International Conference on Community Currencies

More than 300 people gathered in Kuriyama, Hokkaido, on August 22 and 23, 2002, to share their experiences with community-building using "community currencies." A total of 11 cases were presented (6 from Japan and 5 from overseas) and panel discussions followed, broadcast over the Internet.

More than 116 localities in Japan and about 2,500 around the world operate some form of community currency. Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS) represent one well-established system, but around the world they take many different forms. Generally, members in such systems perform services or favors for others in the community, in return for exchangeable credits in the local community currency, known as "time dollars," "eco-money," "digital money," or some other unit.

The discussions during the conference covered how information technology can be best used, how the public sector and citizens can cooperate, and to what extent these schemes can indirectly vitalize local economies.




Posted: 2002/11/24 06:58:10 AM
Japanese version