Money and Credit (eBook)

Bruce G. Carruthers is Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University Laura Ariovich is Becaria Superior at the University of Buenos Aires

Acknowledgments.

Chapter 1: Introduction.

Chapter 2: A Brief History of Money.

Chapter 3: The Social Meaning of Money.

Chapter 4: Credit and the Modern Consumer Society.

Chapter 5: Credit and the Modern Corporate Economy.

Chapter 6: Conclusion.

Bibliography.

"Very well timed; without jumping to conclusions about the crisis,
the book presents an alternative, indeed a sociological, approach
to finance."

Sociology

"By providing such a comprehensive overview of the non-economic
studies of money and endorsing their political and social
dimension, Money and Credit will be a good introduction to the
subject for all those interested, regardless of whether their focus
is economic, political or sociological."

Political Studies Review

"Carruthers and Ariovich view the mysteries of money and credit
through a distinctively sociological lens. They treat this complex
and difficult subject in a way that is illuminating, accessible,
and concise, yet subtle and sophisticated - the gold standard of
academic writing."

Mark Granovetter, Stanford University

"Money and Credit offers a pithy, fast-moving
introduction to the sociology of money and credit, chronicling
where modern monetary systems came from, how people assign social
meaning to money, how consumer and corporate credit markets
developed, and how the current system of credit operates for
families and Fortune-500 companies alike. Carruthers and Ariovich
provide insights not only into how modern currency and credit
markets work, but into why they sometimes fail to stabilize value
or to ensure that credit is given only where credit is due. This
lucid and engaging book should be required reading for students of
economic sociology."

Frank Dobbin, Harvard University

"Few books succeed in being both scholarly studies and textbooks
at one and the same time, but Money and Credit is an
exception. Written in an engaging and easy style, and full of
interesting and important information on money and credit from
early history to the current financial crisis, this important book
will appeal to a wide audience. It is also likely to become the
standard work in the sociology of money and credit."

Richard Swedberg, Cornell University