IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/intere/v57y2022i2d10.1007_s10272-022-1041-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Modern Monetary Theory: The Right Compass for Decision-Making

Author

Listed:
  • Dirk Ehnst

    (TU Chemnitz)

Abstract

In the November/December 2021 issue of Intereconomics, Françoise Drumetz and Christian Pfister examine Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and approach it from the policy consequences that would follow. This paper is a reply to Drumetz and Pfister. It restates the core of MMT and offers some suggestions for central banks. Theories are explanations of what we see, and MMT describes money creation and destruction. Hence, MMT cannot be and is not a political manifesto. In contrast to most other theories of money, MMT is falsifiable in its core statements, which are based on a balance sheet approach to macroeconomics. Since many central banks already educate the public about the creation of modern money through bank lending, it would be most welcome if they would do the same for the creation of modern money through government spending. Here, MMT and central bankers can find common ground to move forward and leave the theory of loanable funds and that of the money multiplier behind.

Suggested Citation

  • Dirk Ehnst, 2022. "Modern Monetary Theory: The Right Compass for Decision-Making," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 57(2), pages 128-134, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:intere:v:57:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10272-022-1041-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10272-022-1041-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10272-022-1041-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10272-022-1041-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yeva Nersisyan & L. Randall Wray, 2019. "How to Pay for the Green New Deal," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_931, Levy Economics Institute.
    2. Scott Fullwiler, 2020. "When the Interest Rate on the National Debt Is a Policy Variable (and “Printing Money” Does Not Apply)," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 72-94, September.
    3. Miguel Carrión Álvarez & Dirk Ehnts, 2016. "Samuelson and Davidson on ergodicity: A reformulation," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Yeva Nersisyan & L. Randall Wray, 2021. "Has Japan Been Following Modern Money Theory Without Recognizing It? No! And Yes," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_985, Levy Economics Institute.
    5. Elena Bobeica & Matteo Ciccarelli & Isabel Vansteenkiste, 2019. "The link between labor cost and price inflation in the euro area," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 848, Central Bank of Chile.
    6. Ehnts, Dirk H., 2020. "The fiscal-monetary nexus in Germany," IPE Working Papers 138/2020, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    7. Eric Tymoigne, 2014. "Modern Money Theory, and Interrelations Between the Treasury and Central Bank: The Case of the United States," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 641-662.
    8. Warren Mosler, 1997. "Full Employment and Price Stability," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 167-182, December.
    9. McLeay, Michael & Radia, Amar & Thomas, Ryland, 2014. "Money creation in the modern economy," Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Bank of England, vol. 54(1), pages 14-27.
    10. Dirk Ehnts & Michael Paetz, 2021. "COVID-19 and its economic consequences for the Euro Area," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(2), pages 227-249, June.
    11. Sam Levey, 2021. "Modeling Monopoly Money: Government as the Source of the Price Level and Unemployment," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_992, Levy Economics Institute.
    12. Dirk H. Ehnts, 2014. "A simple macroeconomic model of a currency union with endogenous money and saving-investment imbalances," International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(3), pages 279-297.
    13. Jane E. Ihrig & Gretchen C. Weinbach & Scott A. Wolla, 2021. "Teaching the Linkage Between Banks and the Fed: R.I.P. Money Multiplier," Page One Economics Newsletter, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, September.
    14. Stephanie Bell, 2000. "Do Taxes and Bonds Finance Government Spending?," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 603-620, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Umam Khoirul & Muhammad Atha Mahdi & Alfarid Fedro, 2023. "Modern Monetary Theory: Revising Money Demand and Supply from Umer Chapra's Perspective," Post-Print hal-04160994, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. L. Randall Wray, 2019. "Fiscal Reform to Benefit State and Local Governments: The Modern Money Theory Approach," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_936, Levy Economics Institute.
    2. Jackson Mejia & Brian C. Albrecht, 2022. "On price stability with a job guarantee," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 568-584, October.
    3. L. Randall Wray, 2020. "Sovereign Currency and Non‐Sovereign Budgets: The Modern Money Theory Approach," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 26-48, September.
    4. Summa, Ricardo de Figueiredo, 2022. "Alternative uses of functional finance: Lerner, MMT and the Sraffiansh," IPE Working Papers 175/2021, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    5. Dirk Ehnts & Michael Paetz, 2021. "COVID-19 and its economic consequences for the Euro Area," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(2), pages 227-249, June.
    6. Bofinger, Peter & Geißendörfer, Lisa & Haas, Thomas & Mayer, Fabian, 2021. "Discovering the True Schumpeter - New Insights into the Finance and Growth Nexus," CEPR Discussion Papers 16851, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Ehnts, Dirk H., 2020. "The fiscal-monetary nexus in Germany," IPE Working Papers 138/2020, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    8. Scott Fullwiler, 2020. "When the Interest Rate on the National Debt Is a Policy Variable (and “Printing Money” Does Not Apply)," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 72-94, September.
    9. Dirk Ehnts & Michael Paetz, 2021. "Wie finanzieren wir die Corona-Schulden? [How Do We Finance the Corona Debt? Attempting a “Right” Answer to the “Wrong” Question from the Perspective of Modern Monetary Theory]," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 101(3), pages 200-206, March.
    10. Eli Direye & Tarron Khemraj, 2022. "Central bank securities and foreign exchange market intervention in a developing economy," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 280-297, February.
    11. Zengping He & Genliang Jia, 2019. "An Institutional Analysis of China's Reform of their Monetary Policy Framework," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_925, Levy Economics Institute.
    12. Telma Barrantes-Fernández & Esteban Cruz-Hidalgo & José Francisco Rangel-Preciado & Francisco Manuel Parejo-Moruno, 2023. "Decommodify the 2030 Agenda: Why and How to Finance What Is Not Profitable?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, February.
    13. Olk, Christopher & Schneider, Colleen & Hickel, Jason, 2023. "How to pay for saving the world: Modern Monetary Theory for a degrowth transition," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120343, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Robert S. Kravchuk, 2020. "Post‐Keynesian Public Budgeting & Finance: Assessing Contributions From Modern Monetary Theory," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 95-123, September.
    15. Scott T. Fullwiler, 2016. "The Debt Ratio and Sustainable Macroeconomic Policy," World Economic Review, World Economics Association, vol. 2016(7), pages 12-42, July.
    16. Giuliano Toshiro Yajima, 2021. "The Employer of Last Resort Scheme and the Energy Transition: A Stock-Flow Consistent Analysis," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_995, Levy Economics Institute.
    17. Sawyer, Malcolm & Veronese Passarella, Marco, 2021. "A Comprehensive Comparison of Fiscal and Monetary Policies: A Comparative Dynamics Approach," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 384-404.
    18. Eduardo Garzón Espinosa & Bibiana Medialdea García & Esteban Cruz Hidalgo, 2021. "Fiscal Policy Approaches: An Inquiring Look From The Modern Monetary Theory," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(4), pages 999-1022, October.
    19. Gross, Marco, 2022. "Beautiful cycles: A theory and a model implying a curious role for interest," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    20. Rohwer, Götz & Behr*, Andreas, 2020. "Revenues from Financial Capital. A Formal Framework," MPRA Paper 99306, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    E12; B52; B4;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • B4 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:intere:v:57:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10272-022-1041-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.