In this webinar, Stefan Eich discusses the urgency of an open debate on the ultimate purpose of money as a political tool for the realisation of democratic self-governance, under the impact of intensifying and increasingly correlated crises (climate and biodiversity crisis, coronavirus crisis, Ukraine crisis, etc.). His research focus comprises political theory and the history of political thought, especially the political theory of money. Stefan Eich is assistant professor for Political Theory at the Department for Government at Georgetown University in Washington DC. The discussion centers on the historic role of monetary systems as political institutions and on the possibility of democratising monetary systems. Stefan Eich's presentation of his argument starts at minute 7:53. The discussion centers on the 'The Currency of Politics' by Stefan Eich and is hosted by the journal European Law Open.

Recovering foundational ideas at the intersection of monetary rule and democratic politics, The Currency of Politics explains why only through greater awareness of the historical limits of monetary politics can we begin to articulate more democratic conceptions of money.This is the second part of the seminar, 'A Hard Currency of Politics?'. He shows how these layers of crisis have come to define the way we look at money, and argues that informed public debate about money requires a better appreciation of the diverse political struggles over its meaning. Stefan Eich examines six crucial episodes of monetary crisis, recovering the neglected political theories of money in the thought of such figures as Aristotle, John Locke, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. Even when the politics of money is impossible to ignore, its proper democratic role can be difficult to discern. Money appears beyond the reach of democratic politics, but this appearance-like so much about money-is deceptive. The Currency of Politics takes readers from ancient Greece to today to provide an intellectual history of money, drawing on the insights of key political philosophers to show how money is not just a medium of exchange but also a central institution of political rule. Yet despite the centrality of political struggles over money, it remains difficult to articulate its democratic possibilities and limits.

A decade after the 2008 financial crisis, critical attention has shifted from the economy to the most fundamental feature of all market economies-money.

Stefan eich currency of politics