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Helpful prior knowledge and learning objectives
Helpful prior knowledge and learning objectives
Helpful prior learning:
Section 1.1.1 The economy and you, which explains what an economy is and how it is relevant to students’ lives
Section 1.1.2 The embedded economy, which explains the relationship between the economy and society and Earth’s systems
Section 1.1.4 Regenerative economies, which explains how circular, distributive and caring, needs-based and sufficient economies can meet human needs within planetary boundaries
Section 1.3.1 Human nature, which explains the complex ways that humans typically behave, but emphasises our empathetic and cooperative traits
Section 4.1.1 The commons as a system, which explains the parts, relationships, and functions of the commons and the relationship between the commons and other provisioning institutions
Section S.1 What are systems?, which explains what a system is, the importance of systems boundaries, the difference between open and closed systems and the importance of systems thinking
Section S.2 Systems thinking patterns, which outlines the core components of systems thinking: distinctions (thing/other), systems (part/whole), relationships (action/reaction), and perspectives (point/view)
Learning objectives:
discuss how various forms and tools of social commitment pooling can help meet human needs and support relocalisation
In the early 2000s, an informal, volunteer-run web service began, enabling millions of people to find a place to stay with strangers in more than 200 000 cities and towns globally. Long before apps like Airbnb, the couch-surfing movement was thriving on a simple idea: people travelling on a budget could find a couch to sleep on in exchange for stories, friendship, and sometimes a meal. No money is exchanged—it’s about sharing what you have and building a global community based on trust and mutual goodwill.
Figure 1. Couch surfing is a popular way to share accommodation and meet new people
(Credit: Yakobchuk Olena, Adobe with licence)
Figure 2. Millions of people every year donate blood to help others in need
(Credit: Olesia_g, Adobe Stock licence)
Millions of people also voluntarily give their blood every year, knowing it could save a life. These donors aren’t paid. They do it because they understand the value of pooling this critical resource for people who need it. A single donation might help multiple patients, showing how one person's effort can ripple out to support many others.
In Kenya, the Mwerya system has existed for generations. It’s a type of rotational mutual labour, where neighbours help each other with farming tasks like planting, harvesting and building homes and other forms of shared wealth. Again, no money changes hands. Instead, when you help someone today, they’ll help you tomorrow. This reciprocal system ensures that no one gets left behind during the busiest farming seasons, and it strengthens social bonds through cooperation.
Figure 3. Community members in Kinango, Kenya supporting each other through a system of rotational mutual service called Mwerya
(Credit: Grassroots Economics, used with permission)
What is social commitment pooling?
What is social commitment pooling?
These three stories above are examples of social commitment pooling, systems where people contribute their time, effort, skills or other resources to a group and can count on others to do the same when needed. These systems aren’t driven by money, but by mutual support, trust, and shared effort. Depending on the context, social commitment pooling can look very different.
The short video below can help you visualise the general concept of social commitment pooling.
Mutual aid
Mutual aid
Mutual aid is when people voluntarily support each other in times of need. Everyone can contribute something—time, skills, or resources. This practice builds solidarity and collective care, ensuring that both contributors and beneficiaries are supported.
There are two main forms of mutual aid: spontaneous mutual aid and rotational mutual aid. Spontaneous mutual aid arises during sudden crises, such as natural disasters or economic emergencies. For example, after a hurricane, people often organise quickly, often with the help of the state or nonprofit organisations, to provide food, shelter, or other help. These efforts may dissolve once the immediate need is met.
In contrast, rotational mutual aid is structured and long-term. It involves organised systems where members take turns offering and receiving support. For instance, Kenya’s Mwerya system, mentioned earlier, ensures everyone gets help when needed and fosters trust over time. Unlike spontaneous mutual aid, rotational systems are planned and built into daily life.
Figure 4. Spontaneous mutual aid is in response to urgent needs, as was the case with super typhoon Yagi in Myanmar in 2024.
(Credit: IFRC)
Gift economies
Gift economies
In gift economies, goods and services are given freely without expecting anything in return. Examples include blood donations, sharing tools with neighbors, or helping in artistic collectives. Gifts circulate within the community, creating stronger social bonds based on trust and goodwill.
