Alexander Paulsson

In this review, we analyze the existing literature on the role of alternative currencies within degrowth. While degrowth emerged in the early 2000s alongside growing awareness of accelerating environmental crises and widening global inequalities, alternative currencies have a longer history. Alternative currencies have served as devices for communities seeking to become less dependent on the dominant economic system, but degrowth and technological advancements are potentially reshaping alternative currencies, both in what their purpose could be and in how they operate. When combined with degrowth, these currencies are often expected to foster greater resilience at the local level and slow down the pace of socio-ecological metabolism. Building on our review, we propose a research agenda that explores how policy proposals and concepts such as universal basic income, localization, and entropy can be understood in relation to alternative currencies. Our main contribution is to identify points of convergence and tension between alternative currencies and degrowth while proposing prospective research questions to guide future studies.