The gift economy and the development of sustainability

Abstract

This article contends that a new perspective on the economy – a gift economy – would be beneficial to the development of sustainability. The principles and practices of the gift economy (giving, receiving and reciprocating) are exemplified by a case study of the Danish island of Samsø, which has used it to achieve environmental sustainability, improve its economic situation and generate social value. In order to illustrate the values and principles that underpin the gift economy, the article shows the underlying exchange mechanisms used in this modern version of ‘gift-giving’ and contrasts them to using money as the medium of exchange. One of the mainstays of the gift economy is the willingness and obligation to reciprocate, and the case study highlights some of the original ways of organising that have emerged from the gift economy on Samsø and how significantly they differ from organising and managing by budgets. As such, the article attempts to reframe the understanding of the economy and, in particular, to qualify and illustrate the potential of the organising principles behind the gift economy and encourage readers to conduct further research and engage in initiatives that will make a positive contribution to the development of sustainability.

Gift economy and well‐being: A mode of economy playing out in recovery from Rwandan tragedies

“…This is their itinerary for humanity, a way of life that they are attempting to recover after all the tragedies. The contemporary gift economy found in our research echoed previous literature, which noted the significance of this mode of economy in both high-and low-income societies (Cordeiro et al, 2018;Elder-Vass, 2020;Thygesen, 2019). The main features of giftcommodity hybridisation in the researched low-income communities (e.g., money-donation in a gift cycle, gift-giving in a commodity cycle)…”

“…Recent studies revisit the gift economy in contemporary world as potentially beneficial to the sustainable development (Cordeiro, Wong, & Ponchio, 2018;Elder-Vass, 2020;Thygesen, 2019). The gift economy is traditionally defined as an exchange of inalienable and personal things between mutually-dependent transactors, which is contrasted by the commodity economy, an exchange of alienable and impersonal things between mutually-independent transactors (Table 1; Gregory, 1982, Taylor, 1992.…”

“…The contemporary gift economy is reported to be beneficial to increase access to the market economy in Brazil (Cordeiro et al, 2018), and achieve environmental sustainability and generate social value in the Danish island of Samsø (Thygesen, 2019).…”

Effects of Circular Economy Policies on the Environment and Sustainable Growth: Worldwide Research

“…In this way, economic science analyzes the decision-making of individuals, organizations, and states, in order to allocate these scarce resources [15,16]. It is also in charge of studying the production process of goods and services, from the extraction of raw materials to their use by the final consumer, and assigning limited resources [17,18].…”

Gaveøkonomi - en vej til velfærd

“…Denne analysestrategi beder derfor her om at gøre rede for, hvordan økonomiernes iagttagelser iagttages. I dette tilfaelde sker det gennem fire udvalgte begreber: form og medie (Andersen, 2019), program (Luhmann, 2000, kap 4;Thyssen, 2000) samt velfaerdsvaerdi opgjort i form af hard value og social, som redegjort for af Thygesen og Löfvall (2020) og Thygesen (2019Thygesen ( , 2020.…”