What Is Money? An Institutional and Economic Definition
Institutional structure of money Introduction: Why Defining Money Is More Difficult Than It Appears Money is one of the most familiar elements of everyday life, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood concepts in economics and social science. People use money constantly—to buy goods, pay wages, store savings, settle debts—without ever questioning what money actually is. This familiarity creates a dangerous illusion: the belief that money is simple, self-evident, and naturally occurring. In reality, money is neither obvious nor natural. It is a complex institutional system embedded deeply within legal frameworks, political authority, social trust, and economic coordination. At a surface level, money is often described using functional definitions. Textbooks commonly state that money is “anything that serves as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value.” While this description is not incorrect, it is incomplete. It explains what money does, but not what money i...