Moral Money – The action guiding Impact of Complementary Currencies

Thiel, Christian (2012): Moral Money – The action guiding Impact of Complementary Currencies. A Case Study at the Chiemgauer Regional money. In: International Journal of Community Currency Research, Vol. 16: pp. 91-96

Abstract

This paper investigates a special form of a community currency, the German Regiogeld System, which is a private monetary system with a regional validity and a non-profit-agenda. The focus of the sociological study is on how this special money effects actions of consumers. After some general information to the Regiogeld system, it therefore describes why people use this limited and costly form of money at all, how exactly they use it and for what special patterns of usage they adopt the regional money as their own. As a result it can be demonstrated that money is evaluated concerning its functionality and its symbolism. Since Regiogeld attempts to be an efficient monetary system and a moral symbol at once, it develops a structural problem which restricts the Regiogeld’ expansion.

• Item Type: Article
• Status: Submitted Version
• Keywords: money, complementary currencies, sociology of money, nudge, regional money, regiogeld, moral, ethical consumption
• Collections: Social Sciences; Social Sciences > Department of Sociology
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics; 300 Social sciences > 380 Commerce, communications and transportation
• Language: English