<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Thomas Greco</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:thg@mindspring.com">thg@mindspring.com</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 6:49 AM<br>
Subject: Re: CC Mag: Wir article needed.<br>To: Matthew Slater <<a href="mailto:matslats@gmail.com">matslats@gmail.com</a>><br><br><br>
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Matt,<br>
I've already written quite a bit about WIR which is available on my
website and blog.<br>
Have you been to <a href="http://reinventingmoney.com/documents/wir.html" target="_blank">http://reinventingmoney.com/documents/wir.html</a>? <br>
You should read my <b><a href="http://reinventingmoney.com/documents/StuderbookCritique.pdf" target="_blank">An Annotated Pr�cis, Review, and Critique of
Prof. Tobias Studer's WIR and the Swiss National Economy by
Thomas H. Greco, Jr. and Theo Megalli,</a> </b>as well as the
other documents there.<br>
<br>
Also, see Susan Witt's reports and other related items on my blog at
<a href="http://beyondmoney.net/?s=WIR" target="_blank">http://beyondmoney.net/?s=WIR</a><b>.<br>
<br>
</b>Your questions<b>:<br>
</b>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What is the currency model. Is it still mutual credit?</li>
<li>What forces made them change?</li>
<li>What kind of situations would the Wir model be suitable for?</li>
<li>Would it work outside of Switzerland?</li>
<li>What is the smallest scale it would work on?</li>
<li>Has it ever been replicated?</li>
<li>Are Wir open to supporting new initiatives?</li>
<li>What are the limits to Wir's success in Switzerland? Why
isn't it much bigger?</li>
</ul>
</div>
The mutual credit clearing is still part of the service provided by
WIR Bank, but it is a shrinking proportion of their overall
operations. WIR is now a conventional bank taking deposits and
making loans in Swiss francs. I suspect that the management has been
taken over by people serving the banking cartel and that is why
there has been no attempt to grow the direct credit clearing
operation or to replicate it outside of Switzerland. This is
conjecture, but it is supported by the fact that Sergio and I were
unable to arrange a meeting with any of the management people during
our 2005 visit to Basel. Susan Witt had a similar experience during
her visit in 2008. <br>
<br>
There are other facts that also point to that conclusion as you will
see when you read the documents I mentioned. Sergio and I were able
to meet in 2005 with Prof.Tobias Studer, a former member of the WIR
advisory board who had written a booklet describing the history and
operations of WIR up to that point. He gave permission for our
colleague Prof. Phil Beard, to translate it into English. <br>
<b><br>
</b>I think by the time you digest those materials you'll be able to
write the article yourself. I'd be willing to look at it prior to
publication. <br>
<br>
There is still a need for an update on the situation within WIR.
Perhaps we can find a Swiss contact who would be willing to do some
research and investigative reporting.<b> <br>
<br>
</b>In any case, WIR, as it was operated up until the late 1990s, is
I think, an excellent model. It could and should be replicated (with
some modifications).<br>
<br>
I heard a couple years ago that Bernard Lietaer was planning to
start a WIR-type exchange in Belgium, but don't know if it ever got
off the ground.� <b><br>
<br>
</b>I hope you will do some digging to get additional answers.<b><br>
<br>
</b>Regards,<br>
Tom<b><br>
<a href="http://reinventingmoney.com/documents/StuderbookCritique.pdf" target="_blank"></a></b>
<pre cols="72">Thomas H. Greco, Jr.
<a href="mailto:thg@mindspring.com" target="_blank">thg@mindspring.com</a>
Mobile phone: 520-820-0575
Website: <a href="http://www.Reinventingmoney.com" target="_blank">http://www.Reinventingmoney.com</a>
Blogs: Beyond Money: <a href="http://beyondmoney.net" target="_blank">http://beyondmoney.net</a>
Tom's News and Views: <a href="http://tomazgreco.wordpress.com" target="_blank">http://tomazgreco.wordpress.com</a>
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Skype/Twitter name: tomazgreco
My latest book, "The End of Money and the Future of Civilization"
can be ordered from Chelsea Green Publishing, Amazon.com, or your local bookshop.
</pre>
<br>
On 03/24/2011 8:53 AM, Matthew Slater wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">Hello Tom
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Many people in the last few months have been looking at
Wir and thinking since it is successful, somehow to
replicate it. Most of the discussion implies to me at least
that it is simply a Swiss style B2B Barter network. But I
understand that while this used to be the case, Wir is
nothing like that any more.</div>
<div>So I would like to commission an original article along
the lines of�</div>
<div><b>Wir: Just another B2B Barter network?</b></div>
<div>Addressing such questions as:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What is the currency model. Is it still mutual credit?</li>
<li>What forces made them change?</li>
<li>What kind of situations would the Wir model be
suitable for?</li>
<li>Would it work outside of Switzerland?</li>
<li>What is the smallest scale it would work on?</li>
<li>Has it ever been replicated?</li>
<li>Are Wir open to supporting new initiatives?</li>
<li>What are the limits to Wir's success in Switzerland?
Why isn't it much bigger?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>Would you be interested to ruminate on these questions at
an intermediate level for Community Currency advocates who
think the Wir is a model worth replicating? Or do you know
who else might be able to write something good?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>300 - 600 words would be ideal</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Best Regards,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Matthew</div>
<div>
<div><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On 22 March 2011 22:14, Marc
Armstrong <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:marctarmstrong@gmail.com" target="_blank">marctarmstrong@gmail.com</a>></span>
wrote:
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>
<div>
<br>
Hello Marc,<br>
A lot of people seem to be under the impression
that Wir is a mutual credit<br>
system, like a B2B barter network, but I
understand that it hasn't been like<br>
that at all for many years. I would like to
correct this delusion in the<br>
Community Currency Magazine, and wondered if Ellen
would be interested to<br>
cover that subject for us, or perhaps for one of
her normal channels.<br>
Or perhaps you are knowledgeable on the subject?<br>
Matthew<br>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
</blockquote>
</div>
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