As the movement to create publicly owned banks across America picks up speed, new questions arise about how to make them truly focused on serving public interests.

Our guest Michael Brennan, a Research Fellow at the Democracy Collaborative and Board Director at the Public Banking Institute, says public banks can be either “good” or they can be “bad”.  The difference depends on how these new institutions are designed and constructed.

Brennan has articulated clear design principles in a new paper titled “Constructing the Democratic Public Bank” to help ensure these banks are able to achieve the public interest missions they’re created to serve.  Brennan says that prospect can and must be designed into the bank before they even get started.

First aired on It’s Our Money With Ellen Brown.

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