Money not only dominates the economy, but many areas of our society, our relationships, and even our thinking. Ester Barinaga argues that it is not “money itself,” but rather its architecture — meaning the design of currencies and their governance structures — that lies at the root of many current challenges, from unsustainable growth and rising inequality to the erosion of democracy. Complementary currencies (CCs) open up new possibilities for building socio-economic resilience. In her talk, she presents examples of CCs that have been implemented to reduce inequality through the use of a universal basic income.
We also discussed, among others, the following questions:
- What can complementary currencies (CCs) contribute to strengthening socio-economic and regional resilience?
- What recommendations can be made for European countries and the EU regarding the potential of CCs?
- What potential do CCs have to improve the relationship between the economy (especially the financial sector) and democracy?
About the author:
Ester Barinaga is Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Lund University (Sweden) and Professor with Special Responsibilities at the Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL) at Copenhagen Business School (Denmark). Her research focuses on concepts, strategies, methods, and practices used by social entrepreneurs to drive societal change. She currently focuses in particular on complementary currencies as instruments for building sustainable economies, inclusive cities, and resilient communities.
About the publication:
Remaking Money for a Sustainable Future is available free of charge as a PDF under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.