Monetary Theory

Name: Monetary Theory
Genre: Documentary, Talk
Cast: Lawrence H. White

1h 10m1 Season

DocumentaryTalk

EnglishEnded

1 · Money: Private or Public?

2 · The Gold Standard

3 · Free Banking

4 · The Fiat Standard

5 · Government in Money

6 · Bank Fragility

7 · Money Making

8 · How to Secure Better Money

Crew and Cast

Lawrence H. WhiteCreator · Host

Storyline

In Monetary Theory, a nine-hour course, Dr. Lawrence White explores the debate between market-based and government-controlled monetary systems, combining theory with historical evidence from gold standards to modern fiat currencies. We examine how money can emerge through market forces, the mechanics of fractional-reserve banking, and how central banks influence inflation. The course also addresses banking stability, market failure arguments, and the causes of inflation, including seigniorage. It concludes by evaluating monetary policy rules, inflation targeting, and alternatives like Bitcoin, and asks whether sound money requires commodity backing or if proper institutional design can achieve stability in fiat systems.