Winner of the 2023 APSA Foundations of Political Theory Best First Book Prize
“A fresh and splendidly clear guide to the intellectual history of monetary policy — and how to tackle what comes next.” Felix Martin, Financial Times
"A deep examination of the theoretical and political foundations of money that rescues the money discussion from economists." Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Open Magazine
"Eich’s extraordinary book provides an essential guide to thinking about the politics of money." Adam Tooze
“The Currency of Politics breaks the frame we use to understand money. More than an instrument or an institution, currency becomes a nerve center of political theory. Deeply in dialogue with the past, Stefan Eich compels us forward to conceptualize money as a medium for democratic agency—or its loss. A tour de force.” Christine Desan
“The moment when you start to wonder what money is feels like pitching through a trapdoor into the void. This book is a marvelous aid to stabilizing that awful sense of cognitive vertigo. By examining several periods in the history of money, and showing how it has been used in each period to constitute power and the state, Eich brings us to the present with a much clearer sense of where we are, how we got here, and how we might seize money itself and use it as a creative political force for good.” Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Ministry for the Future
"A pathbreaking new intellectual history of monetary policy. In examining how key thinkers approached the economic crises of their respective times, Eich offers a map for navigating the politics of money today." Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, The Nation
"Eich’s book is ultimately a call to revive democratic debate about money…this excellent book…does not tell us what to do, but he does show us something can be done." Geoff Mann, New Statesman
"This book is an ambitious project in political philosophy aiming at revealing money as a fragile political construction and retrieving money as a tool of democratic self-government. ... The Currency of Politics is a great addition to the philosophy of money. I can only hope it finds its way to the library of the ECB." Valerie Schreur, Oeconomia
“Eich offers a rich treatment of each historical episode. But the chapters on the two Englishmen, Locke and Keynes, stand out. . . . pathbreaking." Jonathan Levy, Project Syndicate
"Eich’s work is sure to be a landmark in political science. His argument is bold and ambitious; his writing clear and engaging; and his message timely, persuasive and imperative." Erik Jones, Survival
“With deftness, elegance, and intellectual verve, Eich paints a vivid and compelling picture of the whole history of political and economic thought as revealed through an interrogation of money. It is clear that this insightful book announces a new and important voice in the field.” David Singh Grewal
"A very good book indeed. ... Using variously the analogy of a geologist digging down through layers of sedimented deposits, or the space explorer traveling through wormholes to leap between major historical episodes, Eich takes us on a fascinating journey." Paul Sagar, Perspectives on Politics
“This fascinating and original book speaks directly to pressing contemporary concerns while shining new light on key figures like Locke, Marx, and Keynes through sensitive and thoughtful reconstructions of their texts and contexts. The Currency of Politics is a major contribution to the history of political thought, conceptual history, and political economy.” Alex Gourevitch
