J.A. Schumpeter (1908) and Money: Acting as Go-Between?

Abstract

This paper examines J.A. Schumpeter’s theory of money, as expounded in his first book, Das Wesen und der Hauptinhalt der theoretischen Nationalökonomie (The Essence and Main Contents of Theoretical Economics), published in 1908. The book, which offers a presentation of the static analysis of general equilibrium, sparked excitement among the young economists in the German language area, well beyond World War I, leading Schumpeter to act as a link between Walras and the German-speaking world. Interestingly, the book contains one of the first attempts at integrating money into general equilibrium theory. From this point of view, it would seem that Schumpeter followed in the footsteps of Walras, rather than in Menger’s. In fact, his contribution, while inconclusive, is of his own design. In any case, this attempt remains isolated, as Schumpeter will not trod the same path again in his later writings on the theory of money, credit and banking.

Keywords

• Schumpeter (Joseph A.)
• monetary theory
• general equilibrium