1. Introduction
Monetarism is a school of thought within the fields of macroeconomics, monetary economics and monetary policy that emphasizes the role of money and the role of the central banks in determining the price level and overall economic activity. It is closely related to the broader fields of Keynesian economics and monetarism, which both focus on the macroeconomic effects of changes in the money supply. Monetarism has become increasingly popular as an approach to economic analysis in recent years and has heavily influenced the setting of monetary policy by central banks around the world.
2. The Basics of Monetarism
The main premise of monetarism is that changes in the money supply have an important role in influencing economic activity. According to monetarists, an increase in the money supply – such as through an expansionary monetary policy – will lead to an increase in aggregate demand and in turn will lead to an increase in economic activity. At the same time, a contractionary monetary policy – where the central bank reduces the money supply – will lead to a reduction in aggregate demand and a corresponding decrease in economic activity.
Monetarists argue that changes in the money supply are more important than changes in fiscal policy when it comes to influencing economic activity. According to this view, changes in the money supply will have a more direct and immediate effect on economic activity than changes in government spending or taxation.
3. The History of Monetarism
Monetarism has its origins in the writings of the 18th century Scottish economist Adam Smith, who argued that the “correct” portion of the money supply was key to influencing the rate of economic growth. In the late 19th century British economist Alfred Marshall developed a theory of “optimal” money supply that was similar to Smith’s earlier work. Marshall’s theories were further developed in the early 20th century by the American economist Irving Fisher, who further articulated the importance of money in determining economic activity.
It wasn’t until the 1950s, however, that monetarism as we now understand it emerged. The intellectual father of modern monetarism was the American economist Milton Friedman, who argued that an increase in the money supply was a key factor in determining the rate of economic growth and inflation. His highly influential book, A Monetary History of the United States, argued that an increase in the money supply had a significant role in determining economic activity.
4. Monetarism and the Central Banks
In recent years, monetarism has had a significant impact on the way central banks set monetary policy. Some central banks – such as the U.S. Federal Reserve – have adopted a policy of quantitative easing, which involves increasing the money supply in order to increase aggregate demand and economic activity. Other central banks – such as the European Central Bank – have adopted a policy of targeting a specific level of inflation and using the money supply to help meet a target rate of inflation.
5. Conclusion
Monetarism is an important school of thought within economics that emphasizes the role of money in determining economic activity. The main premise of monetarism is that changes in the money supply have an important role in influencing economic activity and that central banks can influence economic activity by changing the money supply. In recent years, monetarism has had a significant influence on the setting of monetary policy by central banks around the world.