Series Information:
Foundations of the Market Economy

The idea of free (or laissez-faire) banking has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years. It is a novel idea that challenges much of what many banking scholars still take for granted - that banking is inherently unstable, that the banking system needs a lender of last resort or deposit insurance to defend it in a crisis, and that the government has to protect the value of the currency. Against this free banking sets an argument which is in essence very simple: if markets are generally better at allocating resources than governments, then what is different about money and the industry that provides it and why? Laissez-Faire Banking is divided into three interelated sections, dealing with the theory of free banking, historical experiences of it and present-day monetary and banking reforms based on free banking principles.

The idea of free (or laissez-faire) banking has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years. It is a novel idea that challenges much of what many banking scholars still take for granted - that banking is inherently unstable, that the banking system needs a lender of last resort or deposit insurance to defend it in a crisis, and that the Government has to protect the value of the currency. Against this free banking sets an argument which is in essence very simple: if markets are generally better at allocating resources than governments, then what is different about money and the industry that provides it and why?;"Laissez-Faire Banking" is divided into three inter-related sections, dealing with the theory of free banking, historical experiences of it and present-day monetary and banking reforms based on free banking principles.

Kevin Dowd asserts that state intervention into financial and monetary systems has failed, and that we would be better off if financial markets were left to regulate themselves. This collection will appeal to students, researchers and policy makers in the monetary and financial area.

Competition and Finance offers a new, unified treatment of the fields of financial and monetary economics. The first part deals with financial economics and begins by providing a coherent and up-to-date analysis of contract design and capital structure. It integrates recent developments in agency theory, information economics and related fields into a unified financial theory of the firm. It then turns to financial intermediation, and explains why financial intermediaries exist and take the forms they do. The simpler forms of financial intermediary - brokers and mutual funds - are then covered in one chapter each. These are followed by three chapters that set out a new treatment of the economics of banking. These provide an up-to-date theory of the banking firm, but they also cover a variety of other banking issues - including, among others, the structure of the banking industry, a new analysis of free banking, a review of recent theoretical work on banking stability, and an assessment of the need for central banking.

New forms of private monies regularly hit the newspaper headlines. However, there is relatively little discussion of whether such innovations will last the pace and perform effectively the functions that we expect of money. This monograph, by one of the leading scholars in the field of private money and free banking, examines new innovations such as Bitcoin, the Liberty Dollar and e-gold. Kevin Dowd concludes that competition in this field is welcome given the lamentable history of state money which has seen its purchasing power shrink greatly over the years. However, the author also concludes that, whilst recent developments in private monetary systems are welcome and may herald a forthcoming revolution, new monies face many challenges. Some of those challenges relate to the nature of the private monies themselves. Other challenges come from law enforcement agencies that are determined to prevent competition with state money. Kevin Dowd outlines the regulatory and legal changes that will be necessary if beneficial innovation is to thrive and discusses how developments in private money are part of a more general movement amongst people who wish to reduce the role of the state in their lives. This monograph is essential reading for anybody interested in new developments in money, finance and banking.