IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/pophec/v21y2022i1p75-93.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The case against alternative currencies

Author

Listed:
  • Louis Larue

Abstract

Local Currencies, Local Exchange Trading Systems, and Time Banks are all part of a new social movement that aims to restrict money's purchasing power within a certain geographic area, or within a certain community. According to their proponents, these restrictions may contribute to building sustainable local economies, supporting local businesses and creating “warmer†social relations. This article inquires whether the overall enthusiasm that surrounds alternative currencies is justified. It argues that the potential benefits of these currencies are not sufficient to justify the restrictions they impose on money's purchasing power. Turning these currencies into effective channels of change, by increasing their scope and their strength, could severely hinder the pursuit of social justice, in a way that is probably not even necessary for achieving their objectives. The paper concludes that large-scale limitations of money's purchasing power are, therefore, undesirable.

Suggested Citation

  • Louis Larue, 2022. "The case against alternative currencies," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 21(1), pages 75-93, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:21:y:2022:i:1:p:75-93
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X211065784
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470594X211065784
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1470594X211065784?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon, 2019. "Money and the Commons: An Investigation of Complementary Currencies and Their Ethical Implications," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 277-292, November.
    2. Michel, Arnaud & Hudon, Marek, 2015. "Community currencies and sustainable development: A systematic review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 160-171.
    3. Sterner, Thomas, 2007. "Fuel taxes: An important instrument for climate policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 3194-3202, June.
    4. Larue, Louis & Meyer, Camille & Hudon, Marek & Sandberg, Joakim, 2022. "The Ethics of Alternative Currencies," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(2), pages 299-321, April.
    5. Boyce, James K., 2018. "Carbon Pricing: Effectiveness and Equity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 52-61.
    6. Jérôme Blanc & Marie Fare, 2013. "Understanding the Role of Governments and Administrations in the Implementation of Community and Complementary Currencies," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 84(1), pages 63-81, March.
    7. Jérôme Blanc & Marie Fare, 2016. "Turning values concrete: the role and ways of business selection in local currency schemes," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 74(3), pages 298-319, September.
    8. Louis Larue & Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon & Joakim Sandberg, 2022. "The Ethics of Alternative Currencies," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/341622, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Jérôme Blanc, 2018. "« Les monnaies alternatives, bilan d’étape et perspectives »," Post-Print halshs-02044563, HAL.
    10. Seyfang, Gill & Longhurst, Noel, 2013. "Growing green money? Mapping community currencies for sustainable development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 65-77.
    11. Jérôme Blanc, 2018. "Les monnaies alternatives," Post-Print halshs-01923088, HAL.
    12. M.S. Peacock, 2000. "Local Exchange Trading Systems: A Solution to the Employment Dilemma?," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(1), pages 55-78, March.
    13. C C Williams, 1996. "Local Exchange and Trading Systems: A New Source of Work and Credit for the Poor and Unemployed?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 28(8), pages 1395-1415, August.
    14. Stodder, James, 2009. "Complementary credit networks and macroeconomic stability: Switzerland's Wirtschaftsring," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 79-95, October.
    15. Oliver Sanz, Esther, 2016. "Community currency (CCs) in Spain: An empirical study of their social effects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 20-27.
    16. Henrik Hammar, Asa Lofgren and Thomas Sterner, 2004. "Political Economy Obstacles to Fuel Taxation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 1-18.
    17. Pepita Ould Ahmed, 2015. "What does 'solidarity economy' mean ? : contours and feasibility of a theoretical and political project," Post-Print ird-01487182, HAL.
    18. Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon, 2017. "Alternative organizations in finance: Commoning in complementary currencies," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/259111, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    19. Sterner, Thomas, 2012. "Distributional effects of taxing transport fuel," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 75-83.
    20. Douthwaite, Richard, 2012. "Degrowth and the supply of money in an energy-scarce world," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 187-193.
