The Production of Money: How to Break the Power of Bankers

"What is money, where does it come from, and who controls it? In this accessible, brilliantly argued book, leading political economist Ann Pettifor explains in straightforward terms history's most misunderstood invention: the money system. Pettifor argues that democracies can, and indeed must, reclaim control over money production and restrain the out-of-control finance sector so that it serves the interests of society, as well as the needs of the ecosystem. The Production of Money examines and assesses popular alternative debates on, and innovations in, money, such as "green QE" and "helicopter money." She sets out the possibility of linking the money in our pockets (or on our smartphones) to the improvements we want to see in the world around us"-- "Money makes the world go around; but what is it really? And where does it come from? The rich know how to become richer, but do the poor have inevitably to suffer as a result. In this accessible, brilliantly argued book, leading political economist Ann Pettifor shows us how wrong we are about this most misunderstood invention in history. Money is never a neutral medium of exchange. Nor is finance just a mechanism that connects borrower and lender. Pettifor shows us how to reclaim control of money from those who presume to be in control: the banks. She shows how we can use money to build economies that are both just and meet society's - and the ecosystem's - needs. She also looks at the latest alternative debates on, and innovations in money: Positive Money, Goldbugs to explore what kind of economic future they offer. She sets out the possibilities of discovering the link between the money in our pockets and the change we want to see in the world around us"--… (more)