Monetary problems are important and widely debated, but the complexity of the international monetary system and the disparate systems that make it up gives rise to many fallacies about the inner workings of these systems. When shared by those who decide economic and monetary policies, these fallacies can have damaging consequences. This book provides a rigorous and approachable analysis of these systems and consequences, providing the keys to untangling and understanding their mechanisms and influence. A clear understanding of the working of monetary systems becomes an indispensable decision-making tool when it comes to pressing questions about reform and issues of global debate such as whether a country should join (or leave) the Eurozone or attempts to cure the so-called 'balance of payments problems'. Starting from basic concepts, Pascal Salin progressively builds upon his analysis of monetary systems in a coherent and easily readable way, drawing on the most reliable theoretical contributions from research and giving examples of lessons that can be drawn from this rigorous examination of topics including devaluations, fixed and flexible exchange rates, monetary integration, monetary crises, monetary policy, and more. His clear, orderly style pares down accumulated details and theories to leave a concise and usable toolkit for analysis and action. This book makes it possible for anyone, starting from scratch, to come to a comprehensive understanding of the working of monetary systems. Students and scholars in economics as well as policy makers and practitioners will find this lucid volume an important resource and reference, as it provides intellectual instruments to evaluate the working of any monetary system.

Why do banks collapse? Are financial systems more fragile in recent decades? Can policies to fix the banking system do more harm than good? What's the history of banking crises? With dozens of brief, non-technical articles by economists and other researchers, Banking Crises offers answers from diverse scholarly viewpoints.

The preparation for European Monetary Union and the significant drop in inflation characterize the 1990s for European monetary policymakers. In the near future, the European Central Bank will be given the responsibility to fight inflation in the Euro area. This timely book analyses technical, empirical and international monetary policy considerations relevant to the European Central Bank in choosing an appropriate monetary strategy for achieving price stability. The dynamics of inflation and the choice of a monetary strategy are the binding ingredients of this book. To identify the most effective policy for the European Central Bank, the author uses the experiences of a number of industrialized countries, namely, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It is concluded that monetary targeting would be most effective in fighting inflation. The author also examines in detail the success of economic convergence in Europe and the qualification for participation in the Economic and Monetary Union. He concludes that there has been a remarkable convergence in inflation profiles over the last few decades but hardly any real convergence in the other major economic fields. This volume takes a fresh and original approach in investigating whether monetary or direct inflation targeting is appropriate for the European Central Bank. It will be of great relevance to monetary policy makers both in Europe and the rest of the world. It will also be of interest to academics and students of monetary economics and econometrics.

Budget deficits are features of over 80 percent of the countries in the world. This book analyzes the macroeconomic impacts of these deficits by taking the approach that their stabilization consequences depend largely on their effects on money supply. The book highlights and compares, between the developing and the industrial countries, the characteristics of revenue and expenditure, the various methods of financing budget deficits and their money supply implications, the stabilization consequences of deficit financing, and various issues of monetary control and liberalization of financial markets. Since the evidence on deficits causing inflation is strongest in the developing countries of the Western Hemisphere, the emphasis of the analysis and the recommended solutions and reforms address the developing economies.

The book analyzes the various financial characteristics of developing economies and the features of the revenue and the expenditure sides of budgets to determine the nature and size of deficits. The analysis proceeds by relating budget deficits to their money supply based on various methods of domestic and foreign finance in the industrial and developing worlds. The book then examines the macroeconomic consequences of large increases in money supply and evaluates policies of inflationary finance. The analysis recommends monetary control measures by providing one of the most comprehensive surveys on the relationship between monetary policy instruments and money supply in economic development. The last chapter analyzes methods for liberalizing markets for government securities and examines the experiences of Taiwan and Korea with open-market operations. Ideal as supplemental reading for courses in international money and finance, economic development, and topics in macroeconomics, this book is an important resource for policymakers involved in issues of deficits and monetary policy.