In these economies, often found in already tight-knit communities, people don’t track debts or repayments. Givers do not usually receive an immediate or guaranteed benefit. But eventually givers will become receivers, although the time, form and source of the gift is unknown. Whether sharing food at a gathering or offering childcare, acts of generosity strengthen community ties. The more people give, the stronger the social cohesion becomes.
Figure 5. In gift economies, people give things or help to others with no expectation that the person will return the favour directly.
(Credit: Nestor Omarx Santos, Pexels licence)
How can we support social commitment pooling?
How can we support social commitment pooling?
In small, close-knit communities, informal trust-based systems often work well. In communities using mutual aid, leaders and the wider community have a memory of givers and receivers. However, larger or less connected groups of people often need more structured ways to track contributions and exchanges.
Two tools for managing social commitment pooling are time banks and local currencies.
Timebanks
Timebanks
Time banks let people exchange services based on time rather than money. For example, in the UK’s Fair Shares time bank, helping a neighbor for an hour earns one time credit, which can then be "spent" on receiving help from someone else.
Time banks value everyone’s time equally, encouraging participation regardless of financial and social status. Whether fixing bikes, babysitting, or tutoring, an hour of service is worth the same. This builds trust and fosters a sense of belonging contributing to healthier communities.
However, time banks also have challenges. They depend on active participation, and a lack of members or services can cause the system to fail. Coordination is crucial to match skills with needs and keep the network running smoothly.
Local currencies
Alternative local currencies, also called community currencies, help communities trade goods and services with each other without relying on national money. They are particularly useful in times of economic hardship, such as high unemployment or inflation. The money does not flow outside of a region to pay off investors and lenders. By keeping wealth within the community, local currencies support local businesses and encourage relocalisation (Section 4.2.3)
Local currencies, called Notgeld or “emergency money” were used widely in Germany between World War I and World War II, when the economy was unstable and the national currency was scarce (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Examples of German Notgeld, or 'emergency money' used during economic crises to help people continue exchange goods and services even when the national currency was scarce.
(Credit: Takk, CC BY-SA 3.0)
A modern example is Bangla-Pesa in Mombasa, Kenya. This mutual credit system enables small businesses to trade without cash. For instance, a shopkeeper might accept Bangla-Pesa for food and spend it on clothing repairs. This keeps local trade active while saving the Kenyan state-backed shilling currency for outside expenses.
However, local currencies face obstacles. They require strong local networks and broad acceptance in the community to succeed. Without enough participation, they struggle to grow. Governments may also resist them, even declaring them illegal in some cases.
Local currencies will be explored again in Topic 6: Money and Finance. A short animation below explains how Bangla-Pesa works.
Activity 4.2.4
Activity 4.2.4
Concept: Regeneration
Skills: Social skills, Thinking skills (transfer)
Time: varies, depending on the option
Type: Individual, pairs, or group
Option 1: Why social commitment pooling?
Time: 25 minutes
Economists used to focusing on market-based exchanges might have a hard time understanding why social commitment pooling is useful. They might ask, what’s the point? Why not just use money and markets as we currently have them set up?
In a small group, consider what you have learned so far about commoning, and social commitment pooling in particular. Using what you know, how could you respond to those challenges?
Write ideas in words, sketch illustrations, or audio record your ideas.
Option 2: Could social commitment pooling work in your school?
Time: 30 minutes
In a small group, discuss whether social commitment pooling would be useful in your school and if so, how could you go about setting it up? What might you have to do or organise to try it out?
Note: this could be the beginning of a larger project. See Subtopic 4.5 Taking action.
Option 3: Thinking about the norms of giving in your community
Time: 25-30 min
Cultures have different social norms and expectations about giving, which have an impact on how social commitment pooling might work. Think about the culture in the place where you live, or the culture that you feel closest to. First individually and then in pairs, small or larger groups, consider the following questions:
When do people give help or things to others?
When help or things are given, is it expected that the gift will be returned in some way? If yes, what counts as having the gift returned?
Does the returned gift have to be the same form?
Does the gift have to have the same monetary value?
Does the gift have to involve a similar level of effort from the giver?
Is there some other way of thinking about equivalence of the exchanged gifts?
