Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Money: Money in economics is anything that is generally accepted as a medium of exchange. It is used to buy and sell goods and services, and to store value. See also Markets, Economy._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Karl August Helfferich on Money - Dictionary of Arguments
Rothbard IV 55 Money/Helfferich/Rothbard: In 1903, the influential monetary economist Karl Helfferich, in his work on Money, laid down a challenge to the Austrian School. HelfferichVsAustrian School: He pointed out correctly that the great Austrians, Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, and their followers, despite their prowess in analyzing the market and the value of goods and services (what we would now call “micro-economics”), had not managed to solve the problem of money. >Microeconomics, >Karl Menger, >Böhm-Bawerk, >Austrian School. Marginal utility: Marginal utility theory had not been extended to the value of money, which had continued, as under the English classical economists, to be kept in a “macro” box strictly separate from utility, value, and relative prices. Even the best monetary analysis, as in Ricardo, the Currency School, and Irving Fisher in the United States, had been developed in terms of “price levels,” “velocities,” and other aggregates completely ungrounded in any micro analysis of the actions of individuals. >Individuals/Austrian School. Economic cycles: The problem was this: for directly consumable goods the utility and therefore the demand for a product can be arrived at clearly. The consumer sees the product, evaluates it, and ranks it on his value scale. These utilities to consumers interact to form a market demand. Market supply is determined by the expected demand, and the two interact to determine market price. Money/Demand for money/Helfferich: But a particular problem is posed by the utility of, and the demand for, money. For money is demanded on the market, and held in one’s cash balance, not for its own sake but solely for present or future purchases of other goods. The distinctive nature of money is that it is not consumed, but only used as a medium of exchange to facilitate exchanges on the market. Money, therefore, is only demanded on the market because it has a pre-existing purchasing-power, or value or price on the market. For all consumer goods and services, therefore, value and demand logically precede and determine price. But the value of money, while determined by demand, also precedes it; in fact, a demand for money presupposes that money already has a value and price. A causal explanation of the value of money seems to founder in unavoidable circular reasoning. Solution/Mises: In 1906, his doctorate out of the way, Mises determined to take up the Helfferich challenge, apply marginal utility theory to money (…). >Money/Mises, >Money supply/Mises, >Economic cycles/Mises, >Inflation/Mises._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Helfferich, Karl August Rothbard II Murray N. Rothbard Classical Economics. An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Cheltenham 1995 Rothbard III Murray N. Rothbard Man, Economy and State with Power and Market. Study Edition Auburn, Alabama 1962, 1970, 2009 Rothbard IV Murray N. Rothbard The Essential von Mises Auburn, Alabama 1988 Rothbard V Murray N. Rothbard Power and Market: Government and the Economy Kansas City 1977 |
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