In his latest work, Macesich examines democracy and its economic counterpart, the free market, and the place of money (monetary and fiscal policy as controlled by the state bureaucracy) in such a system. DeTocqueville warned in the first half of the 19th century that democracy could falter as a consequence of citizens' diminished interest in restraining central authority. And now, there is evidence that vote-maximizing behavior of politicians and politically induced cycles in such key variables as inflation, unemployment, government transfers, taxes and monetary growth have become a critical problem in American democracy. The author examines, then, how best to consider money, monetary policy and the monetary regime--increasingly a function of political/bureaucratic pressures--against the argument for a liberal, freely functioning trading world and for fully-employed, prosperous countries.

This study considers the constraints that must be placed on the exercise of discretionary authority by vote maximizing bureaucracies and political elites if democracy is to thrive and prosper. Satisfactory resolution of these issues is basic to reducing monetary uncertainty and stabilizing the long-term price level, according to Macesich. These issues are deeply rooted in traditional American ideology and experience, and the author makes this clear in weaving together historical, institutional, theoretical, philosophical, and empirical results in the case of money and monetary policy.

A comprehensive introductory resource with entries covering the development of money and the functions and dysfunctions of the monetary and financial system. The original edition of The Encyclopedia of Money won widespread acclaim for explaining the function-and dysfunction-of the financial system in a language any reader could understand. Now a decade later, with a more globally integrated, market-oriented world, and with consumers trying to make sense of subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, and bank stress tests, the Encyclopedia returns in an expanded new edition. From the development of metal and paper currency to the ongoing global economic crisis, the rigorously updated The Encyclopedia of Money, Second Edition is the most authoritative, comprehensive resource on the fundamentals of money and finance available. Its 350 alphabetically organized entries-85 completely new to this edition-help readers make sense of a wide range of events, policies, and regulations by explaining their historical, political, and theoretical contexts. The new edition focuses most intently on the last two decades, highlighting the connections between the onrush of globalization, the surging stock market, and various monetary and fiscal crises of the 1990s, as well as developments, scandals, and pocketbook issues making headlines today. 350 fully updated A-Z entries on the deveopment, functions, and dysfunctions of money, banking, and credit systems, including 85 new to this edition Dozens of photographs and illustrations of coinage and paper money from different times and places A glossary of key terms such as gross domestic product, capitalism, float, credit default swaps, and solvency An index offering access to entries by several criteria, including individuals involved and countries affected

A groundbreaking collection on currency derivatives, including pricing theory and hedging applications.

"David DeRosa has assembled an outstanding collection of works on foreign exchange derivatives. It surely will become required reading for both students and option traders."—Mark B. Garman President, Financial Engineering Associates, Inc. Emeritus Professor, University of California, Berkeley.

"A comprehensive selection of the major references in currency option pricing."—Nassim Taleb. Senior trading advisor, Paribas Author, Dynamic Hedging: Managing Vanilla and Exotic Options.

"A useful compilation of articles on currency derivatives, going from the essential to the esoteric."—Philippe Jorion Professor of Finance, University of California, Irvine Author, Value at Risk: The New Benchmark for Controlling Market Risk.

Every investment practitioner knows of the enormous impact that the Black-Scholes option pricing model has had on investment and derivatives markets. The success of the theory in understanding options on equity, equity index, and fixed- income markets is common knowledge. Yet, comparatively few professionals are aware that the theory's greatest successes may have been in the derivatives market for foreign exchange. Perhaps this is not surprising because the foreign exchange market is a professional trading arena that is closed virtually to all but institutional participants. Nevertheless, the world's currency markets have proven to be an almost ideal testing and development ground for new derivative instruments.

This book contains many of the most important scientific papers that collectively constitute the core of modern currency derivatives theory. What is remarkable is that each and every one of these papers has found its place in the real world of currency derivatives trading. As such, the contributing authors to this volume can properly claim to have been codevelopers of this new derivatives market, having worked in de facto partnership with the professional traders in the dealing rooms of London, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.

The articles in this book span the entire currency derivatives field: forward and futures contracts, vanilla currency puts and calls, models for American exercise currency options, options on currencies with bounded exchange rate regimes, currency futures options, the term and strike structure of implied volatility, jump and stochastic volatility option pricing models, barrier options, Asian options, and various sorts of quanto options.

As a fiscal document recording the spending, taxing, and borrowing policies for the coming year, the U.S. budget continues to be a model for other nations. This book focuses on the various phases of budget making, its historical background in fiscal and monetary terms, and special budgetary issues, including the budget balance, credit activities of Government-Sponsored Enterprises, the future health of Social Security, and the budget's relationship to the financial and "public goods" aspects of the international environment. Covering major changes in the structure and process of budgeting since 1989, when the book was first published, this volume covers new ground in many aspects of fiscal and financial policy, domestically and internationally. Each section of the book is devoted to a different aspect of U.S. budgeting, ranging from the foundations of the present policies, to the annual budget cycle, to the actual methods of accomplishment, and the containment of those policies in the global framework. One section focuses on high visibility issues-Social Security, surpluses, federal debt, and entitlement programs. The book provides a valuable overview for those wishing to understand the budget process and its foundations while aspiring to help improve that process.

In "Marco Polo was in China" Hans Ulrich Vogel offers an innovative look at the highly complex topics of currencies, salt production and taxes, commercial levies and other kinds of revenue as well as the administrative geography of the Mongol Yuan empire. The author s rigorous analysis of Chinese sources and all the important Marco Polo manuscripts as well as his thorough scrutiny of Japanese, Chinese and Western scholarship show that the fascinating information contained in "Le devisament dou monde" agrees almost pefectly with that we find in Chinese sources, the latter only available long after Marco Polo s stay in China. Hence, the author concludes that, despite the doubts that have been raised, the Venetian was indeed in Khubilai Khan s realm.

This volume takes a non-economic approach to the issue of the federal deficit. By identifying fiscal problems as merely the visible symptoms of a basic behavioral dynamic common to all people, Cole S. Brembeck undertakes a singular study of how human interests perpetuate the deficit and how, therefore, the deficit issue reflects the nature of the representation in the federal government. Solutions to the worsening deficit crisis can then be explored by shifting the primary focus away from money, budgets, and expenditures and toward people, power, and politics.

Fourteen essays discuss different aspects of the human factor in the federal debt by analyzing how members of the U.S. Congress spend public money. After establishing the relationship between money and human behavior (the psychological groundwork of the entire work), attention then turns to the human and political motivations that result in the incurring of debt and how Congress's monetary practices demonstrate the psychology of public spending. A subject that could constitute an attack on Congress receives fresh insight--rather than isolating Congress as a body with a unique propensity for spending, Brembeck acknowledges the relevant force that is a common human motivator. The work aims at redefining the central issue of the debt debate and concludes with proposals that may help to remedy the financial crisis, based on the premise that the federal debt is a human, not a fiscal, problem.

"Money makes the world go around." From the earliest bartering systems to today's sophisticated electronic transfers of billions of dollars in a split second, systems of exchange have conferred value upon goods and services and created the economic glue that binds individuals, businesses, communities, and nations together. We use it every day, and yet most of us have little understanding of how it really works. In this volume, Mark Dobeck and Euel Elliott present a colorful history of money in its economic, political, socio-cultural, and even psychological context. The first section focuses on banks and financial institutions, and includes discussion of checks and paper money and types of banks and finance companies. The next part covers the role of currency in national sovereignty; the impact of technology on money and global finance; debt, credit, and equity; and money markets. The final chapters look at financial markets and innovation, with discussion of risk management and such controversial and timely issues as emerging investment instruments and the future of money in an electronic age. Featuring a glossary and timeline, charts and graphs, index and references, Money is an engaging introduction to this vital component of the economy.

