new reports and evidence on reciprocal exchange

[Lucie Stephens]

Hi there,

NESTA have published the shortlist of organisations who have successfully got through the first round of their innovations in giving funding. You'll see some familiar faces on the list. There are short (3 min) videos about each of the ideas which you might find illuminating or inspiring.

Also on the NESTA site is the 'More Than Money' report written by David Boyle. The report was commissioned in an attempt to learn the lessons from the past and to provide a framework for understanding the many different approaches to complementary currencies and other platforms for reciprocal exchange. The report documents many of the most interesting innovations of recent years and demonstrates how they have at their heart ideas of sharing, bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting, exchanging or swapping. These are age-old concepts being reinvented through network technologies and a cultural shift driven by the more civic minded millennial generation.

The report is also accompanied by an in-depth literature review by Julia Slay that brings together the existing evidence of impact, outcomes and cost that exist across reciprocal exchange systems. Time banks, complementary currencies and peer-to-peer platforms for collaborative consumption are all examples of these reciprocal exchange systems, and to structure this review there is a typology of different types of systems to organise the evidence.

Good luck to everyone who has got through to the next round of the innovations funding. If anyone is kicking themselves that they didn't apply NESTA has said there will be second round launched in the Spring. To be informed about the next call you can sign up to their newsletter.

Cheers,

Lucie