A simple matching-model of money with the potential for counterfeiting is constructed. In contrast to the existing literature, counterfeiting, if it occurred, would be accompanied by two distortions: costly production of counterfeits and harmful effects on trade. However, application of the...

Long times series on production of gold and the value of gold, taken from Jastram's book 'The Golden Constant', are used to estimate a Cagan-type demand function that relates the real total value of gold to its expected rate of return. The model assumes that gold production and a latent scale...

A random-matching model of money is used to deduce the effects of a once-for-all change in the quantity of money. It is shown that the change has short-run effects that are predominantly real and long-run effects that are in the direction of being predominantly nominal provided that the change...

The mechanism-design approach to monetary theory is the search for fruitful settings in which money is necessary for the achievement of some desirable allocations. Fruitfulness means that the settings provide insights about puzzling observations and policy questions. Settings with three...

A version of the Diamond-Dybvig model of banking is used to evaluate the narrow banking proposal, the idea that banks should be required to back demand deposits entirely by safe short-term assets. It is shown that the mere existence of an amount of safe short-term assets outside the banking...