IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/imfswp/167.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

On the stabilizing role of cash for societies

Author

Listed:
  • Rösl, Gerhard
  • Seitz, Franz

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on the stabilizing role of cash from a society-wide perspective. Starting with conceptual remarks on the importance of money for the economy in general, special attention is paid to the unique characteristics of cash. As these become apparent especially during crisis periods, a comparison of the Great Depression (1929 - 1933) and the Great Recession 2008/09 shows the devastating effects of a severe monetary contraction and how a fully elastic provision of cash can help to avoid such a situation. We find interesting similarities to both crises in two separate case studies, one on the demonetization in India 2016 and the other on cash supply during various crises in Greece since 2008. The paper concludes that supply-driven cash withdrawals from circulation (either by demonetization or by capital controls) destabilize the economy if electronic payment substitutes are not instantly available. However, as there is no perfect substitute for cash due to its unique properties, from the viewpoint of the society as a whole an efficient payment mix necessarily includes cash: It helps to stabilize the economy not only in times of crises in general, no matter which government is in place. Consequently, it should be the undisputed task of central banks to ensure that cash remains in circulation in normal times and is provided in a fully elastic way in times of crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz, 2022. "On the stabilizing role of cash for societies," IMFS Working Paper Series 167, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:imfswp:167
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/261291/1/1808743393.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clemens Fuest & Hans-Werner Sinn, 2018. "Target Risks without Euro Exits," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 19(04), pages 36-45, December.
    2. Karmakar, Sudipto & Narayanan, Abhinav, 2020. "Do households care about cash? Exploring the heterogeneous effects of India's demonetization," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    3. John Bagnall & David Bounie & Kim P. Huynh & Anneke Kosse & Tobias Schmidt & Scott Schuh, 2016. "Consumer Cash Usage: A Cross-Country Comparison with Payment Diary Survey Data," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 12(4), pages 1-61, December.
    4. Jonathan Ashworth & Charles A.E. Goodhart, 2020. "The Surprising Recovery of Currency Usage," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 16(3), pages 239-277, June.
    5. Hans-Werner Sinn & Timo Wollmershäuser, 2012. "Target loans, current account balances and capital flows: the ECB’s rescue facility," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(4), pages 468-508, August.
    6. Goodhart, Charles A E, 1999. "Myths about the Lender of Last Resort," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(3), pages 339-360, November.
    7. William A. Barnett & Douglas Fisher & Apostolos Serletis, 2006. "Consumer Theory and the Demand for Money," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Money And The Economy, chapter 1, pages 3-43, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    8. Anderson, Richard G. & Bordo, Michael & Duca, John V., 2017. "Money and velocity during financial crises: From the great depression to the great recession," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 32-49.
    9. Hans-Werner Sinn, 2014. "Austerity, Growth and Inflation: Remarks on the Eurozone's Unresolved Competitiveness Problem," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1), pages 1-13, January.
    10. Eichengreen, Barry, 1996. "Golden Fetters: The Gold Standard and the Great Depression, 1919-1939," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195101133, Decembrie.
    11. Evan Karson & Christopher J. Neely, 2021. "More Stories of Unconventional Monetary Policy," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 103(2), pages 207-270, April.
    12. Amy E. Nivette & Renee Zahnow & Raul Aguilar & Andri Ahven & Shai Amram & Barak Ariel & María José Arosemena Burbano & Roberta Astolfi & Dirk Baier & Hyung-Min Bark & Joris E. H. Beijers & Marcelo Ber, 2021. "A global analysis of the impact of COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions on crime," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(7), pages 868-877, July.
    13. Wicker,Elmus, 1996. "The Banking Panics of the Great Depression," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521562614.
    14. Croushore, Dean, 1993. "Money in the utility function: Functional equivalence to a shopping-time model," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 175-182.
    15. Esselink, Henk & Gijsel, Lola Hernandez-van, 2017. "The use of cash by households in the euro area," Occasional Paper Series 201, European Central Bank.
    16. Gabriel Chodorow-Reich & Gita Gopinath & Prachi Mishra & Abhinav Narayanan, 2020. "Cash and the Economy: Evidence from India’s Demonetization," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(1), pages 57-103.
