The 4th International Conference on Social and Complementary Currencies will take place from Wed 10th to Sun 14th May 2017, at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya UOC (www.uoc.edu, Castelldefels, Barcelona-Spain).

More information, call for papers, registration here.

UOC will organise the event together with Research Association on Monetary Innovation and Community and Complementary Currency Systems (RAMICS), the International Journal of Community Currency Research (IJCCR), Catalan Solidarity Economy Network (XES), Instituto de la Moneda Social (IMS), and with other organisations to be confirmed.

The 4th Conference’s goal is to reflect on social and complementary currencies as tools which, on being implemented by people themselves, nurture the social change in favour of a completely sustainable development. Self-management, trust, closeness, respect and benevolence, among others are quite determining elements in the future of such sorts of initiatives. However, and as in any sort of behavior, it is necessary that such a behavior should be well accepted in people’s daily actions so it should be lasting over time. The awareness-building in the whole process, as well as the drive promoted from the innermost part of our being, from personal values, are the key to warrant the survival of this sort of initiatives.

We have to ask ourselves whether members of the communities operating with social and complementary currencies are really aware of the motivations which have moved them towards this, as well as of the consequences brought about by their actions. Is it about an opportunist behaviour? Or is it rather a behaviour which really bets for the sustainability? Is there any reason in this respect? Is there any dominant motivation? What makes some initiatives more lasting over time than others? Is there any sort of behavior to nurture it?

These and other questions, on the basis of debates, presentations, workshops, experiences… are intended to be answered under a multidisciplinary viewpoint, either from the own theoretical viewpoint or from the daily practice, either from the academy or from the activism. Solely and exclusively, the fusion of both fields can warrant a real progress of this sort of communities, an advance towards the implementation of social and complementary currency systems which are sustainable over time, are worth of redundancy, are to nurture the whole sustainability of life in the Mother Earth.

That is why the conference’s official title is:

4th International Conference on Social and Complementary Currencies:

money, awareness and values for the social change.