Questions about Gift Economies

[Skyhilist]

So I've got two basic questions that I'd like answered if you guys wouldn't mind please.

My first question is this: how would uncommon items like say high-end scientific research materials be obtained in a gift economy? Like for example if I were a scientist and didn't know of or couldn't locate anyone in my community who produced unusual things like this?

My second question is in relation to this: I've heard about plenty of successful gift economies in the past, usually originating before money. But what I haven't seen really is a good example of a society where they had a monetary system and state, and changed into a gift economy. Are there any examples of this happening in the developed world (y'know outside of small Spanish villages and whatnot)?

Moreover, how would this transition be initiated? I mean I personally look at Anarchist Catalonia as one of the best implementations of anarchy while it existed... but even they weren't able to break free of a monetary/market system for the most part (granted there was some mutual aid, free health care, etc., but they never became a true gift economy or broke entirely free from a market system), so I'm a but puzzled on how this could be accomplished.

Could anyone please answer this for me. As always, I really appreciate it comrades. Thanks!

[teflsecretagent]

I will have a go at answering the first part - if we are talking about high-end scientific stuff we can assume the gift economy has reached a relatively high stage of organisation via workers' councils or something of the sort.

It would be via these councils that would facilitate your access to this 'scientific stuff'. If you can't achieve access to what you need then presumably via the workers council you would organise the means to make it yourself.

This is just my idea, but I am interested on other thoughts too.

[ckaihatsu]

So I've got two basic questions that I'd like answered if you guys wouldn't mind please.

My first question is this: how would uncommon items like say high-end scientific research materials be obtained in a gift economy? Like for example if I were a scientist and didn't know of or couldn't locate anyone in my community who produced unusual things like this?


This wouldn't be an individualistic decision for just one person to make, in the first place -- think of the way *academia* is organized, as a starting-point.





My second question is in relation to this: I've heard about plenty of successful gift economies in the past, usually originating before money. But what I haven't seen really is a good example of a society where they had a monetary system and state, and changed into a gift economy. Are there any examples of this happening in the developed world (y'know outside of small Spanish villages and whatnot)?


To-date, given the prevailing market-commodification process, a 'gift economy' in *anything* isn't exactly *pre-planned*, as we would favor -- rather, those items that become overproduced and too-commonplace fall in their perceived social status, to where either a far-devalued secondary market would provide material distribution (think used goods), or else they may even become freely available -- think of journalism on the net or the 'free' section at Craigslist.





Moreover, how would this transition be initiated? I mean I personally look at Anarchist Catalonia as one of the best implementations of anarchy while it existed... but even they weren't able to break free of a monetary/market system for the most part (granted there was some mutual aid, free health care, etc., but they never became a true gift economy or broke entirely free from a market system), so I'm a but puzzled on how this could be accomplished.

Could anyone please answer this for me. As always, I really appreciate it comrades. Thanks!