Money and Banking

Before J. M. Keynes and Stephanie Kelton, there was John Law. The promise of free money never seems to die.

Before J. M. Keynes and Stephanie Kelton, there was John Law. The promise of free money never seems to die.

Despite the claims of the chartalists and modern monetary theory advocates, early American monetary history tells a much different story. In fact, much of the historical evidence illustrates Menger’s theory.

In this week’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon reviews Joseph Salerno’s Money, Sound and Unsound, and still finds it golden.

Despite the claims of the chartalists, early American monetary history tells a much different story than one falsely claiming state-issued fiat money undergirded the colonial economy. In fact, much of the historical evidence illustrates Menger’s monetary theory.

The nineteenth-century American free bank experience is typically considered an example of unregulated banking that led to chaos, fraud, and bank failures. Palasek's study shows that it was in fact a strictly regulated system whose own regulations caused its downfall.

Elon Musk recently claimed that artificial intelligence will make money itself obsolete. He needs to read the literature of Austrian economics.

Elon Musk recently claimed that artificial intelligence will make money itself obsolete. He needs to read the literature of Austrian economics.

Dr. Shawn Ritenour explains how economic freedom—grounded in private property, sound money, and voluntary exchange—turns “class conflict” into cooperation through the division of labor.

New scholarly work is appearing regularly in the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics and the Journal of Libertarian Studies. Here is a sampling of recently published articles.