From Coins to Crypto: How the Evolution of Money Challenges the Evolution of Governance

In this talk, political scientist Allison Stanger argues 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 focuses 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. 🔔 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://buff.ly/wcmq7UM 👉 Sign up for our events: https://buff.ly/XtdtMbN 📲Follow us on social media: Instagram:   / americanacademyinberlin   LinkedIn:   / american-academy-in-berlin