    21. Marshall, Adam P. & O'Neill, Daniel W., 2018. "The Bristol Pound: A Tool for Localisation?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 273-281.
    22. Marie Fare & Pepita Ould Ahmed, 2017. "Complementary currency systems and their ability to support economic and social changes," Post-Print halshs-01623361, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cristian Frasser & Lucie Lebeau, 2023. "Complementary Currencies and Liquidity: The Case of Coca-Base Money," Working Papers 2307, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    2. Pédussel Wu, Jennifer & Metzger, Martina & Neira, Ignacio Silva & Farroukh, Arafet, 2023. "What determines demand for digital community currencies? OurVillage in Cameroon," IPE Working Papers 209/2023, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Louis Larue & Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon & Joakim Sandberg, 2022. "The Ethics of Alternative Currencies," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/341622, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Larue, Louis, 2020. "The Ecology of Money: A Critical Assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    3. Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon, 2019. "Money and the Commons: An Investigation of Complementary Currencies and Their Ethical Implications," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 277-292, November.
    4. Francisco Javier García-Corral & Jaime de Pablo-Valenciano & Juan Milán-García & José Antonio Cordero-García, 2020. "Complementary Currencies: An Analysis of the Creation Process Based on Sustainable Local Development Principles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-22, July.
    5. Matti, Josh & Zhou, Yang, 2022. "Money is money: The economic impact of BerkShares," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    6. Nina Stępnicka & Grzegorz Zimon & Dariusz Brzozowiec, 2021. "The Complementary Currency Zielony in Poland and Its Importance for the Development of Local Economy Entities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-26, August.
    7. Alexandra Lenis Escobar & Ramón Rueda López & Jorge E. García Guerrero & Enrique Salinas Cuadrado, 2020. "Design of Strategies for the Implementation and Management of a Complementary Monetary System Using the SWOT-AHP Methodology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, August.
    8. Oriane Lafuente-Sampietro, 2021. "Convertible local currencies and localisation: findings from a user survey and network analysis of local French currencies," Working Papers halshs-03324630, HAL.
    9. Christian Gelleri, 2022. "Creating Monetary Collaborative Spaces for Social and Ecological Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, November.
    10. Sarah Zeller, 2020. "Economic Advantages of Community Currencies," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-11, November.
    11. Jean-Baptiste Desquilbet & Etienne Farvaque, 2022. "'As one dies, so dies the other' ? On local complementary currencies as two-sided platforms," Working Papers halshs-03518592, HAL.
    12. Lele Zou & Jinjun Xue & Alan Fox & Bo Meng, 2018. "The Emissions Reduction Effect And Economic Impact Of An Energy Tax Vs. A Carbon Tax In China: A Dynamic Cge Model Analysis," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(02), pages 339-387, March.
    13. Ana Cristina O. Siqueira & Benson Honig & Sandra Mariano & Joysi Moraes, 2020. "A Commons Strategy for Promoting Entrepreneurship and Social Capital: Implications for Community Currencies, Cryptocurrencies, and Value Exchange," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(4), pages 711-726, November.
    14. Michel, Arnaud & Hudon, Marek, 2015. "Community currencies and sustainable development: A systematic review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 160-171.
    15. Sommer, Stephan & Mattauch, Linus & Pahle, Michael, 2022. "Supporting carbon taxes: The role of fairness," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    16. Simon Papaud, 2022. "Mutual credit systems: anti-crisis remedy or anticapitalist monetary device? From Proudhon’s People’s Bank to the WIR Bank – trading without hoarding? [Les systèmes de crédit mutuel, remède anti-cr," Working Papers hal-04084716, HAL.
    17. Rodrigo de Oliveira Leite & Layla dos Santos Mendes & Roberto Tommasetti & Vinicius Mothe Maia & Rodrigo Soto Larrain, 2022. "The Role of Motivated Financial Institutions on Community Currencies Loans," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-10, October.
    18. Mercè Roca & Marta Segura & Jordi Puig & Susana Martín Belmonte, 2024. "The local multiplier of income support paid in a complementary currency: Comparative evaluation in the city of Barcelona," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(1), pages 95-111, January.
    19. Oriane Lafuente-Sampietro, 2021. "The multiplier effect of convertible local currencies : case study on two French schemes," Working Papers halshs-03324625, HAL.
    20. Camille Meyer & Marek Hudon, 2017. "Alternative organizations in finance: commoning in complementary currencies," Working Papers CEB 17-015, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:21:y:2022:i:1:p:75-93. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.