On the Inherent Instability of Private Money

B-Tier
Journal: Review of Economic Dynamics
Year: 2016
Volume: 20
Pages: 198-214

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

A primary concern in monetary economics is whether a purely private monetary regime is consistent with macroeconomic stability. I show that a competitive regime is inherently unstable due to the properties of endogenously determined limits on private money creation. Precisely, there is a continuum of equilibria characterized by a self-fulfilling collapse of the value of private money and a persistent decline in the demand for money. I associate these equilibrium allocations with self-fulfilling banking crises. It is possible to formulate a fiscal intervention that results in the global determinacy of equilibrium, with the property that the value of private money remains stable. Thus, the goal of monetary stability necessarily requires some form of government intervention. (Copyright: Elsevier)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:red:issued:13-289
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29