Culture and Currency

The bullion controversy in England at the beginning of the 19th century provides the setting for this inquiry into the practical and theoretical implications of abandoning the gold standard during the Napoleonic Wars. It develops a cultural theory to explain the causes and consequences of seemingly irrational choices in setting the monetary policy of the times. The book is intended for scholars of the history of economics, the history of ideas, cultural theory and the sociology of knowledge, as well as those seeking to understand the foundation and formulation of public policy.