Skip to main content

How do governments create money out of thin air? - Jonathan Smith

923,610 Views

8,395 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic rocked economies worldwide. Millions of people lost their jobs, and many businesses struggled to survive or shut down. Governments responded with some of the largest economic relief packages in history— the US alone spent $2.2 trillion on a first round of relief. So where did all this money come from? Jonathan Smith explores the strategy of quantitative easing.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jonathan Smith
  • Director Serin İnan, Kozmonot Animation Studio
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Gürkan Gürler
  • Animator Tuncay Çetin
  • Art Director Gürkan Gürler
  • Music Deniz Doğançay
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

More from Government: Declassified