    17. Heng Chen & Walter Engert & Kim Huynh & Daneal O’Habib & Joy Wu & Julia Zhu, 2022. "Cash and COVID-19: What happened in 2021," Discussion Papers 2022-8, Bank of Canada.
    18. Lalouette, Laure & Esselink, Henk, 2018. "Trends and developments in the use of euro cash over the past ten years," Economic Bulletin Articles, European Central Bank, vol. 6.
    19. Abhijit Banerjee & Emily Breza & Arun G. Chandrasekhar & Benjamin Golub, 2018. "When Less is More: Experimental Evidence on Information Delivery During India's Demonetization," NBER Working Papers 24679, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Amartya Lahiri, 2020. "The Great Indian Demonetization," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(1), pages 55-74, Winter.
    21. Guerino Ardizzi & Andrea Nobili & Giorgia Rocco, 2020. "A game changer in payment habits: evidence from daily data during a pandemic," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 591, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    22. Kiyotaki, Nobuhiro & Wright, Randall, 1989. "On Money as a Medium of Exchange," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(4), pages 927-954, August.
    23. Feenstra, Robert C., 1986. "Functional equivalence between liquidity costs and the utility of money," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 271-291, March.
    24. Das, Satadru & Gadenne, Lucie & Nandi, Tushar & Warwick, Ross, 2022. "Does going cashless make you tax-rich? Evidence from India's demonetization experiment," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1393, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    25. Sayuri Shirai & Eric Alexander Sugandi, 2019. "Growing Global Demand for Cash," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(12), pages 1-74, November.
    26. Kumar, Rajiv & Vashisht, Pankaj, 2009. "The Global Economic Crisis: Impact on India and Policy Responses," ADBI Working Papers 164, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    27. Dasgupta, Manjira, 2017. "Moving towards "Cashlessness" in an emerging economy: A case study of latest policy steps in India," International Cash Conference 2017 – War on Cash: Is there a Future for Cash? 162907, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    28. Goodhart, Charles & Ashworth, Jonathan, 2020. "Coronavirus panic fuels a surge in cash demand," CEPR Discussion Papers 14910, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    29. Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2016. "The Curse of Cash," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10798.
    30. Bartzsch, Nikolaus & Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz, 2011. "Der Auslandsumlauf deutscher Euro-Banknoten: Schätzung mit indirekten Ansätzen," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2011,21, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    31. Anneke Kosse & Ilaria Mattei, 2022. "Gaining momentum – Results of the 2021 BIS survey on central bank digital currencies," BIS Papers, Bank for International Settlements, number 125.
    32. Ashworth, J. & Goodhart, C. A. E., 2020. "The surprising recovery of currency usage," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105303, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    33. Bartzsch, Nikolaus & Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz, 2011. "Foreign demand for euro banknotes issued in Germany: Estimation using direct approaches," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2011,20e, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    34. Jobst, Clemens & Stix, Helmut, 2017. "Doomed to Disappear? The Surprising Return of Cash Across Time and Across Countries," CEPR Discussion Papers 12327, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    35. Whittaker, John, 2011. "Eurosystem debts, Greece, and the role of banknotes," MPRA Paper 38406, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    36. Holman, Jill A, 1998. "GMM Estimation of a Money-in-the-Utility-Function Model: The Implications of Functional Forms," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(4), pages 679-698, November.
    37. Fouillet, Cyril & Guérin, Isabelle & Servet, Jean-Michel, 2021. "Demonetization and digitalization: The Indian government's hidden agenda," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2).
    38. Julia S. Cheney & Sherrie L. W. Rhine, 2006. "How effective were the financial safety nets in the aftermath of Katrina?," Consumer Finance Institute discussion papers 06-01, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    39. Kris James Mitchener, 2004. "Bank Supervision, Regulation, and Instability During the Great Depression," NBER Working Papers 10475, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    40. Karau, Sören, 2020. "Buried in the vaults of central banks: Monetary gold hoarding and the slide into the Great Depression," Discussion Papers 63/2020, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    41. Garreth Rule, 2015. "Understanding the central bank balance sheet," Handbooks, Centre for Central Banking Studies, Bank of England, number 32, April.
    42. Hamilton, James D., 1987. "Monetary factors in the great depression," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 145-169, March.
    43. Wicker, Elmus, 1980. "A Reconsideration of the Causes of the Banking Panic of 1930," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(3), pages 571-583, September.
