ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the main socioeconomic approaches to money. It examines persistent reductionisms in the scholarly literature, where the conception of money as a medium of exchange prevails. Based on the limitations of those approaches, we address the concept of money as debt, thereby including social and political elements in the definition of the nature of money. Finally, we address the reasons why money is a social institution, its role in socioeconomic life, and its potential for social change and economic inclusion.
