Only our limited idea of money is keeping us poor. David Boyle introduces us to alternative cash and people who can conjure money – that is, spending power – out of nothing.Until recently, the growth of alternative cash had been the province of big business: phone cards, stamps, air miles and Tesco’s clubcard points all have purchasing power, yet are not cash as we know it. Now, locally created money systems like ‘time dollars’, ‘Womanshare’ and ‘Ithaca hours’ are being invented by communities for communities.With clarity and great humour, Boyle tells the story of this extraordinary revolution: he travels to the USA to visit the people behind local money systems; relates their vision of the future; and describes how to set up your own currency. This is no dry theoretical tome: Boyle writes about his subject in a way that is concrete, illuminating, often very funny and always highly readable.This paperback edition includes a new epilogue with an update on the latest alternative currency ideas: ‘You just have to cast doubt on the real existence of the money markets and they could just shrivel away. Anything could happen.’A revolution is underway now: this book tells the story of its leaders and the ideas that inspired them.
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David Boyle. Funny Money: In Search of Alternative Cash
FUNNY MONEY. In Search of Alternative Cash. David Boyle
Contents
Introduction In search of the new alchemists
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Chapter 1 Washington: money as time
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Chapter 2 Still Washington: money as moral energy
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Chapter 3 Philadelphia: money as burden
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Chapter 4 New York: money as religion
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Chapter 5 Ithaca: money as lifeblood
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Chapter 6 Minneapolis: money as information
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Chapter 7 Berkshires: money as vegetables
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Chapter 8 How to be richer
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Epilogue A funny money world
Index
If you enjoyed Funny Money, check out these other great David Boyle titles
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Find out more. Books and articles
Publications
Local currencies
New money organizations
Copyright
About the Publisher
Отрывок из книги
For my parents
Title Page
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The CNN offices were unexpectedly expensive, in a large gleaming grey office block on Fifteenth Street, in Washington’s commercial district. I took the lift to the fourth floor to meet Farrell Didio, the manager. She explained that the network linked thirty-three organizations in the Washington area, from Virginia in the south to Maryland in the north – covering flats, libraries, parks, old people, anything in fact which needed volunteer support. There are now 1,600 of them, which is not quite the planned 15,000, but impressive nonetheless.