    44. Das, S & Gadenne, L & Nandi, T & Warwick, R, 2022. "Does going cashless make you tax-rich? Evidence from India’s demonetization experiment," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 605, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    45. Garín, Julio & Lastrapes, William D. & Lester, Robert, 2021. "On the welfare effects of phasing out paper currency," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    46. Lauchlin Currie, 1934. "The Failure of Monetary Policy to Prevent the Depression of 1929-32," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42, pages 145-145.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz, 2021. "Cash and crises: No surprises by the virus," IMFS Working Paper Series 150, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    2. Franz Seitz & Lucas Devigne & Raymond de Pastor, 2022. "Different Motives for Holding Cash in France: an Analysis of the Net Cash Issues of the Banque de France," Working papers 888, Banque de France.
    3. Hans-Eggert Reimers & Friedrich Schneider & Franz Seitz, 2020. "Payment Innovations, the Shadow Economy and Cash Demand of Households in Euro Area Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 8574, CESifo.
    4. Jacek Pietrucha & Grzegorz Maciejewski, 2020. "Precautionary Demand for Cash and Perceived Risk of Electronic Payments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-25, September.
    5. Luca Baldo & Elisa Bonifacio & Marco Brandi & Michelina Lo Russo & Gianluca Maddaloni & Andrea Nobili & Giorgia Rocco & Gabriele Sene & Massimo Valentini, 2021. "Inside the black box: tools for understanding cash circulation," Mercati, infrastrutture, sistemi di pagamento (Markets, Infrastructures, Payment Systems) 7, Bank of Italy, Directorate General for Markets and Payment System.
    6. Rainone, Edoardo, 2023. "Tax evasion policies and the demand for cash," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Katrin Assenmacher & Franz Seitz & Jörn Tenhofen, 2019. "The demand for Swiss banknotes: some new evidence," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 155(1), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Yulia Titova & Delia Cornea & Sébastien Lemeunier, 2021. "What Factors Keep Cash Alive in the European Union?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 291-317, August.
    9. Jacek Pietrucha, 2021. "Drivers of the Cash Paradox," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Gerhard Rösl & Franz Seitz & Karl-Heinz Tödter, 2019. "The Cost of Overcoming the Zero Lower-Bound: A Welfare Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-18, July.
    11. Cronin, David, 2021. "Whither Cash in Payments?," Quarterly Bulletin Articles, Central Bank of Ireland, pages 64-87, January.
    12. Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz & Tödter, Karl-Heinz, 2017. "Doing away with cash? The welfare costs of abolishing cash," IMFS Working Paper Series 112, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    13. Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz & Tödter, Karl-Heinz, 2017. "Besser ohne Bargeld? Gesamtwirtschaftliche Wohlfahrtsverluste der Bargeldabschaffung [Doing away with cash? The macroeconomic welfare costs of abolishing cash]," Weidener Diskussionspapiere 58, University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden (OTH).
    14. Antón, Arturo & Hernández-Trillo, Fausto & Ventosa-Santaulària, Daniel, 2021. "(In)Effective tax enforcement and demand for cash," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    15. Edoardo Rainone, 2022. "Currency demand at negative policy rates," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1359, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    16. Hanna Armelius & Carl Andreas Claussen & André Reslow, 2022. "Withering Cash: Is Sweden Ahead of the Curve or Just Special?," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 18(4), pages 1-52, October.
    17. Anton Schautzer & Helmut Stix, 2019. "Approaching 20 years of euro cash in Austria: What has changed, and what’s next?," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q1-Q2/19, pages 99-112.
    18. Serhan Cevik, 2020. "Dirty money: Does the risk of infectious disease lower demand for cash?," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 460-471, December.
    19. Muñoz, Manuel A. & Soons, Oscar, 2023. "Public money as a store of value, heterogeneous beliefs, and banks: implications of CBDC," Working Paper Series 2801, European Central Bank.
    20. Tatjana Dahlhaus & Angelika Welte, 2021. "Payment Habits During COVID-19: Evidence from High-Frequency Transaction Data," Staff Working Papers 21-43, Bank of Canada.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    cash; banknotes; money; crises; stabilization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E41 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Demand for Money
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:imfswp:167. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/hoffmde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.