Barter Exchange And Value

This book concerns barter, a transaction in which objects are exchanged directly for one another without the use of money. Economists treat barter as an inefficient alternative to market exchange, and assume that it is normal only in 'primitive' economies or marks the breakdown of more developed exchange mechanisms. For their part, anthropologists have been more interested in the social and moral complexities of the 'gift', and treat barter dismissively as mere haggling. The authors of this collection do not accept that barter occupies a residual space between monetary and gift economies. Using accounts from different parts of the world, they aim to demonstrate that it is more than a simple and self-evident economic institution. Barter may constitute a mode of exchange with its own social characteristics occupying a specific moral space. This novel treatment of barter represents an original and topical addition to the literature on economic anthropology.

This novel treatment of barter represents a topical addition to the literature on economic anthropology.

This book has gathered and classified the major theories of the origin of money and assessed each at length, before presenting an innovative, alternative theoretical framework for the formation and the rise of money.

More than just an account of what money has been and what it will be, this book explores how readers can think about money in new ways -- profitably. The authors introduce readers to the rarely imagined, rarely talked about alternative economies -- where big deals and transactions take place with "trade dollars", and "cash equivalent credits". Neal tells how the U.S. military created the conditions and means for America's long term prosperity -- likening the Internet to the Roman system of roads. And the author's historical digressions form the foundation for a not-so-shocking hypothesis. "Look for a dramatic growth in Private Money. Although not long ago bartering was looked on with suspicion by the IRS, trading surplus goods and services for things of value has quickly become an above-board alternative means of conducting business. Barter and The Future of Money shows readers how important trading will become in the future as more and more savvy business people, determined to succeed whether they have the necessary cash on hand or not, enter the entrepreneurial market. This insider's scoop comes from years of experience in the barter industry and shows how airline credit, artwork, stocks, phone cards, media credits and other goods can become currency. Big business will learn how "offst" and "corporate trading" can open new markets -- the way PepsiCo got into the Russian vodka business as well as how to develop a "Capital Recovery Strategy" for disposing surplus inventory at full wholesale value. The reader will learn about "E-cash", "Breakage", "Ratioing", "Keystoning", "Credit Unwind", and "Exit Strategies for Illiquid Assets", and other concepts that are key tounderstanding how fortunes will be made tomorrow. For those who want to keep up with trends in m

Chapter 1 Introduction -- chapter 2 The first community and the equation of exchange -- chapter 3 The sons of Adam, justice in exchange, and the medieval economy -- chapter 4 The bartering savage and the equation of exchange -- chapter 5 Primitive communities, the equation of exchange, and proper point of departure -- chapter 6 Mademoiselle Zélie and the "scientific" theory of exchange -- chapter 7 Neo-Walrasianism, the matrix of exchange, and beyond -- chapter 8 Conclusion.