Wie kommt das Geld in die Welt?

Currency hierarchy and policy space: A research agenda for development economics Barbara Fritz

This dossier gives an overview of the functions and the nature of money. The concept of Islamic finance is briefly explored, too.

Since the 1980s, the financial sector and its role have increased significantly. This development is often referred to as financialization. Authors working in the heterodox tradition have raised the question whether the changing role of finance manifests a new era in the history of capitalism. The present article first provides some general discussion on the term financialization and presents some stylized facts which highlight the rise of finance. Then, it proceeds by briefly reviewing the main arguments in the Marxian framework that proposedly lead to crisis. Next, two schools of thought in the Marxian tradition are reviewed which consider financialization as the latest stage of capitalism. They highlight the contradictions imposed by financialization that disrupt the growth process and also stress the fragilities imposed by the new growth regime. The two approaches introduced here are the Social Structure of Accumulation Theory and Monthly Review School. The subsequent part proceeds with the Post-Keynesian theory, first introducing potential destabilizing factors before discussing financialization and the finance-led growth regime. The last section provides a comparative summary. While the basic narrative in all approaches considered here is quite similar, major differences stem from the relationship between neoliberalism and financialization and, moreover, from the question of whether financialization can be considered cause or effect.

In diesem Vortrag äußert Heiner Flassbeck Kritik an der (deutschen) Wirtschaftspolitik nach der Finanzkrise. Dabei dekonstruiert er gängige Narrative in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften sowie in der Politik über die Europäische Währungsunion. Der Vortrag befasst sich unter anderem mit der Theorie der cost-push Inflation und Schuldendynamiken.

The documentary features a talk of the US-American writer and economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin summarising the main points of his 2011 book "The Third Industrial Revolution."