Debt enforcement and the value of money

This paper presents a framework in which fiat money has value in equilibrium even though a risk-free higher-return asset can be equally used as a medium of exchange. In a limited-commitment environment, agents may prefer to borrow a low-return asset because that results in a larger borrowing capacity. Thus, a monetary equilibrium in which money is dominated in rate of return exists. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.