Jane D'Arista is one of those towering figures who thinks way ahead of the conventional understandings. A generation ago she recognized the distorted architecture of finance and banking and described in lucid detail the reform agenda for restoring a stable and equitable system. Written in the tradition of D'Arista, the essays in this important collection point the way toward overcoming the recurrent financial disorders of our gilded age. Like Jane D Arista s work, this timely volume demands the attention of both policy experts and the politicians who must do the reconstruction.' - William Greider, author of Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the CountryThe many forces that led to the economic crisis of 2008 were in fact identified, analyzed and warned against for many years before the crisis by economist Jane D'Arista, among others. Now, writing in the tradition of D'Arista's extensive work, the internationally renowned contributors to this thought-provoking book discuss research carried out on various indicators of the crisis and illustrate how these perspectives can contribute to productive thinking on monetary and financial policies. Topics addressed include monetary policy, financial markets, financial history, liquidity, institutions and global finance, with an emphasis on the ways in which theory and policy can be applied toward the goal of a more equitable and civilized society. The book s contributors hail from across the globe and offer a range of both academic and policy-making perspectives. This fascinating book will appeal to students and scholars of economics, particularly those with an interest in international finance and banking, financial regulation, and political economy. Contributors: R.A. Blecker, P. Bond, J. Crotty, G.A. Dymski, G.A. Epstein, K. Erturk, J.K. Galbraith, R.N. McCauley, P. Mehrling, D.H. Nielson, G. OEzgur, T. Palley, E. Perez Caldentey, C. Rada, E.D. Russell, T. Schlesinger, M. Seccareccia, L. Taylor, M. Vernengo, R.H. Wade, M.H. Wolfson

Grounding its analysis in the historical evolution of financial regulation, this book addresses a range of public policy issues that concern the design of financial regulation and its enforcement, and contributes several new ideas to the debate in this field. Financial systems have become more competitive across sectors of financial institutions and nations, and direct regulations have been removed in pursuit of efficiency. However, as the risk of institutional failures has increased, de-regulation has had to be followed by re-regulation. In which form should this happen? This book answers this question. First revisiting the issue of "why to regulate", Padoa-Schioppa argues that the need to continue to regulate banks in a special way follows from their key role as liquidity providers. At the same time, his argument recognizes the need for close interplay in the regulation of different financial sectors. The book goes on to discuss "how" regulation should be carried out in the modern environment. It should be market-friendly, but the balance between official intervention and market discipline is difficult to get right. Moreover, in an increasingly international context, financial regulation has to be evenly applied across countries to avoid regulatory arbitrage. The final part of the book turns to issues specifically connected with developments in the European Union. One major issue is the maintenance of financial stability in the Euro area where the financial system is becoming especially integrated. Another major issue is the appropriate role of central banks. As the literature and practice are still very much under development, Padoa-Schioppa analyses the general aspects of the financial stability function of central banks - particularly in relation to the monetary policy and supervision functions - as well as the tools available for the Eurosystem.

This book provides a collection of essays by leading economists in honour of David Laidler's contributions to the field of macroeconomics, with important essays on central banking, monetary policy implementation, inflation targeting, monetary theory, monetary framework debates, and the mathematical theory of banking.

The authors uncover the roots of the eurozone crisis, focusing on how this can be solved against the backdrop of a very deep financial and economic crisis and its strong social impact. Looking at the impact of the financial crisis on the eurozone, they explore the European Union's recent and future developments.

Since the global financial crisis the unprecedented role independent central banks have come to play in our societies has been increasingly disputed. This, in turn, has drawn greater attention to the link between their legitimacy, public support and their independence. Over the past thirty years, academics and central bankers have tried to systematically pin down the sources of central bank independence. One of them, however - culture - has continuously eluded their grip. By engaging in an ethnography of the social text of German, European and US monetary affairs, this book introduces a new analytical framework that will enable practitioners and academics, particularly within sociology, economics, political economy, and political science, to gain a clear understanding of the role of culture in central banking. Also, it will show why for an independent central bank meeting its own monetary goals may not be enough to secure public support for itself and its currency.

