Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Reports
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10419/86151
Document publication document
Title (Primary) Do community currencies enhance sustainable quality of life?
Author Mock, M.; Omann, I.; Rauschmayer, F.; Fuchs, D.
Source Titel UFZ Discussion Papers
Year 2013
Department UPOL
Volume 16/2013
Page To 22
Language englisch
Abstract
Community currencies and their contribution to a sustainable development have been quite widely
discussed. In contrast, their potential to raise the personal quality of life of their members and
users has been less noted. Combining these two strands, we argue that community currencies enhance
an individual  sustainable  quality  of life.  We  underpin  this by analysing  data of  an online  
survey  of members and users of community currencies in Austria and Germany. The theoretical
foundation of our analysis is the Capability Approach and its notion of quality of life, saying
that a high quality of life is characterized by high freedom of choice of valuable doings and
beings. A sustainable high quality of life would then be characterized by a high freedom of choice
within the limits given by planetary boundaries and further sustainability criteria. This
perspective allows inferringthat community currencies do not just contribute  to sustainable  
development via their often emphasized effects in the field of regionalization and local value
added, but in a much more encompassing way.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=14470
Mock, M., Omann, I., Rauschmayer, F., Fuchs, D. (2013):
Do community currencies enhance sustainable quality of life?
UFZ Discussion Papers 16/2013
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 22 pp.