Mapping Grassroots Currencies for Sustainable Development
* Article: Seyfang, G. and Longhurst, N. (2013) ‘Growing Green Money? Mapping grassroots currencies for sustainable development’ Ecological Economics 86 pp65–77
URL = http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.11.003
Summary
"Parallel sustainable monetary systems are being developed by civil society groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), informed by ecological economics perspectives on development, value, economic scale and growth, and responding to the unsustainability of current global financial systems. These parallel systems of exchange (or community currencies) are designed to promote sustainable development by localising economic development, building social capital and substituting for material consumption, valuing work which is marginalised in conventional labour markets, and challenging the growth-based monetary system. However, this international movement towards community-based ecological economic practices, is under-researched. This paper presents new empirical evidence from the first international study of the scope and character of community currencies. It identifies the diversity, scale, geography and development trajectory of these initiatives, discusses the implications of these findings for efforts to achieve sustainable development, and identifies future research needs, to help harness the sustainability potential of these initiatives." (http://grassrootsinnovations.org/2012/12/11/journal-article-mapping-community-currencies-for-sustainable-development/)
More Information
- Seyfang, G. and Longhurst, N. (2012) Money, Money, Money? A scoping study of grassroots complementary currencies for sustainability 3S Working Paper 2012-02 (Science, Society and Sustainability Research Group, UEA, Norwich)
"A new working paper presents results of the first global scoping study of community currencies for sustainability.
As a response to the unsustainability of current global financial systems, parallel sustainable monetary systems are being developed by civil society groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), informed by ecological economics perspectives on development, value, economic scale and growth. These parallel systems of exchange (or grassroots complementary currencies) are designed to promote sustainable development, by localising economic development, building social capital and substituting for material consumption, valuing work which is marginalised in conventional labour markets, and challenging the growth-based monetary system. However, this international movement towards community-based ecological economic practices, is under-‐researched. This paper presents new empirical evidence from the first international study of the scope and character of grassroots currencies. It identifies the diversity, scale, geography and development trajectory of these initiatives, discusses the implications of these findings for efforts to achieve sustainable development, and identifies future research needs, to help harness the sustainability potential of these initiatives."
- The Global Spread of Community Currencies: International diffusion over the last 30 years (October 2012)
URL = http://grassrootsinnovations.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/gi-13-gicc-diffusion.pdf
"We describe the geographical trajectory of grassroots currency movements over the last 30 years based on international scoping work undertaken as part of the Grassroots Innovation: Complementary Currencies project." (http://grassrootsinnovations.org/2012/10/11/gi-briefing-13-global-spread-of-community-currencieng-forwards/)
- Mapping Community Currencies: Varieties and Geographies. (October 2012)
URL = http://grassrootsinnovations.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/gi-14-cc-types.pdf
"This briefing presents new empirical evidence from the first international study of the scope and character of community currencies. It identifies the diversity, scale, geography and development trajectory of these initiatives, undertaken as part of the Grassroots Innovation: Complementary Currencies project. (http://grassrootsinnovations.org/2012/10/11/gi-briefing-14-mapping-community-currencie/)
URL = http://grassrootsinnovations.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/gi-15-15-ccs-susty.pdf
"Community currencies have long been associated with the environmental movement, and in this briefing we identify various sustainability rationales for developing these grassroots innovations. (October 2012)" (http://grassrootsinnovations.org/2012/10/11/gi-briefing-15-community-currencies-and-sustainability/)