Description
Book SynopsisFor many decades economists have disputed with economic anthropologists over the origins of money. Economists claim that money emerged from barter exchange; anthropologists claim that it originated as a âunit of accountâ in the temples and palaces of ancient Mesopotamia. This book argues that money originated as a bargaining counter in a system of money-bargaining, emerging almost seamlessly from barter-bargaining. This is not the âmoneyâ of mainstream economic conception â a âveilâ cast over a system of resource allocation defined in mathematical terms.
Confidence in the bargaining counter is sustained through âsupport-bargaining,â a process in which individuals seek the support of their associates but seek at the same time to advance their own interests. A comprehensive âIntroduction to Support-Bargaining and Money-Bargainingâ is provided by the work. The arrival of coin-money is recognised by many as a crucial event in the history of mankind, and it is argued here that the
