What We Need to Do
We’ve spent the last six years researching the problems caused by the current debt-based monetary system and how to fix them. This is what we think needs to change to fix our broken money system:
1. Take the power to create money away from the banks, and return it to a democratic transparent and accountable process
2. Create money free of debt
3. Put new money into the real economy rather than financial markets and property bubbles
The End Goal: Democratizing Money
We think that the economy would be more stable and society better off if we transfer the power to create money from the banks back to the state, working in the public interest. These ideas have been around since the 1930s, but we’ve done a lot of work to update them for the modern financial system. You can find out more below:
Right Now: Making the Recovery Sustainable
When we rely on banks to create most of our money, then the only way of getting more money into the economy – and allowing it to grow – is to encourage people to go further into debt. But the financial crisis was caused by a huge build-up in private debt, so allowing that debt to increase even further could lead us into another financial crisis. What we need right now is to have a way of getting extra money into the economy, but without relying on households borrowing even more. This can happen if the Bank of England creates money and transfers it to the government to be spent into the real economy (rather than the financial or property markets). Read more
Report: Creating a Sovereign Money System
(Report, 56 pages) This document presents a reform to the banking system that would remove the ability of banks to create money, in the form of bank deposits, when they make loans. It would transfer the ability to create new money exclusively to the state, creating what we have termed a ‘sovereign money’ system. Read more & free download
VIDEO: Why Quantitative Easing was a waste of £375 billion
In the years following the financial crisis, the UK wasted £375bn on a failed scheme to stimulate the economy and end the recession. This was one of the biggest missed opportunities in history. Watch Now (6 mins)
INFOGRAPHIC – The Current System vs. Sovereign Money
This infographic shows the main differences between the current dysfunctional monetary system, and how it could be… View now
In more depth: Sovereign Money – Common Critiques
There are a number of common objections and concerns with the proposal to switch to a sovereign money system:
INFOGRAPHIC: Quantitative Easing vs. Sovereign Money
This infographic shows how QE was ineffective, and how the creation of sovereign money by the state would have been up to 37 times more effective in creating jobs and boosting the economy.View now…
Latest Research
Recovery in the Eurozone
Using Money Creation to Stimulate the Real Economy
This report shows that the European Central Bank’s Quantitative Easing programme will fail to deliver the type of recovery that the Eurozone needs. Instead the ECB could create new money and inject this money into the real economy rather than the financial markets. These alternative monetary policy mechanisms can be expected to be many times more effective than QE in boosting demand and output. More info & download
Digital Cash
Why Central Banks Should Start Issuing Electronic Money
This report explains how all adults could be given the option to store digital cash at accounts at the Bank of England. These accounts could be administered by private firms which compete with each other to provide payment services, debit cards and account information. Unlike traditional banks, they wouldn’t take any risk with customers funds, and wouldn’t require taxpayer-backed deposit insurance. The report also outlines some other potential benefits of adopting Bank of England-issued digital cash. More info & download
A Guide to Public Money Creation
Outlining the Alternatives to Quantitative Easing
Currently, there is a number of unconventional monetary policy proposals, also known as ‘Helicopter Money’, ‘Overt Monetary Finance’, ‘Strategic QE’, ‘Green QE’, ‘Green Infrastructure QE’, ‘People’s QE’ and ‘Sovereign Money Creation’. Our new guide will help you better understand ‘conventional’ QE, each of these various alternative proposals and its implications for the economy. More info & download
See all our research here .