Was there ever a time when someone gave you a gift in return for something you gave or did, and the reciprocity didn’t feel right? Why do you think that was?
To what extent do you think that the culture you are a part of is a gift economy? If the community wanted to strengthen the gift economy, what could it do?
Ideas for longer activities and projects are listed in Subtopic 4.5 Taking action
Checking for understanding
Checking for understanding
Further exploration
Further exploration
The World’s Most Valuable Unused Resource - a Freakonomics podcast discussing timebanks. Difficulty level: easy
Grassroots Economics: Reflection and Practice - a book exploring strategies for commoning by Will Ruddick. The PDF of the book is available as a free download. Difficulty level: easy
Offers and Needs ‘Market’ - a website explaining an offers and needs ‘market’ where people in a community can come together to find out what each person can offer and what each person needs. The strategy makes it easier to set up systems of mutual benefit or local gift economies. Difficulty level: easy
Documentary on Will Ruddick and Kenyan Community Currencies - a 25-minute documentary about the development of community currencies in Kenya, based on indigenous practices of reciprocity. Difficulty level: medium
Mutual aid in Sudan: the future of aid? - an interesting article detailing many concrete examples of spontaneous mutual aid in Sudan in 2023, as the country plunged into civil war. Difficulty level: medium
How to form a babysitting coop - An overview of how to set up a group to share childcare responsibilities without exchange of money. Caring for children using commoning can help shift some care from markets, benefiting families financially and helping to build more resilient households and communities. Difficulty level: easy
Grassroots economics - the website of an organisation working on social commitment pooling, along with digital tools to support it. Difficulty level: medium
Mutual aid is sweeping the world. Here’s how we make this anarchist way of organising last - an article about mutual aid during the Covid-19 pandemic and what Argentina’s experience demonstrates about how to make long-lasting mutual aid beyond crises
Timebanks.org - a platform promoting time banking, a system where communities exchange time and skills instead of money to build trust and strengthen social ties. The site provides resources, tools, and success stories to help individuals and groups start or join time banks
Sources
Sources
Bollier, D. (2024). “5. Many Galaxies of Commons.” Think Like a Commoner, 2nd edition. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. https://www.thinklikeacommoner.com/
Chibwara, W. (2023, July 31). The Mwerya Tradition Returns to Kinango. Grassroots Economics. https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/mwerya-jubilee
Ruddick, W. (2024, February 19). “Commitment Pooling.” Grassroots Economics. https://grassecon.org/commitment-pooling
TimeBanks USA. (n.d.). How it works. https://www.timebanks.org/how-it-works
Terminology (in order of appearance)
Terminology (in order of appearance)
couch-surfing: when someone stays temporarily in a series of other people's homes, typically by sleeping on their sofas
rotational mutual labour: where neighbours help each other in turn with farming tasks like planting, harvesting and building homes and other forms of shared wealth
wealth: the total value (stock) of someone’s assets such as money, house, or investments
reciprocity: exchanging things and favours with others for mutual benefit
social commitment pooling a system where people contribute their time, effort, skills or other resources to a group and can count on others to do the same when needed
mutual aid: when people in an area, or a community, come together to support one another, collectively meeting each other’s needs without the help of official bodies like the state or NGOs
solidarity: unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest
care: the act of providing what is necessary for the health, welfare, upkeep, and protection of someone or something
spontaneous mutual aid: when people voluntarily support each other in times of crisis
rotational mutual aid: organised systems where members take turns offering and receiving support that is planned and long-term
state: a system that provides essential public services, and also governs and regulates other economic institutions
nonprofit organisation: an organisation operated for a collective, public or social benefit where surpluses must be used to increase impact
gift economy: when goods and services are given freely without expecting anything in return
time bank: when people exchange services based on time rather than money
local currency: a currency that circulates at a local level and may be different from a national currency
community currency: a type of money that is created and adopted by individual communities to meet their own needs for cooperation and exchange within a locality
unemployment: when someone is willing and able to work but does not have a paid job
inflation: a rise in the general price levels of an economy over time
investor: an individual that puts money into an entity such as a business for a financial return
relocalisation: the process of shifting economic activities closer to where people live
scarcity: when there is not enough of something
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