Toward a political economy of money

Modernity has always been accompanied by conflict over the nature of money. For at least four centuries, philosophers, political economists, and sociologists have divided over questions of the origins, the functions, and the meaning of money. Reflection on the conflict typically presents the protagonists as split between two camps, often labeled metallists and chartalists. Noting the existence of these two positions is a significant advance over assuming a position without acknowledging rival theories. However, such an acknowledgment is inadequate as a guide to understanding the stakes of the conflict, in large measure because those stakes extend beyond the realm of economics. A narrow view of the conflict over money limits our ability to see how money impacts on political economy broadly conceived. Thus, what is necessary here is a story of money complete with an account of the story's own relationship to political economy.