The Social Meaning of Money

The Social Meaning of Money
Author: Viviana A. Zelizer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 069123700X

A dollar is a dollar—or so most of us believe. Indeed, it is part of the ideology of our time that money is a single, impersonal instrument that impoverishes social life by reducing relations to cold, hard cash. After all, it's just money. Or is it? Distinguished social scientist and prize-winning author Viviana Zelizer argues against this conventional wisdom. She shows how people have invented their own forms of currency, earmarking money in ways that baffle market theorists, incorporating funds into webs of friendship and family relations, and otherwise varying the process by which spending and saving takes place. Zelizer concentrates on domestic transactions, bestowals of gifts and charitable donations in order to show how individuals, families, governments, and businesses have all prescribed social meaning to money in ways previously unimagined.

Finance and the Good Society

Finance and the Good Society
Author: Robert J. Shiller
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2013-04-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 140084617X

Nobel Prize-winning economist explains why we need to reclaim finance for the common good The reputation of the financial industry could hardly be worse than it is today in the painful aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. New York Times best-selling economist Robert Shiller is no apologist for the sins of finance—he is probably the only person to have predicted both the stock market bubble of 2000 and the real estate bubble that led up to the subprime mortgage meltdown. But in this important and timely book, Shiller argues that, rather than condemning finance, we need to reclaim it for the common good. He makes a powerful case for recognizing that finance, far from being a parasite on society, is one of the most powerful tools we have for solving our common problems and increasing the general well-being. We need more financial innovation—not less—and finance should play a larger role in helping society achieve its goals. Challenging the public and its leaders to rethink finance and its role in society, Shiller argues that finance should be defined not merely as the manipulation of money or the management of risk but as the stewardship of society's assets. He explains how people in financial careers—from CEO, investment manager, and banker to insurer, lawyer, and regulator—can and do manage, protect, and increase these assets. He describes how finance has historically contributed to the good of society through inventions such as insurance, mortgages, savings accounts, and pensions, and argues that we need to envision new ways to rechannel financial creativity to benefit society as a whole. Ultimately, Shiller shows how society can once again harness the power of finance for the greater good.

Money, Morality and Law

Money, Morality and Law
Author: Gerald Nels Olson
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 1052
Release: 2019-07-16
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9403509805

Standing apart from the swollen stream of writing dealing with financial crises, this much-needed book makes a legal case for enforcement of legal accountability for financial crises and for providing justice for the inestimable and untold human suffering caused by Washington and Wall Street. The extraordinarily detailed analysis comes with the authority of a widely experienced and internationally respected banking and finance lawyer. The book’s driving forces may be summarized as follows: it establishes that persistent and progressive money debasement is at the heart of all serious systemic financial crises; it establishes that the crisis in 2008 was not only simply immoral or wrong but also illegal, the result of intentional violation of the foundational legal requirements of honest, safe, and sound money and banking; it establishes that Washington and Wall Street have intentionally manipulated asset values and liquidity characteristics through proliferation of ineffective banking law and regulation magnified by the rise of structured finance and shadow banking. Basing its analysis on numerous case studies and illustrations, this book enables readers to untangle the web of false narratives wrought by Washington and Wall Street to obscure and misdirect any clear understanding of how fundamental civil, legal and constitutional rights are undermined. Designed to empower readers to effect meaningful legal action against money manipulation and debasement for the benefit of financial elites, this book is essential reading for banking lawyers, bankers, securities firms, lobbyists, government regulators and supervisory institutions. It is also sure to be welcomed by academics in finance and securities law.

Other People's Money

Other People's Money
Author: Louis Dembitz Brandeis
Publisher: Binker North
Total Pages: 250
Release: 1914
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

The great monopoly in this country is money. So long as that exists, our old variety and individual energy of development are out of the question. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit.

Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy – and What We Can Do About It

Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy – and What We Can Do About It
Author: Steve Forbes
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2014-06-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0071823719

Why a return to sound money is our only hope for a true recovery and a healthy global economy “Money clearly illustrates that sound money is an essential foundation for a free and prosperous society and that the Federal Reserve’s current policies are a greater threat to the economic future of the U.S. than government deficit spending. This is an important book well worth reading.” -- John A. Allison, President and CEO, Cato Institute, and author of the New York Times bestselling The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure “Few topics today are as misunderstood as the subject of money. Steve Forbes understands money better than most heads of state do, and in this provocative book he shares his vast knowledge and gives us sensible and time-tested recommendations for stopping future financial meltdowns.” -- Lawrence Kudlow, CNBC Senior Contributor “Economic and monetary policies can be difficult to master for even the savviest politicians. Money effectively communicates these complexities into a cohesive argument for economic recovery and preventing a new financial crisis. Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames deliver a gripping read and an intriguing viewpoint on how to get our economy back on track.” --Greta Van Susteren, host of On the Record, Fox News Channel Few topics are as misunderstood today as the subject of money. Since the U.S. abandoned a gold-linked dollar more than four decades ago, the world’s governments have slid into a dangerous ignorance of the fundamental monetary principles that guided the world’s most successful economies for centuries. Today’s wrong-headed monetary policies are now setting the stage for a new global economic and social catastrophe that could rival the recent financial crisis and even the horrors of the 1930s. Coauthored by Steve Forbes, one of the world’s leading experts on finance, Money shows you why that doesn’t need to happen--and how to prevent it. After reading this entertaining and hugely well-informed book, you will know more about money than most people in the highest government positions today. Money explains why a return to sound money is absolutely essential if the U.S. and other nations are ever to overcome today’s problems. Stable money, Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames argue, is the only way to a true recovery and a stable and prosperous economy. Today’s system of fluctuating “fiat” money, in which governments manipulate the value of the dollar and other currencies, has been responsible for the biggest economic failures of recent decades, including the 2008 financial crisis, from whose effects we continue to suffer. The Obama/Bernanke/Yellen Federal Reserve and its unstable dollar policies are accelerating our course toward disaster, the authors show, in numerous convincing examples. In Money, Forbes and Ames answer these crucial questions: What is the difference between money and value? What is real wealth? How does sound money contribute to a well-functioning society? How have our money policy errors led to the current problems in global financial markets? What can we do now to reestablish the strength of the dollar and other currencies? The authors argue that the most effective way to return to a sound money policy and a healthy economy is to put the dollar back on a gold standard, and they outline the several different forms a gold standard could take. They also share invaluable suggestions for how to preserve our wealth and where to invest our money. Money is essential reading for anyone interested in this crucially important subject.

The Scandal of Money

The Scandal of Money
Author: George Gilder
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2016-03-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1621575667

"Why do we think governments know how to create money? They don't. George Gilder shows that money is time, and time is real. He is our best guide to our most fundamental economic problem." --Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies "Thirty-five years ago, George Gilder wrote Wealth and Poverty, the bible of the Reagan Revolution. With The Scandal of Money he may have written the road map to the next big boom." --Arthur B. Laffer, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of States "Gilder pushes us to think about the government monopoly on money and makes a strong case against it. If you believe in economic freedom, you should read this book." --Senator Jim DeMint, president of The Heritage Foundation As famed economist and New York Times bestselling author George Gilder points out, “despite multi-billion dollar stimulus packages and near-zero interest rates, Wall Street recovers but the economy never does.” In his groundbreaking new book, The Scandal of Money, Gilder unveils a radical new explanation for our economic woes. Gilder also exposes the corruption of the Federal Reserve, Washington power-brokers, and Wall Street’s “too-big-to-fail” megabanks, detailing how a small cabal of elites have manipulated currencies and crises to stifle economic growth and crush the middle class. Gilder spares no one in his devastating attack on politicians’ economic policies. He claims that the Democrats will steer us to ruin – but points out that Republicans are also woefully misguided on how to salvage our economic future. With all major polls showing that voters rank the economy as one of the top three “most important problems” facing the nation, Gilder’s myth-busting, paradigm-shifting recipe for economic growth could not come at a more critical time. In The Scandal of Money, the reader will learn: Who is to blame for the economic crippling of America How the new titans of Wall Street value volatility over profitability Why China is winning and we are losing Who the real 1% is and how they are crushing the middle class The hidden dangers of a cashless society What Republicans need to do to win the economic debate—and what the Democrats are doing to make things worse