From Coins to Crypto: How the Evolution of Money Challenges the Evolution of Governance
The nature of money, institutional trust, and the current crypto crossroads
In this talk, political scientist Allison Stanger will argue, against popular definitions, that all money has always been “fiat money,” that is, money that has no value itself and is only backed by trust in institutions. Instead of focusing on whether money is grounded in something objective such as gold or silver, she will focus on the question whose trust counts and who bears the costs when systems fail. This leads her to tracing currency across several critical conjunctures in which monetary innovation collided with political transformation, culminating in our current crypto crossroads. Today, she argues, the ominous convergence of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and authoritarian politics represents one of the most significant challenges to democratic governance in the twenty-first century. This trifecta threatens to create a parallel financial system beyond democratic accountability, both for the United States and for Europe.
Meet the speaker
Allison Stanger is the Middlebury Distinguished Endowed Professor at Middlebury College and the founding director of its Rohatyn’s Center for International Affairs. She holds a BS in actuarial science and mathematics from Ball State University and an AM in regional studies from Harvard University, where she also completed a PhD in political science. Stanger is…
