Interdependent economy

Under the interdependent term of economy is grouped a certain number of movements and different concepts. Although the term makes debate today, it recovers, in addition to the theories, realities of ground. The interdependent economy is generally regarded as pertaining to the social economy, some speak besides about social economy and interdependent. However the first refers rather to organizations established well and occupying an important place in the economic life and the second with certain precise activities aiming at trying out new " modèles" of operation of the economy.

The origin of the interdependent mobility, which goes back to XIX^e century (co-operative movement) is generally in the report that in certain cases the liberal economic system badly meets certain needs for the population, in particular in the mediums known as “underprivileged”. The disastrous economic situation of certain countries of the Southern directed towards a feudal system rather or clannish, is also a cause of concern for holding of the movement, and is at the origin of certain actions.

The interdependent economy such as she is seen nowadays has several forms, more or less concrete or theoretical, and more or less popular, which go from the “Equitable trade” to the theories post-capitalists, while passing by the lans of mutual aid at the pragmatic bases more . The interdependent movements of economies are analyzable primarily in two groups: movements integrated into capitalism, and the movements which are placed apart from this one, with an aim of succeeding to him (post-capitalism).

Interdependent economy within capitalism

Innovating activities of production

These forms of the interdependent economy are primarily represented by the acts of Equitable trade, and by various forms of direct relationships between producers and consumers, in a spirit “of village”. On this last subject, let us quote the AMAP, or Association for the Maintenance of a Country Agriculture, which consist of an association between a local producer (generally affiliated with the Organic farming) and Consommateur S. the sale the productions made there directly, per promise of the consumers to buy the production of the farmer. The play is known as “Gain-gaining”, because the producer gains by avoiding the too low intermediaries and their prices, and the consumers gain on the same point, but also on transport and quality (methods of culture, freshness of the products).

The interdependent economy also includes/understands, the insertion by the economic activity.

Innovations in the forms of exchange (complementary local currency)

These forms of interdependent economy call upon Concept S monetarists of local use, at the same time different from the concept of Monnaie such as it is practiced within the framework of the Capitalisme liberal and close to him insofar as it is about private currencies. Indeed their creation is not subjected to the agreement of a single and official organization. A characteristic is however that these instruments of payment are described as “free” (i.e them Prêt is not subjected to the Intérêt) and “free”

SALT

Among the actions concerned with this type of economy to complementary Currency, there are in very first place the Systèmes of local exchanges, or English SALT (LET' S: Room Exchange Trading Systems). Some of them, such as Barter' S Club or Ithaca in the United States are integrated perfectly into the liberal system, pay taxation of their exchanges, and propose even a conversion of their own currency into national currency.

The interest of these SALT or LET' S is to support the local commercial exchanges, as a substitute by their local currency the lack or the cost for the national money. The fact that the exchanges within these networks are in general not subjected to the national tax mode, because there is not a real calculation of the exchanged values, encourages sometimes the local authorities to think that certain exchanges are connected with tax avoidance. In parallel, certain companies estimate that SALT are a system of Unfair competition, for the same reasons (not of loads on the “wages” paid in complementary currency, not of taxation of the exchanges, etc). Consequently, SALT are generally tolerated by the tax authorities, on the condition of remaining modest structures of mutual aid citizen.

Historically, the systems with complementary currency were several times applied by communities under official authorities (common, cantons, or their equivalents abroad, for example Lignières in Berri (France, 1956); Marans (France, 1958); Wörgl (Austria, 1933); Schwanenkirchen (Germany, 1931)). Each time however, the States concerned put an end to the experiment, in spite of the improvement felt by the populations in their capacities to trade, while noting what was in their eyes an tax evasion (failure with the payments of the rights and taxation of work).

However, the concept reappears periodically, and in Germany in 2004, there exists ten regional currencies (practically one by Land), with until the equivalent of 20.000 euros in circulation for only one value. Bundesbank looks at these currencies of a still benevolent eye, which encourages certain savings banks (p. e.g. Sparkasse de Delitzsch-Eilenburg in Saxony) to seek business partners interested in the emission of a complementary currency which would be managed by the case itself.

