Publication details
Economic micro-systems? Non-market and not-only-for-profit economic activities in eco-communities.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Human affairs |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/humaff.2016.26.issue-4/humaff-2016-0032/humaff-2016-0032.xml |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/humaff-2016-0032 |
| Field | Economy |
| Keywords | eco-community; non-market economy; economic sustainability; not-only-for-profit economy; eco-social enterprise |
| Description | Eco-communities are a potential model for the socio-technological transition to a post-carbon society. The debate over their economic sustainability has, however, been limited. This article aims to enhance the discussion by offering a conceptualization of the economic micro-system created in eco-communities. It uses the economic terms households and firms to discuss two ways in which the community economy is positioned and then goes on to explore the principles behind the non-market (non-monetary) activities of households and the not-only-for-profit activities of firms as the basis of the eco-community economy. It concludes by pointing out that both can operate in parallel, with eco-communities producing non-market capital that can be used to develop not-only-for-profit activities which support the economic sustainability of the projects. |
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