Money And Debt The Public Role Of Banks

This Open Access book from the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy explains how money creation and banking works, describes the main problems of the current monetary and financial system and discusses several reform options. This book systematically evaluates proposals for fundamental monetary reform, including ideas to separate money and credit by breaking up banks, introducing a central bank digital currency, and introducing public payment banks. By drawing on these plans, the authors suggest several concrete reforms to the current banking system with the aim to ensure that the monetary system remains stable, contributes to the Dutch economy, fairly distributes benefits, costs and risks, and enjoys public legitimacy. This systematic approach, and the accessible way in which the book is written, allows specialized and non-specialised readers to understand the intricacies of money, banking, monetary reform and financial innovation, far beyond the Dutch context [Resumen de la editorial]

The long awaited conclusion to the magisterial Money and Banking in Medieval and Renaissance Venice. Originally published in 1997. In 1985 Frederic C. Lane and Reinhold C. Mueller published the magisterial Money and Banking in Medieval and Renaissance Venice, volume 1: Coins and Moneys of Account. Now, after ten years of further research and writing, Reinhold Mueller completes the work that he and the late Frederic Lane began. The history of money and banking in Venice is crucial to an understanding of European economic history. Because of its strategic location between East and West, Venice rapidly rose to a position of preeminence in Mediterranean trade. To keep trade moving from London to Constantinople and beyond, Venetian merchants and bankers created specialized financial institutions to serve private entrepreneurs and public administrators: deposit banks, foreign exchange banks, a grain office, and a bureau of the public debt. This new book clarifies Venice's pivotal role in Italian and international banking and finance. It also sets banking—and panics—in the context of more generalized and recurrent crises involving territorial wars, competition for markets, and debates over interest rates and the question of usury.

In my opinion, the United States is facing monetary reform within the lifetime of most of its citizens, because the world is not able to continue to carry its public debt. Europe, too, is over-burdened. The old remedy of growth, expansion of the money supply, and resulting inflation has run its course. To devalue the dollar further to five cents and then one cent of its 1950 purchasing power would result in an exponential decline not even seen in South America. The monetary reform can be along the lines of the American Colm-Dodge-Goldsmith Plan imposed by the U.S. Military government on Germany in 1946 (implemented in 1958), with the significant difference that the U.S. productive capacity, the level of employment though lower than desired, and its infrastructure are intact. What needs to be fixed is the $15 trillion national debt, the staggering unfunded liabilities of $113 trillion, and the banking system. Quasi money is not even acceptable to the banks themselves and must be eliminated by putting deposits under a near 100% liquidity cover of federal funds, eliminating the national debt in the wash-up. A conversion of old currency into new may be necessary given the enormity of the unfunded liabilities of nearly ten times GDP, which are growing exponentially and coming home to roost. The tax system needs to be overhauled so that to meet the burden without killing the economy. The national debt itself, can be redeemed as outlined in my booklet, "Money in Crisis," 2nd edition, by repaying the debt with redemption certificates while increasing banks' reserve requirements, so that the redemption receipts cannot be booked as deposits and increase the money supply, but, for example, as capital subscriptions, which is preferable to outright U.S. national debt repudiation, because the U.S. national debt cannot be repaid with taxes; it is at the point of no return.

The Role of Money examines the mystery of money in its social aspect and illustrates what money now is, what is does and what it should do. The standpoint from which the book is written is that of the public. The significance of the 'money-power' of the state to issue money has been recently recognized by historians. Its key position in shaping the course of world events is here explained. Included are: * Chapters on the philosophic background * The theory of money - Virtual Wealth * The Evolution of Modern Money * International Economic Relations * Debts and Debt Redemption

With its central focus on money and its link with the production sphere, this book explores how best to adapt the fundamental ideas of the circulationist perspective to achieve a better understanding of the financialisation of the productive apparatus

Provides an in-depth overview of the Federal Reserve System, including information about monetary policy and the economy, the Federal Reserve in the international sphere, supervision and regulation, consumer and community affairs and services offered by Reserve Banks. Contains several appendixes, including a brief explanation of Federal Reserve regulations, a glossary of terms, and a list of additional publications.