Other projects

Another way of the interdependent economy with complementary currency is that of the double monetarisation, proposed by J. - M. Flament, with the system of Robin. Robin is a currency which is gained during acts interdependent and/or philanthropic, and which is necessary to obtain best richness suggested by the community, the ideal being to be more or less as rich in a Robin as in national currency. Robin wants to be, in the spirit of his inventor, a means of pacifying what it estimates to be the Wild capitalism, by supporting the interdependent action.

One can also mention the Projet GROUND, suggested by Patrick Viveret, started in March 2006 in three areas of France, aiming at promoting transactions among the actors of the interdependent economy.

Andre-Jacques Holbecq also proposes, in its book “an alternative of company: ecosocietalism”, prefaced by Patrick Viveret, an economic model and monetarist who is the subject of a complete development based on the societalism of which he is also the author.

A futurology of the interdependent currencies was proposed by Bernard Lietaer in his book " Future The off Money"

Interdependent economies post-capitalists

In this category enter various movements which preaches the total abandonment of the capitalist system, considered to be unable to answer the challenges which are profiled at the horizon as regards distribution of the richnesses (and management of the conflicts then generated), like as regards environmental pollution. These mobilities consider that the current difficulties encountered by the economic policies as regards social wellbeing (difficulty of reabsorbing the Chômage, phenomena of exclusion and Paupérisation) are related to inconsistencies in the structure even of capitalism of today, often described as ultra-liberal. Their most virulent criticism generally goes on the structure of the monetary system, and in particular on the practice of the Intérêt.

We will not treat here a Communisme, which deserves, from its historical importance, a particular treatment, and we thus return the reader towards the pages dedicated to this economic system and social.

The remaining schools post-capitalists are various types, either interventionists, or of free enterprise, but with always like central concept the idea allowing the equitable redistribution of the richnesses between the actors of the company. For that purpose, the majority give up the concept of capital of investment, of private property of “the paying” currency and production equipment, justifying by there the term of “post-capitalism”. The monetary circuits proposed are varied, and group in two categories:

those which call upon a fixed money supply, or regularly revalued, emitted for the company by a nationalized central organization of which it is the role.
those which call upon a dynamic balance between money supply and value of the consumer goods available on the market, in a continuum of creation (wages) and destruction (consumption) of the currency. In this last case, monetary creation can be decentralized, and fulfill the requirements of the concepts of the collective Intelligence.

Historically, the first economic system theorized post-capitalist (out Communism) was the Distributisme. The distributism stresses the property of the means of production by the greatest possible number of workers, with for objective a company of craftsmen built around the principle of Subsidiarité, with the family like basic social unit.

A future for these movements?

As a whole, the movements integrated into capitalism do not propose like models for a transition towards a company post-capitalist, because their initial ambition is to meet local needs locally. They would miss it for that a complete economic theory, as well as an ethical and philosophical reflection on their own evolution. However, the Cultural Créatifs estimate that the size of their population which initiates a movement towards the exit of the consumerism, in particular through concepts like the voluntary Simplicité, and towards a Ground pacified by the promotion of the simultaneous Politique, would propagate an emergent culture of ethics post-capitalist giving birth to the interdependent company of economy.

Towards a Saving in another type

“Cohesion - solidarity - collective project”, such are the values of what must be this “New Economy”, which is distinguished from the term having emerged within the framework of the globalisation of the exchanges. Indeed, it is commercial since it ensures of the services which are invoicees, the price can take account of the solvency of the consumer:
Dans the north of France, there exists an association which proposes an on-call service of child, the service varies according to the definite family quotient by the Allowance office family (CIF).

Good number of exchanges are done by the means of actions considered voluntary (although being done with counterparts), one can quote systems of local exchanges (Salts) or the reciprocal networks of exchanges of knowledge.

The interdependent economy has triple originality: an internal organization of the associative type, a social purpose and a hybridization of its resources (commercial receipts, government aid and contribution of the voluntary help).

Natural economy

Term related to a economic Theory, characterized by exchanges carried out without concept of money.

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