The Monetary Theory Of Production

In mainstream economic theory money functions as an instrument for the circulation of commodities or for keeping a stock of liquid wealth. In neither case is it considered fundamental to the production of goods or the distribution of income. Augusto Graziani challenges traditional theories of monetary production, arguing that a modern economy based on credit cannot be understood without a focus on the administration of credit flows. He argues that market asset configuration depends not upon consumer preferences and available technologies but on how money and credit are managed. A strong exponent of the circulation theory of monetary production, Graziani presents an original and perhaps controversial argument that will stimulate debate on the topic.

This volume examines the theory of monetary circulation and applies it to several modern issues including unemployment, inflation, distribution and economic policies. It will provide a valuable contribution to the field of monetary economics, and in particular, its development of non-neoclassical approaches to monetary economics.

Less than fifty years after the publication of Marshall's Principles Cambridge once again set economics on a new path with the publication of Keynes's General Theory. This book examines the developments in Cambridge monetary and trade cycle theory that were moving it forwards but were also sowing the seeds for the collapse of the Marshallian neoclassical framework. The analysis shows how Cambridge economists such as Keynes, Robertson, Lavington and Hawtrey had built on the foundations of Marshall and Pigou to produce theories of adaptive behaviour which acknowledged that the invisible hand could fail in the short run. This established a conflict with the long run theory of market clearing equilibrium which, though it could be ignored at first, had finally to be resolved.

Everybody uses money every day, but we rarely stop to think about how money works. In this book, scholars from different disciplines seek to answer that question; from historians to economists, sociologists, a philosopher and a physicist. Money works as a social construction because we have mutual expectations that support its use – despite the seeming irrationality of trading valuable things or doing strenuous work for pieces of paper or numbers in accounts. Recently, there has been a revival of interest in monetary theory, not least because the impacts of globalizing markets and of new communication and information technologies have changed the forms of money. The deep crisis of the financial system has demonstrated the importance of a functioning monetary system and although renewed interest in this has led to significant contributions in various fields, it remains true that no social science discipline on its own is sufficiently equipped to explain the basic workings of monetary systems, their rapid innovation and their effects on social, economic and political structures. The contributors to this book report on their latest research on the origins of money, on the nature of monetary transactions, on money and the state, and on the role of money and finance in the recent global crisis. They show how established theories of money and the policies guided by these theories went wrong. This collection will be a valuable resource for students and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of money.

This book demonstrates that 'monetary analysis', as contained in Post-Keynesian monetary theories, but also in the Neo-Ricardian monetary theory of distribution and in Marx's monetary analysis, can be integrated into Post-Keynesian models of distribution of growth in a convincing way.

Money, Financial Institutions and Macroeconomics presents a comparative and international perspective on the current state of research in monetary theory, and the application of monetary theory to important policy issues. The main emphasis is on views stressing the importance of credit creation in the monetary process, in a tradition which arguably encompasses Wicksell, the later Swedes and the Austrians, through the later Hicks, the circuit school and contemporary post-Keynesians. In addition, however, there are distinguished contributions from economists with a more `mainstream' approach to the issues. The book is subdivided into four main parts: Part I reviews the theory of a monetary and credit economy; Part II explores alternative views on money and credit; Part III deals with monetary policy issues in North America; and Part IV discusses monetary policy issues in Europe. `Taken together, the contributions to this volume certainly bear out Hick's famous adage about the much closer relationship between `monetary theory' and `monetary history' than is the case in other branches of economic thought.'