New Money for a New World

by Bernard A. Lietaer, Stephen M. Belgin

Real Change is Truly Possible, Right Now... We can end the threats to our environment, and aid dramatically in its restoration. We can help provide meaningful work for all, with opportunities that enhance and replenish the world around us. We can effectively address fundamental urban and rural concerns and the many diverse and often divergent needs of developing and developed nations alike. We can create a better world where life and all living systems flourish. This is not an idealistic dream, but is rather a pragmatic attainment, achievable within our very own lifetime. So write Bernard Lietaer and Stephen Belgin, authors of the much anticipated book New Money for a New World. Mr. Lietaer is a principal architect of the euro and author of the acclaimed international best seller The Future of Money, which has been translated into sixteen languages. Mr. Belgin is the founder and president of Qiterra Press and author of the upcoming City of Light Chronicles. New Money for a New World examines a previously unexamined culprit for the many issues we face today-the monopoly of our centuries old monetary system. This book also provides many ways and means that are now readily available to stop the current juggernaut towards global self destruction. Many of the solutions offered within this book are more than theory. Communities from around the world have successfully addressed a myriad of issues without the need to raise taxes, redistribute wealth, or depend upon enlightened self interest from corporate entities. Rather the improvements were realized simply and effectively by rethinking money. With such a shift everything is possible.

Genres: Economics, Money, Nonfiction

390 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2011

About the author

Bernard Lietaer was a civil engineer, economist, author and professor.

Reviews

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pre-publication version of this book was gifted to me by a client last year; she sent it with her notes from seeing Lietaer speak in 2006.

It took me longer to read than I expected. It is interesting material but it often feels long. There are some intriguing ideas, and I like the multidisciplinary approach (that critics do not.) I would give it an average rating but I came away pondering, with a list of things I want to research further. If feminist studies don't have any material about the financial system, this could be a starting point.

[Fern · Rating 1 out of 5]

New Money for the New World did not meet my expectations on the subject matter. It started well on complementary currencies and then nose-dived into the yin & yang of money and Jung’s archetypes.

Still, there were some thought-provoking ideas on complementary currencies.

[Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to it first.

[Bob Gustafson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a couple of kilograms of wisdom and insight here, buried in cubic meters of baloney. I am a retired person with time on my hands, so I was willing to read the baloney.

There was a conference co-sponsored by Scientific American at which Mr. Lietaer gave a presentation. I didn't listen to it, but I heard other presenters make reference to it, so I thought I would read his book. Scientific American's decision to go beyond the natural sciences and in to social sciences, using psychology as a bridge, and then to go beyond observation and into advocacy, are bad decisions in my opinion.

Lietaer starts off OK with his hammer allegory and his description money and some alternatives to ordinary money. The ratio of wisdom to baloney is 1:1. It is fine.

Then he goes into history, as Rushkoff does in "Life, Inc.", to tell us how wonderful life was in Europe in the central Middle Ages. It gets a little long. He writes abut some other alternatives to currency, which all seem roughly the same and are basically wishful thinking.

He then goes into Jungian achetypal psychology, psychology of entire societies. It gets very, very, very long. He returns to history, this time ancient Egypt. That gets very long. He makes some other stops on sort of an anthropological trail, which are interesting, but I was still waiting for the "new" money and the "new" world, but he had already written all that he was going to write.

So, if you already know about fiat money, this book is really a waste of time, unless you have time to kill. I did read about Jung and archetypes on Wikipedia.