The third volume in Greenwood's Handbook of Comparative Economic Policies, this volume provides an overview and comparison of monetary policies in the United States and the world's leading industrial, or G-7, countries. Although monetary policy is one of the most powerful and frequently used means of combating inflation and unemployment and of promoting long-term economic growth, there are many unresolved questions pertaining to the theory and practice of monetary policy. Moreover, in a world becoming increasingly interdependent, monetary policies in each industrial country have significant repercussions in other countries. This handbook is the only in-depth, up-to-date book providing an exhaustive comparative overview of the theory and practice of monetary policy in developed economies. Following an introduction written by the editors, the volume is divided into three parts. Part I, encompassing 5 chapters, covers the major issues in the theory and practice of monetary policy, including monetary policy and the money supply process, monetary policy and economic activity, monetary policy and inflation, monetary policy and regulation, and monetary policy and bank regulation. Part II, comprised of two chapters, deals with monetary policy in the United States, and part III includes chapters examining monetary policy in each of the other G-7 countries. A final chapter discusses monetary policy coordination in the European Monetary System. The chapters are written by well-known experts in the field of monetary economics. Chapter references and a selected bibliography identify the most important sources of additional information. The work concludes with a selected bibliography and an index.

East Asia's Monetary Future is an illuminating and valuable work which uniquely focuses on a long-term monetary view of the region. There are multiple and varied future scenarios which can be applied to this region - an enlarged Singapore-Brunei currency area, a greater China monetary bloc and even a Northeast Asian bloc comprising Japan and Korea. Leading scholars from East Asia, Europe and the US contribute valuable new insights to the key questions facing the organization and future of the monetary system in East Asia. Central questions discussed and analysed in the book include, amongst others: should the region move towards monetary union? Should countries peg their exchange rates to the US dollar? Is complete dollarization an option for East Asia? The authors argue that, having realized price stability over the last twenty years, in contrast to Latin America and Africa, the next logical step would be the gradual formation of various currency blocs within the region. This comprehensive discussion of the fundamental issues at stake will ensure the book's appeal to academics and researchers of Asian studies and financial economics. Financial experts working in this area and policymakers will also find much of interest to them within this book.

The collected papers of Costas Lapavitsas are a pathway to Marxist monetary theory, a field that continues to attract strong interest. The papers range far and wide, including markets and money, finance and the enterprise, power and money, the financialisation of capitalism, finance and profit, even money as art. Despite its breadth, the collection remains highly coherent. Money and finance are pre-eminent, even dominant, features of contemporary capitalism. Lapavitsas has been one of the first political economists to notice their ascendancy and to devote his research to it. He offers a resolutely Marxist perspective on contemporary capitalism while remaining conversant with the history of political economy, sensitive to mainstream economic theory, and fully aware of the empirical reality of financialisation.

This book provides an in-depth description and analysis of monetary policy in Europe and the United States. Focusing specifically on the European Central Bank, it offers one of the first comprehensive guides to understanding the targets, strategy, and instruments of the ECB.

An analysis of the strength of the dollar, the role of the dollar and other alternatives as international money, the U.S. as an international capital market, and the past and future relationships between financial policy and foreign relations.

This book provides a broad and balanced introduction to the principle Western financial makets and institutions. Unlike other books which tend to focus on an individual market, An Introduction to Western Financial Markets is international in scope. Valdez acknowledges the current movement towards a single global market and recognizes that a parochial knowledge of just one local market is no longer sufficient.

Various financial sectors are described in clear and easy to understand terms. Topics covered include banking (commercial and investment), money and bond markets, foreign exchange, stock markets, finance for trade, insurance options, futures, and other derivative products. A final chapter surveys the key trends and issues in the markets today. A useful glossary of terms is included.

Pages of mathematical formulae, common in introductory books on finance, are avoided. Valdez clearly shows the importance of these formulae, but is constantly aware of his non-numeric readers. This book will appeal to students of banking, finance, economics, business studies and the securities markets.