scholarly journals The case against alternative currencies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1470594X2110657
Author(s):  
Louis Larue
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Local Exchange ◽  
Trading Systems ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
New Social Movement

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.

scholarly journals Moral Money? LETS and the Social Construction of Local Economic Geographies in Southeast England

1996 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1377-1394 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Exchange ◽  
Trading Systems ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Moral Economic

Local exchange employment and trading systems (LETS) have spread rapidly throughout the United Kingdom during the 1990s. Like all economic geographies, they are socially constructed and are more than a simple response to social exclusion. The economic activity generated by and conducted through LETS is based upon direct forms of social relations and a local currency which facilitate locally defined systems of value formation and distinctive moral economic geographies. Nevertheless, LETS take on some of the class and gender characteristics of the wider economy. Furthermore, the ways in which LETS are represented—not least in the media—may serve to stereotype them as exclusionary and marginal to the needs of those most in need and so to distance them from those excluded from the formal economy.

Local Exchange Trading Systems in the United Kingdom: A Case of Re-Embedding?

1996 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1361-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Thorne
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Local Exchange ◽  
Trading Systems ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Internal Coherence ◽  
The Relationship

In this paper a recent type of social and economic organization to appear in the United Kingdom—the local exchange trading system—is examined. From comparative research based on interviews with coordinators of six systems the motivation for involvement, the nature of the local money, and the relationship to business and state regulation are explored. The internal coherence of the systems and the relevance of the ‘local’ is assessed. Contextualized by debates on the nature of economics, where the notion of embeddedness of economic life in social relations is gaining ground, the concept of an active ‘re-embedding’ is introduced in order to explore the significance of local exchange trading systems.

Bologna, My Love: Il Cinema Ritrovato

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-79
Author(s):  
Carla Marcantonio
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Francis Ford Coppola ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ongoing Project

FQ books editor Carla Marcantonio guides readers through the 33rd edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival held each year in Bologna at the end of June. Highlights of this year's festival included a restoration of one of Vittorio De Sica's hard-to-find and hence lesser-known films, the social justice fairy tale, Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan, 1951). The film was presented by De Sica's daughter, Emi De Sica, and was an example of the ongoing project to restore De Sica's archive, which was given to the Cineteca de Bologna in 2016. Marcantonio also notes her unexpected responses to certain reviewings; Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (2019), presented by Francis Ford Coppola on the large-scale screen of Piazza Maggiore and accompanied by remastered Dolby Atmos sound, struck her as a tour-de-force while a restoration of David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) had lost some of its strange allure.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION OF CA DONG PEOPLE IN RESETTLEMENT AREA OF TRANH RIVER HYDROPOWER NUMBER 2: CURRENT SITUATION AND IMPACT FACTORS

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bùi Thị Bích Lan
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Technical Application ◽  
Production Models ◽  
Role Of The State

In Vietnam, the construction of hydropower projects has contributed significantly in the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country. The place where hydropower projects are built is mostly inhabited by ethnic minorities - communities that rely primarily on land, a very important source of livelihood security. In the context of the lack of common productive land in resettlement areas, the orientation for agricultural production is to promote indigenous knowledge combined with increasing scientific and technical application; shifting from small-scale production practices to large-scale commodity production. However, the research results of this article show that many obstacles in the transition process are being posed such as limitations on natural resources, traditional production thinking or the suitability and effectiveness of scientific - technical application models. When agricultural production does not ensure food security, a number of implications for people’s lives are increasingly evident, such as poverty, preserving cultural identity, social relations and resource protection. Since then, it has set the role of the State in researching and building appropriate agricultural production models to exploit local strengths and ensure sustainability.

Overburdened Gauls: the case of Florus and Sacrovir’s revolt of 21 CE

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared Kreiner
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Scale Resistance ◽  
Military Campaigns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In 21 CE, a series of localized movements broke out in Gallia Comata due to heavy debts among provincials according to Tacitus. Modern scholars have long argued that the indebtedness occurred because of rising interest rates, resulting from dwindling currency in circulation after decades of free-spending following Augustus’ victory at Actium, and that Gallic communities were subjected to an additional tribute to support the wars of Germanicus (14–16 CE), which continued unabated after the wars and pushed Gauls beyond their means. These claims are misguided, however, in that there is no certain evidence of a special tax to support Germanicus’ wars and that the argument for a dwindling circulation of currency in Gaul falters under closer inspection. Rather, the pressing statal and military needs imposed on communities in Gallia Comata after 9 CE on top of routine exactions could significantly increase burden levels levied on provincial populations, thus contributing to rising debts. Through examining how Roman logistics and conscription operated in this period, it is possible to trace how populations were impacted by such demands and which communities were most heavily affected by them, too. Individually, the impact of each factor is unlikely to have been burdensome enough to have caused large-scale resistance, it is only the cumulative effect that these explanations had on top of routine Roman extraction schemes that could create the conditions for this revolt. This paper argues that in extraordinary circumstances, such as the period after the Varian Disaster for Gallia Comata, the costs of supporting military campaigns places real short-term strains on local economies, which creates the conditions for revolt. The benefit of this approach is that it may explain other episodes of anti-fiscal resistance that broke out during or within a decade of wars in neighboring regions.

