ArchiveBot: Write from the Austrian literature with archive citations

2026-08-16T06:02:05Z

Write from the Austrian literature with archive citations

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:02, 16 August 2026
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	'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a ~~form~~ of ~~trade~~ that ~~does~~ not ~~use~~ [[money]] as a ~~medium~~ of exchange. ~~There~~ is ~~some controversy~~ as to ~~whether~~, ~~or how much~~, barter ~~was actually prevalent in prehistoric times~~.<ref>{{md\|5921\|Barter in Prehistoric Times\|Franz Oppenheimer\|February 15, 2012}}</ref> ~~{{stub}}~~		'''Barter''' is direct [[exchange]]: goods traded against goods, with no [[money]] serving as a medium. It matters in Austrian theory chiefly for what it cannot do, since the difficulties of direct exchange are what explain the emergence of money.

			==The double coincidence of wants==

			Under barter an exchange requires that each party hold precisely what the other wants and want precisely what the other holds. That coincidence is rare, and it becomes rarer as the [[division of labor]] deepens: a specialist produces one thing and needs thousands, so the more productive the arrangement, the harder direct exchange becomes.

			Two further limits compound it. Many goods are not divisible, so a trader with one ox and a need for a week's grain cannot make the trade at any ratio. And under barter every good has an exchange ratio against every other, so the number of ratios a trader must know grows roughly with the square of the number of goods, where under [[money]] each good has just one [[price]].

			==How money emerges from barter==

			[[Carl Menger]] used these difficulties to explain the origin of money without appealing to invention or decree. A trader who cannot find a direct counterparty can improve his position by accepting, in exchange, a good he does not want himself, provided it is more ''saleable'' than what he currently holds, since it will be easier to trade on. Each trader doing this converges on the most saleable goods, and those goods thereby become general media of exchange.

			No one has to intend money for money to appear. It is the standard illustration of [[spontaneous order]], and it is why Austrians regard money as a market phenomenon rather than a creation of the state.<ref name="menger">[[Carl Menger]]. [https://freecapitalists.org/books/principles-of-economics/ ''Principles of Economics''] (1871).</ref>

			[[Ludwig von Mises]] built his [[regression theorem]] on the same starting point: money's purchasing power today traces back through yesterday's purchasing power to a point at which the commodity was valued for its non-monetary uses in direct exchange. Barter is thus the historical anchor that keeps the theory of money's value from circularity.

			==Whether barter economies existed==

			Whether whole societies ever ran on barter is disputed by anthropologists, several of whom argue that credit and customary obligation, rather than spot barter, preceded coinage.<ref>{{md\|5921\|Barter in Prehistoric Times\|Franz Oppenheimer\|February 15, 2012}}</ref> The dispute bears less on the theory than is sometimes supposed: Menger's argument is about the logic by which a more saleable good is preferred in exchange, and it does not require that a barter-only society ever existed as a historical stage.

			Barter also reappears where money fails. Under [[hyperinflation]], and where exchange controls or [[price control]]s make monetary transactions unattractive, trade reverts toward direct exchange, and the resulting loss of specialization is a standard measure of the damage done.

			==See also==
			* [[Money]]
			* [[Exchange]]
			* [[Spontaneous order]]
			* [[Division of labor]]
			* [[Carl Menger]]
			* [[Hyperinflation]]

	==References==		==References==

FormerContributor-78162cb3: does NOT use money

2012-08-08T16:20:39Z

does NOT use money

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:20, 8 August 2012
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	'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does use [[money]] as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually prevalent in prehistoric times.<ref>{{md\|5921\|Barter in Prehistoric Times\|Franz Oppenheimer\|February 15, 2012}}</ref> {{stub}}		'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does not use [[money]] as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually prevalent in prehistoric times.<ref>{{md\|5921\|Barter in Prehistoric Times\|Franz Oppenheimer\|February 15, 2012}}</ref> {{stub}}

	==References==		==References==

FormerContributor-78162cb3: Created page with "'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does use money as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually pre..."

2012-08-08T16:19:40Z

Created page with "'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does use money as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually pre..."

New page

'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does use [[money]] as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually prevalent in prehistoric times.<ref>{{md|5921|Barter in Prehistoric Times|Franz Oppenheimer|February 15, 2012}}</ref> {{stub}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Concepts]]

Barter - Revision history

ArchiveBot: Write from the Austrian literature with archive citations

FormerContributor-78162cb3: does NOT use money

FormerContributor-78162cb3: Created page with "'''Barter''' is direct exchange, a form of trade that does use money as a medium of exchange. There is some controversy as to whether, or how much, barter was actually pre..."