What is money? Why are trillions of dollars, euros, pounds, and yen being printed, but not spent, and what does this reveal about the state of our society?
Money, as we know it, was born in 1971 when currencies unlinked from gold. During its adolescence, money was hyperactive, causing rampant inflation. Three decades of mature growth followed. But as it reaches the age of fifty, money is changing again, and facing a figurative mid-life crisis.
Money: Going Out of Style first offers the reader a clear understanding of economics and the role of money, by following a fictional island tribe as they develop money and an ever more sophisticated economy. The book never forgets that money is secondary to the real economy of goods, services, and tools.
Armed with this deeper appreciation of money and economics, the book returns to the present day to examine money’s midlife crisis: the effect of rising inequality, the puzzle of near-zero interest rates, and how this is causing money to go out of style.
Zvi Schreiber ("tsvee shryber") previously authored Fizz: Nothing is as it seems, a novel which examines the history of human exploration of the physical universe from Galileo to Einstein. As a serial entrepreneur, his day job is CEO of tech startup Freightos, the digital platform of the international shipping and air cargo industries. Zvi has spoken widely and authored articles and patents. Born in London, he earned a PhD in computer science and lives with his family in Jerusalem.