Reviving Keynesianism: the modelling of the financial system makes the difference

Abstract

Keynesian economics is not dead. Instead, it is in a similar condition to Sleeping Beauty after she pricked her finger on the spindle. A large hedge of thorns has been laid over the original Keynesian building so that it is hardly recognizable today. Keynesian economics has suffered from a failure to sufficiently identify the core of the Keynesian revolution. This paper argues that the core concerns the distinction between real and monetary exchange economies, and that a proper understanding of money's role requires identifying the mechanisms of the financial system. Doing so reveals the fundamental incompatibility between real and monetary analysis.