Consumers’ self-congruence with a “Liked” brand

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Wallace ◽  
Isabel Buil ◽  
Leslie de Chernatony
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tie Strength ◽  
Brand Love ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Image

Purpose Brand “Likes” on Facebook facilitate self-expression, forming part of consumers’ virtual selves. Yet, consumers’ brand “Likes” may bear little resemblance to their material realities. This paper aims to test similarities of brand image with self-image for Facebook “Likes” to determine whether self-congruence with a “Liked” brand leads to positive offline brand outcomes. It also investigates whether consumers’ perceptions about their Facebook social relations influence self-congruent brand “Likes”. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale survey was conducted of regular Facebook users who “Liked” brands. Data from 438 respondents was analysed and hypotheses tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Empirical results show that the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand increases with social tie strength. Perceived social tie strength is informed by perceived attitude homophily. When the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand is higher, brand love and word of mouth (WOM) are enhanced. Consumers also have greater brand loyalty and offer more WOM when brands are loved. Research limitations/implications Findings demonstrate the influence of consumers’ cognitive network on “Likes” and brand outcomes. Further replication would enhance generalisability. Future research should use a wider sample and investigate other variables. Practical implications Findings support managers seeking to grow and analyse Facebook “Likes” by providing insights into brand loyalty, brand love and WOM for “Liked” brands. Originality/value The paper addresses the dearth of research exploring how consumers’ perceptions of their Facebook network influence their online brand behaviour and how perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand relates to brand outcomes.

Investment in the agricultural sector as a way to solve food security problems in developing countries: the example of investment activity of the US agribusiness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Stepanovna Ustinovich ◽  
Tatyana Petrovna Boldyreva
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
International Investment ◽  
Investment Activity ◽  
Agricultural Investment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Potential Benefits

It is clear to everyone that investment in the agricultural sector in developing countries is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty and hunger in the world. Agricultural investment can generate a wide range of development opportunities. However, these benefi ts cannot be expected to arise automatically. Some forms of large-scale investment pose significant risks to investor states. It should be noted, however, that, despite discussions about the potential benefits and risks of international investment, there is still no evidence of negative actual consequences for the countries receiving investments. This article examines the issues of investment activity in relation to developing countries using the example of US agribusiness entities.

scholarly journals Narrating technonatures: discourses of biotechnology in a neoliberal era

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Myles Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Political ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The Status ◽  
Political Economic

This article considers the role played by discourses of nature in structuring the cultural politics of anti-GMO activism. It argues that such discourses have been successful rhetorical tools for activists because they mobilize widely resonant nature-culture dualisms that separate the natural and human worlds. However, these discourses hold dubious political implications. In valorizing the natural as a source of essential truth, natural purity discourses fail to challenge how naturalizations have been used to legitimize sexist, racist and colonial systems of injustice and oppression. Rather, they revitalize the discursive purchase of appeals to nature as a justification for the status quo, indirectly reinforcing existing power relations. Moreover, these discourses fail to challenge the critical though contingent reality of GMOs' location within the wider framework of neoliberal social relations. Fortunately, appeals to natural purity have not been the only effective strategy for opposing GMOs. Activist campaigns that directly target the political economic implications of GMOs within the context of neoliberalism have also had successes without resorting to appeals to the purity of nature. The successes of these campaigns suggest that while nature-culture dualisms remain politically effective normative groundings, concerns over equity, farmers' rights, and democracy retain potential as ideological terrains in the struggle for social justice.

Identifying chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) for biological monitoring with PCR–RFLP

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 483-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Carew ◽  
V. Pettigrove ◽  
A.A. Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
Chironomid Species ◽  
Pcr Rflp ◽  
Identification Of Species

AbstractChironomids are excellent biological indicators for the health of aquatic ecosystems, but their use at finer taxonomic levels is hindered by morphological similarity of species at each life stage. Molecular markers have the potential to overcome these problems by facilitating species identification particularly in large-scale surveys. In this study, the potential of the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) approach was tested to rapidly distinguish among chironomids within a geographic area, by considering chironomid species from Melbourne, Australia. By comparing molecular markers with diagnostic morphological traits, RFLP profiles of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) region were identified that were specific to genera and some common species. These profiles were used to develop an RFLP–based key, which was validated by testing the markers on samples from several wetlands and streams. As well as allowing for rapid identification of species that are difficult to separate on morphological grounds, this approach also has the potential to resolve current taxonomic ambiguities.

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