Making sense of the plurality of money: a Polanyian attempt

International audience ; This paper aims at accounting for the dramatic plurality of money through the discussion of a conceptual framework built on Polanyian writings. Three ideal types are built: public money, business money and associative money. This typology is enriched by Polanyian concepts, which are discussed and adapted for this purpose: first, the distinction between all-purpose money and special-purpose money; second, his distinction between three or four forms of integration, here called exchange, redistribution, reciprocity and communal sharing. The whole helps understanding the complexity of real cases, starting with our ordinary money, and especially emphasizing the contemporary diversity of associative moneys.