Introduction Research Money and Debt

This video is an introduction to the research money and debt. The 'Ons Geld' foundation and theatre group 'De Verleiders'  instigated the Dutch discussion about money creation. They organised a citizens' initiative that was signed by more than 120,000 people. This led to a hearing and a debate in the House of Representatives about money creation. which led to the WRR-report Money and Debt: The Public Role of Banks (2021).

*Music plays*

On-screen text: Introduction research money and debt.

Logo WRR appears on screen.

Actor 1:
And how is our money created?
Where does it come from?

Voiceover:
The 'Ons Geld' foundation
and theatre group 'De Verleiders'...
instigated the Dutch discussion
about money creation.
They organised a citizens' initiative that
was signed by more than 120,000 people.
This led to a hearing and a debate in
the House of Representatives about money creation.

George van Houts – citizens’ initiative ‘Ons Geld’:
99.9 percent of attendees...
110,000 men and women,
often well-educated...
of our performance
'Door de Bank Genomen'...
believes that the government
controls our money.
That the government creates
and manages money supply.

Edgar Wortmann - citizens’ initiative ‘Ons Geld’:
The legislature is responsible
for the money system.

Martijn Jeroen van der Linden - citizens’ initiative ‘Ons Geld’:
We want to separate
money creation and credit supply.
The state should create money, while
the free market should supply credit.

Pieter Omtzigt – CDA:
Speaker...
Much appreciation
for the organisers of the initiative...
for putting a complex theme,
money creation, on the agenda...
and start a fundamental discussion
about it.

Arnold Merkies – SP:
Why don't we discuss
the money system more often?

Voiceover:
This discussion
isn't unique to the Netherlands.
The topic is debated in England,
Switzerland and Iceland as well.

Different international politicians:
I think it raises the question
at the heart of this debate.
I mean, who should create the money?
This is an issue that has not
been debated for well over a century.
Over 100,000 citizens have signed
the sovereign-money initiative.

Voiceover:
After the debate, the Scientific Council
for Government Policy was asked...
to investigate the creation of money.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem:
Yet this debate, which goes to the core
of monetary policies, money creation...
and who's responsible,
has never been held this sharply.

On-screen tekst: In January 2019, the WRR published the report ‘Money and Debt: The Public Role of Banks’.

A translated version of this report is now available from Springer.

www.springer.com

Logo WRR appears on screen.

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