The Future of Money

by Bernard A. Lietaer

Today’s financial system is seen by the most as having a fixed size. Bernard A. Litaer challenges this perspective by showing that there were different economic systems in history and that our present system has arisen from a tacit and problematic collective acceptance. He sees the future in the development of complementary currencies. He explains which money is necessary for which needs and how we can commonly create it. Money only exists because of trust — where trust has been destroyed, money is loosing its value; chaos and poverty are sad consequences. Lietaer has written an exciting and informative book for anyone who is aware of economic problems, from interested laymen to bankers.

Das Geld- und Finanzsystem, wie wir es heute kennen,wird von den meisten als feste Grösse, ja als gottgegeben betrachtet. Bernard A. Lietaer zeigt dagegen, dass es im Laufe der Geschichte ganz andere Systeme gegeben hat und unsere derzeitige Finanzordnung einer stillschweigenden — inzwischen höchst problematischen — kollektiven Übereinkunft entspringt. Die Zukunft sieht er in der Entwicklung von komplementären Währungen. Er erläutert, welches Geld wir für welche Aufgabe benötigen und wie wir es gemeinsam erschaffen können. Denn Geld besteht nur aufgrund von Vertrauen. Wo dieses Vertrauen zerstört wird, verliert Geld seinen Wert; Chaos und Armut sind die traurigen Folgen. Lietaer hat ein ebenso spannendes wie informatives “Enthüllungsbuch“ geschrieben, das sich vom interessierten Laien überneugierige Banker an alle wendet, die sich der Geldproblematik bewusst sind.

Genres: Economics, Finance, Money, Nonfiction, Business, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

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

Reviews

[Joshua]

Fascinating! It is especially prescient given that it was published in 1999 (!) yet seems perfectly suited to explaining the ills of the Great Recession and the subsequent bull-ish market that we are in today.

I especially found the discussion of Hureai Kippu ("Caring relationship tickets") in Japan and the Elder Plan (in the US) to be fascinating—perhaps this is the way for us to resolve both the issues of an aging public and an underemployed youth without bankrupting the country. Especially interesting that in NY the Elder Plan can be used to pay for 25% of health insurance premiums.

Also interesting that Time Dollars are tax free according to the US IRS...

[ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not an economist, but Lietaer has some fascinating things to say about money. He links currency systems to their effects in societies. This is a must-read (if you can find a copy) for anyone interested in how capitalism shapes the way we live our lives.

Check out the author's page on Wikipedia for more information:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_...]

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential, this book changed the way I think.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books that helped me understand that money is a human invention, and not natural mechanism, and that was a step toward my current work and passion.

[Rodrigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,8

[Jeroen WATTE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given the importance of this book,i can't believe that only the 2 star review is visible.
The late professor Bernard Lietaer has shown such leadership and audacity in challenging the monetary system, just by explaining how it works, that he should be more widely read. Watch the YouTube series made in 2009 by the European journalism center where he talks on monetary blind spots https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1... to grasp the depth of his analysis. He also expands on the fact that the Nobel prize in economics is fake: Nobel never wanted such a prize. Lietaer exposed it as a PR-stunt by the Swedish Central Bank. It will thus never go to someone who questions the authority of the central banking system. He explains how private banks create money out of thin air every time a loan is issued. He is also an authority on complementary currencies. Eye opening on many fronts.

[Daniel Gusev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prescient discourse full of thoughts and examples about where the revolving curves of commerce would bring society in terms of tokens it's using: not just the money, but what forms of identity would be presented to validate transactions.

How smart he was to have summarised one emerging truth since the dawn of commerce (that relates not just to the subject of the future of money from when the book was written, but to the historical path it went as well: "...In other words, the old way consisted of physically moving a product from manufacturer to wholesaler, and then to the retailer and finally to the consumer. In the new way, the middleman deals only with information..."

Am lucky to have met Bernard and remembering fondly his kindness to pass on the wits of knowledge and wisdom, contradicting the very notion from Montaigne saying: "We can be knowledgeable with another man's knowledge, but we can't be wise with another man's wisdom."

[Jeffrey Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book on my shelf for a few years, and plan to keep it on my shelf because of the author's radical pronouncements about The Future of Money. It is a useful lightning rod for discussions about economics and the function of money in our lives and in society. It helped me better appreciate some recent inheritances from my father-in-law's bill and coin collection: ration stamps from WW2, and dollar bills from the City of Detroit and Union School District, dated 1933 ! I reiterate that the author is definitely not your standard economist, and I do not agree with all his views -- but I think it is important to read and argue those points in an effort to improve our economy and help equalize access to goods and services that we all need.

