Democracy and Money: Lessons for Today from Athens in Classical Times

ISBN-13: 9780367509170 / Angielski / Twarda / 2020 / 320 str.

George C. Bitros; Emmanouil M. L. Economou; Nicholas C. Kyriazis

Opis

This book presents a model of democratic governance with privately produced money based on the case of Athens in Classical times, and explains why it may provide an effective way out from the predicament that state managed fiat money holds for the stability of Western-type democracies and the international financial system.

Spis treści

List of Exhibits List of Figures List of Tables Preface Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Deficits and debts in contemporary democracies 1.2 Complacency and acquiescence of central banks 1.3 Conclusion Chapter 2: Money-related institutions in classical Athens 2.1 Public governance and Archai in charge of the currency 2.1.1 Making the best out of the Laurion mines 2.1.2 Minting of coins and maintaining their integrity 2.2 Financial intermediation in the private sector 2.2.1 Trapezai (banks) 2.2.2 Argyramoiboi or Kollybistai (moneychangers) 2.2.3 Enechirodanistai (pawnbrokers) 2.3 Summary Chapter 3: The system and the tenets of public finance 3.1 A brief overview of the fiscal administration 3.1.1 Setup of the state’s financial services 3.1.2 Sources and uses of public funds 3.1.3 Democratic control of financial magistrates 3.1.4 Balancing the budget through war and peace 3.2 Public budget and lenders of last resort 3.3 Summary Chapter 4: Main currency-related policies 4.1. Economics of minting in classical times 4.1.1. Taxing through reminting 4.2. Regulatory frameworks of coinage 4.2.1 Coinage Decree (449 BC) 4.2.2 The Decree of Kallias (434/3 BC) 4.2.3 Law of Nicophon (375/4 BC) 4.2.4 Currency issues in ancient Greek federations 4.3. Summary Chapter 5: Structure and evolution of the economy 5.1 The state sector 5.1.1 Governance 5.1.1.1 Civil service 5.1.1.2 Defense and power posture 5.1.1.3 Courts and law enforcement 5.1.1.4 Financial, regulatory and other services 5.1.2 Infrastructural and cultural facilities 5.1.3 Social welfare 5.2 The private sector 5.2.1 Household production for own-use and sale 5.2.2 Trade oriented production of goods and services 5.2.2.1 Mining 5.2.2.2 Handicraft and manufacturing 5.2.2.3 Shipping 5.2.2.4 Money and banking 5.2.2.5 Construction 5.2.2.6 Paideia 5.2.2.7 Health care 5.2.2.8 Other public services 5.2.3 Distribution of goods and services 5.2.4 Export-import trade 5.3 Summary Chapter 6: Money in a market economy without a central bank 6.1 Demand and supply of currency and bullion 6.2 Demand and supply of primary deposits by banks 6.3 Demand and supply of bank credit 6.4 Equilibrium in the money market 6.5 Summary Chapter 7: An assessment of comparative performance 7.1 Price stability 7.1.1 Inflation in part and in general 7.1.2 Relative prices and economic flexibility 7.2 Unemployment 7.3 Economic growth 7.4 The interest rate 7.4.1 Real interest rates in the U.S and ancient Athens 7.4.2 Public goods and the rate of interest 7.5 The two currencies from an international perspective 7.5.1 The U.S. dollar in the postwar period 7.5.2 The Attic drachma in classical times 7.6 Summary Chapter 8: Alternatives to established central banking 8.1 Central bank as the fourth power of the state 8.2 Currency and credit based on free banking 8.3 Attic drachma: Private currency with state standards 8.4 On the evolving prospects of electronic money 8.5 Leads for money from classical Athens 8.5.1 Central banking with a non-convertible paper currency 8.5.2 Free banking with commodity-based currencies: The Athenian vs. the Scottish model 8.5.3 Free banking with digital currencies 8.6 Concluding assessments 8.7 Appendix: On the inversion of Gresham’s law in classical Athens Chapter 9: Why back and how to direct democracy 9.1 Core weaknesses of contemporary democracy 9.1.1 The self-interest of politicians 9.1.2 Bureaucracy 9.1.3 Uncoordinated administrative polycentrism 9.1.4 Rent-seeking 9.1.5 Regulatory and state capture 9.2 Sources of inherent weaknesses in contemporary democracy 9.2.1 Impossibility of representation in groups 9.2.2 Asymmetry of information 9.2.3 The deleterious role of political parties 9.2.4 Deficit spending 9.3 The superior advantages of direct democracy 9.3.1 No representation, no political parties, no voter alienation 9.3.2 Procedural counterbalancing of informational asymmetries 9.3.3 Election, accountability and personal responsibility of all officials 9.3.4 Resiliency through multiple checks and balances 9.4 The long march back to citizen sovereignty 9.4.1 Gradualist pathways to substantive democracy 9.4.2 Radical return to direct democracy 9.5 Summary and concluding remarks References Ancient Greek authors More recent literature Contemporary literature in Greek Index of Subjects Glossary of Greek terms