A documentary exploring Modern Money Theory and its potential to reshape global economic policy.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Debt Illusion
Stephanie Kelton introduces Modern Money Theory and challenges the public perception of the national debt clock. She asserts that federal debt is not a burden for taxpayers or future generations.
Key Events
MMT Theory Introduction — Economist introduces Modern Money Theory framework to audience
Location: Documentary Opening
National Debt Clock Visualization — Clock ticks ominously upwards in public view
Location: New York City
Core Debt Assertion — Kelton argues debt is not a taxpayer burden
Location: Academic Setting
Debt as Public Asset — Explains dollars held as assets by the public
Location: Lecture Hall
Media Spotlight & Backlash
Journalists amplify the theory, sparking widespread media inquiry. Top economists across the political spectrum immediately condemn MMT as voodoo economics and crackpot theory.
Key Events
Media Burst & Inquiry — Journalists question conventional government spending logic
Location: Media Studio
Labeling the Theory — Theory dismissed as crazy and crackpot
Location: Press Room
Political Spectrum Divide — Criticism spans across political boundaries
Location: Panel Discussion
Unraveling the Money Myth
The documentary traces the conflict back to foundational stories about money. Kelton explains how dollars function as public assets rather than traditional debt.
Key Events
Political Spectrum Divide — Criticism spans across political boundaries
Location: Panel Discussion
Tracing Money History — Film traces conflict back to foundational money stories
Location: Archival Footage
Paradigm Shift Explanation — New hope injected into economic understanding
Location: Classroom
Global Policy Implications — Theory applied to international economic frameworks
Location: World Map Graphic
MMT is positioned as a tool to tackle climate change and inequality. Nations are empowered to address 21st century challenges without fear of generational debt.
Inequality Reduction — Strategies to close wealth gaps using sovereign currency issuance.
Future Economic Hope — The documentary concludes with a vision of empowered nations and sustainable growth.
21st Century Challenges — Addressing modern societal issues through reformed monetary systems.
Theoretical Resolution — MMT presented as a viable, hopeful path forward for global economics.
FINDING THE MONEY follows economist Stephanie Kelton on a journey through Modern Money Theory or “MMT”. Kelton provocatively asserts the National Debt Clock that ticks ominously upwards in New York City is not actually a debt for us taxpayers at all, nor a burden for our grandchildren to pay back. Instead, Kelton describes the national debt as simply a historical record of the number of dollars created by the US federal government currently being held in pockets, as assets, by the rest of us. MMT bursts into the media with journalists asking, “Have we been thinking about how the government spends money, all wrong?” But top economists from across the political spectrum condemn the theory as “voodoo economics”, “crazy” and “a crackpot theory”. FINDING THE MONEY traces the conflict all the way back to the story we tell about money, injecting new hope and empowering countries around the world to tackle the biggest challenges of the 21st century: from climate change to inequality.