[Pieter Smit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Van dit boek heb ik een samenvatting gemaakt, omdat ik de inhoud graag toegankelijk maak voor anderen. Voordat ik dit boek had gelezen, dacht ik dat geld van zichzelf neutraal is. Nu begrijp ik dat er verschillende geldstelsels mogelijk zijn. De keuze inzake welke geldstelsels te gebruiken, blijkt verstrekkende gevolgen te hebben voor een samenleving.

Lietaer stelt dat de meeste eigenschappen van ons huidige geldstelsel in het verleden niet bewust tot stand zijn gekomen. Nu hebben we de kans het anders te doen. We weten genoeg over geld en het collectieve onderbewustzijn om over de beschikbare opties te kunnen praten.

Je kunt kiezen uit twee soorten samenvattingen: op boek- en hoofdstukniveau. 

Je vindt de samenvattingen op deze pagina:
https://pieteronline.nl/samenvatting-...

Veel leesplezier!

[Matija Mazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 2000, the book is full of insight that is well ahead of its time. Its predictions for 2020 did turn out to be too eager; however, the future it predicts may still be coming, but a few decades later.

[Alexander Konoplev · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book can be a short blog post. Also, it's funny that the book says that we're going to be in big trouble in 5-10 years, but it has been 20 years since this book was published and the world is still ok. Money and economic processes are more clever than economists.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oldie but goodie, gets the juices flowing on alternate currencies

[Albert Oh! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy recomendable, ya casi un clásico sobre las posibles alternativas al dinero fiduciario (basado en deuda) actual, que viene acompañado de un pesado peaje de inflación e intereses

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst full of interesting details, especially the parts that deal with complementary and alternative currencies which are a sort of global travel diary from the writer, the overall theory is extremely naive. It tries to convince or persuade people that the future of money is not the present, as if changing people's minds was sufficient to change the system. I have had to skip many sections where this priestly prose was most present, because I was already convinced that the present system does not work. So for me the book could have been much, much shorter. The interesting details and case studies, too, seem too bent towards the purpose of the book, all presented as winning strategies flattening out the complexities that they surely have to deal with in their implementation and sustenance. So had it been less advocacy and more 'social science' I would have rated it higher. The 3 stars are for the effort he must have gone through for collecting the evidence. I could not really find a reflection on the destiny of the Euro, which, from one of its designers, I was expecting. In this, the book is perhaps dated. It was published before the war on terror and really reflects that moment of hope.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit dated now, but tellingly accurate about the global financial crisis that followed its publication. The message is not new- lets emerge from the era of interest-bearing national debt-based fiat currencies that no longer serve humanity's interests- but some of the proposed approaches are refreshing. Like creating a global trading currency fixed to a basket of commodities. I found the case for establishing complementary currencies persuasive but I would also agree with the warning that such innovation will only flourish under compelling leadership and in the context of good timing. The book is well-researched, containing considerable information about the successes and pitfalls of previous attempts establish complementary currencies.

[Hardcorekancil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a clear assessment of the monetary situation in the early 2000s, along with possible scenarios explored by Bernard Lietaer. Most of the examples are of course dated and could be updated but the core discourse remains relevant today: we need to carefully look at what type of values we want to infuse in the society and work from there to create money systems that enable this vision to take shape.

I recommend 'The Future of Money' to anyone interested in understanding how money works and how we can change it. Several examples of complementary currencies are dissected at a very accessible level for the profane reader.

[Toothy_grin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure exactly when I read this book; it was before I had heard of GoodReads. I had to get a UK edition because it hadn't been published here yet. It's a GREAT book, and I intend to reread it in the near future.
One thing I remember is that I was disappointed that Mr. Lietaer did not, at that time, have much of a Web presence. He's building a beauty now, though, at www.lietaer.com. I recommend it highly.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I little wonky at times but overall a thought-provoking read about alternative currencies (such as LETS and Time exchanges) and their ability to counteract some of the ills of high unemployment as well as their partial crushing by central banks (except New Zealand). NB: it is published before the rise of Bitcoin so no direct discussion of it.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Figures and statistics are dated, but the core concepts remain true.

[Alex Boerger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr guter Überblick über unser Geld System und Alternativen. Sehr praktische Herangehensweise. Die Prognosen waren leider zu optimistisch.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely important book.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some good ideas.