'Christopher Houghton Budd's approach is unconventional and always interesting. He tackles big and difficult questions in a challenging way which should not be dismissed lightly. It is all clearly written and lucidly explained and students of economics will not see much like this and will benefit from the challenge.' - Forrest Capie, Professor Emeritus, CASS Business School, City University, London 'This well written and thought-provoking book will prompt its readers to reconsider their ideas on money, on credit, on banking, and on the role of government....’ From the foreword by Geoffrey Wood, Professor of Economics, Cass Business School, London '...a book that is intended to challenge our thinking about economics, by deepening our understanding of the role of finance and banking in a functional global economy...it is a publication that will infuriate some economists, accountants and bankers because it will scratch an itch they have about the value of what they do - which they dare not acknowledge. The same discomfort will apply to academics, especially in Finance Departments and Business Schools that have not challenged their leading assumptions for decades...Finally, politicians...Chapters 7 to 12 should provide a fresh perspective for examining the symptoms in order to treat the malaise. Open-minded think tanks, in particular, will be grateful for new models to test against the evidence of the failure of banking.' - John Carlisle, Visiting Professor, Sheffield Business School. Chairman, Alliance of Deming Consultants and Cooperation Works Ltd, Sheffield