What are the grand dynamics that drive the history of economies? The laws of supply & demand, most economists would argue. For the history of European banking, this book offers an alternative explanation: Rather than market forces, the coincidence and coalitions of charismatic ideas and powerful...

Introduction and selected review of the literature -- Money as a social institution -- The economy as labor exchange mediated by money -- Long term history of money and the market -- Money, models, and methodology -- Fetishism and financialization -- Money and abstraction -- Conclusion

This book contributes to the current rapprochement between economics and sociology. It examines the fact that individuals use rules and interdependencies to forward their own interests, while living in social environments where everyone does the same. The authors argue that to construct durable...