Cole's reputation as a labour historian...

In this paper I am going to explore some of the major theoretical concepts and ideas in Luca Fantacci's work devoted to the history of money. As a historical check on Fantacci's theory I will present various moments in Russian monetary history interpreted in the light of the ideas of the La...

This paper outlines a theory of dominant money, i.e. the means of payment that determines the money system and monetary policy during a certain epoch. In modern times, there have been three tidal changes in the composition of the money supply with a new type of money on the rise: unregulated...

It is widely assumed that there are no close precedents against which to benchmark the internationalisation of the renminbi (RMB). This paper argues that this overlooks the PRC's own recent economic history. This paper shows that efforts to internationalise the RMB in the 1970s offer important...

We use the demise of silver-based standards in the 19th century to explore price dynamics when a commodity-based money ceases to function as a global unit of account. We develop a general equilibrium model of the global economy with gold and silver money. Calibration of the model shows that...

Many economists, including former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, believe that the gold standard generates poor economic outcomes including output volatility, price instability, financial panics, the spread of recessions via the exchange rate, and speculation-induced collapse. These problems,...

This article provides a descriptive overview of the payment card industry in Europe and compares the various forms of organization of payment card systems in European countries. This synthesis helps to understand the paradoxes and the challenges entailed in the creation of the Single Euro...

From the inception of International Monetary System (I.M.S.) the system has been facing liquidity problem. Starting with the gold standard, the limited stock of gold could not cope with the increasing world trade. The introduction of the gold-exchange standard which included some key currencies...