Abstract

The premise of the author is that the study of money should commence at the most general level. Consequently, the book is anchored in the context of monetary systems (commodity, fiduciary, and fiat monies). The intent is to give the student of money a very broad perspective. It allows them to understand, for example, how the money we use today differs from money used in the past, or how our current money relates to money discovered by anthropologists in isolated subcultures.

Money is a market phenomenon. It originated as a spontaneous social institution, and its use is still inextricably tied to market exchange. Therefore, the analysis of money occurs in a market setting. Use of monetary systems and a market setting as the underlying parameters ideally positions the reader to examine money in its various uses: as a medium of exchange, in credit markets, and as an instrument of monetary policy.

The material in the book is suited for upper-division college students and business professionals with an interest in money and banking systems.

The book is appropriate for use in traditional money and banking courses, but its potential use extends beyond that—to the undergraduate courses in monetary theory and as a sourcebook on money.

Keywords

fiat money, interest rates, inflation and the secular decline in the value of money, seigniorage, Austrian views on money and interest rates, monetary policy and its shortcomings.