Austrian Economics vs MMT

I watched a debate between Bob Murphy and Warren Mosler recently.

Mosler (an MMTer) opens with a list of economic policy positions of what he would direct Government to do.

Murphy begins with first principles and explains how the Austrian perspective derives positions through logical deductions.

Immediately one is struck by the different approaches because they’re basically on 2 entirely different talk-tracks, barely even debating really, like an engineer debating a philosopher.

As it goes on it becomes clear the tension is that Mosler has no doubt whatsoever that the Government has every right to its monopoly on the money supply. It’s not even a question for him to take back to first principles in his mind, “it simply is” ergo that’s the only consideration.

To me this is basically a distillation of Bitcoiners vs Normies.

Bitcoiners for whatever reason don’t accept that government and government alone has the right to a monopoly on money - Normies have never even thought to challenge the idea that they do.

Little wonder it’s so difficult for them to grasp, at a fundamental level they’re accepting manmade institutions (ie government, money, inflation etc) as though they are natural phenomena which they simply are not.

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

Separation of money and State.

Good description.

Nice; I recall that debate! Here is a video from around 6 years ago where Mosler gets it wrong on Bitcoin: https://youtu.be/4aq8-Kx_qUM

Nice 🤙

I’d have zapped you for that but you don’t appear to have a wallet in your profile..

Thanks; I'm new to zaps. Can you please try now? (To test it.)

May I ask for a link to the discussion?

Warren Mosler debates Bob Murphy - MMT vs Austrian School [2013]

https://youtu.be/cUTLCDBONok

"If you can't enforce tax collection, the value of the dollar goes to zero."

Proof of work vs proof of violence. Seems to me MMTers are just apologists for the state monopoly on violence.