Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Building Trust in the International Monetary System

The Different Cases of Commodity Money and Fiat Money

  • Book
  • © 2021

Overview

Authors:
  1. Giovanni Battista Pittaluga

    1. Department of Political Science, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Elena Seghezza

    1. Department of Political Science, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Studies the evolution of the international monetary system
  • Provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis of the evolution of the international monetary system
  • Explains how domestic money can turn into international money

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Economic History (FEH)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction: The Main Features of the International Money’s Evolution

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 1-5

  3. Money and the International Monetary System: Origins and Evolution

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 7-38

  4. The Classical Gold Standard

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 39-86

  5. The Gold-Exchange Standard, Its Collapse and the Interwar Lack of an International Money

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 87-117

  6. The Bretton Woods System

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 119-168

  7. The Dollar Standard

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 169-221

  8. Critical Issues in the Current International Monetary System and Future Prospects

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 223-265

  9. Conclusions

    • Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza
    Pages 267-268

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 269-274
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book presents the evolution of the international monetary system from the gold standard to the monetary system in force today. It adopts a political economy approach, emphasizing the economic and political conditions under which an international monetary system can come into existence and be maintained over time. This approach highlights how the gradual transition in the international context from commodity money to fiat money has been led by the need for greater elasticity of money supply and smooth adjustments. This transition, however, raises the issue of how to guarantee, over time, the value of a money devoid of intrinsic value. By presenting a historical evolution, the book explains how the existence of an international monetary system based on money without intrinsic value can only occur when a particular balance of power exists at the international level that allows for the production of trust in a fiat money.
 
The book is a must-read for scholars, researchers, and students in the fields of economic history and international monetary economics, interested in better understanding the evolution of the international monetary system.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Political Science, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Giovanni Battista Pittaluga, Elena Seghezza

About the authors

​Giovanni B. Pittaluga is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at Genoa University (Italy). He has taught Monetary Economics at the Catholic University of Milan (Italy) and the Genoa University. He worked as an economist at the Research Department of Bank of Italy. Pittaluga has published numerous papers and books on monetary economics. 

Elena Seghezza is an Associate Professor of Macroeconomics at Genoa University (Italy). She previously worked as an economist at the Department of Economic Affairs of the Italian government and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She has published several articles on Political Economy.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation