The Modern Money Network (“MMN”) aims to bring accurate and accessible knowledge of monetary and financial systems to the broader public.

Our symposia bring together students, scholars, professionals and members of the public to discuss, debate and refine ideas about money. Our work combines insights from a range of fields, including law, political economy, finance, history, sociology, anthropology, technology and systems theory.

Our first two seminars, The Historical Evolution of Money and Debt and Governments Are Not Households, are a good introduction to the economic concepts our network promotes.

Learn

 Symposia

Conversations & debates between experts from a range of disciplines.

Topic Directory

Monetary & financial concepts explained, with annotated reading lists & other media.

 Publications

Bibliography of works relevant to the Modern Money Network’s research interests.

Network

Mission & Values

Why we exist, and what we care about.

Upcoming Events

Calendar of chapter meetings & symposia.

 Organization

How the MMN is structured & governed.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Community

Donate

Help keep us going.

What is money?

How does money work?

We approach macroeconomic issues as legal realists, asking two critical questions: What is money? and How does money work? Our symposia and learning materials promote the insight that the US Government, along with other governments with fiat currencies and floating exchange rates, cannot “go broke.” That is, such governments face price stability constraints, but not solvency constraints per se. Thus there is no macroeconomic reason for current austerity measures.

Modern Money for Public Purpose

We are committed to the creation and improvement of monetary and financial institutions governed by the public and directed in support of public purpose. We believe in the universal, enforceable and inalienable right of every person to participate in economic life in a manner consistent with basic principles of justice, fairness, equality and dignity.

Who We Are

Student-run and student-conceived, the Modern Money Network welcomes all who are curious about how money works, and how our monetary and financial systems can be improved. Our network includes students, scholars, lawyers, artists, & technologists.


Symposium

An Evening with Syriza on Greece and the Eurozone

Jan 24, 2013

A conversation on Thursday, January 24th, 2013, with top leadership of SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left), Greece’s leading opposition party, to discuss the challenges facing Greece and the Eurozone and SYRIZA’s vision for economic and financial reform.

Symposium

"How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the National Debt"

A Conversation with Former Deputy Treasury Secretary Frank Newman
Oct 3, 2013

This event will explore common misconceptions regarding the nature of the national debt and its function in the broader context of contemporary U.S. macroeconomic policy.

Symposium

Modern Monetary Theory vs The Austrian School

Macroeconomic Debates Among the Heterodoxy
Jun 23, 2013

A public debate on macroeconomic theory and policy with leading thinkers from Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and the Austrian School.

Series

MMx Special Events

The MMx initiative supports network participants and institutional affiliates to develop, organize, publicize and share local learning events, including seminars, debates, panels and reading groups.

Symposium

The Disparate Impact of Unemployment

Macroeconomic Policy as a Tool for Race, Gender, and Age Discrimination
Nov 25, 2013

This seminar will explore the relationship between macroeconomic policy and the systemic perpetuation of involuntary unemployment, with a particular emphasis on the discriminatory effect of involuntary unemployment on age, race and gender minorities.

Symposium

Macroeconomic Perspectives on Student Debt

May 1, 2014

This seminar explores the macroeconomic and social dynamics behind the current student debt regime, and potential ways to address them through financial and budgetary reform.

Symposium

Fiscal Machines

Innovation, Investment, and the Internet
May 11, 2015

This seminar will explore the relationship between public investment, technological innovation and twenty-first century internet infrastructure.

Symposium

Crowdsourcing Machines

Democracy, Disintermediation, and Finance
May 5, 2015

This seminar will explore various initiatives aimed at decentralizing the levers of public finance, and increasing the level of citizen and community participation in government budgetary decisions.

Symposium

Big Data Machines

Prediction, Bias, and Control
Apr 28, 2015

This seminar explores the growing importance of big data to economic activity, and the effect of this shift on personal freedom and systems of social discrimination and control.

Symposium

Lincoln's Greenbacks

Constitutional Moments and Monetary Reform
Watch live streaming video from clsit at livestream.com
Oct 17, 2013

This seminar will explore the political, economic, and legal innovations leading up to, during, and following the Lincoln Administration and the Civil War.

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