Special Issue Rome Editorial

The Future of Money: Democracy, Localism, and Inclusion

Abstract

The seventh biennial conference of the Research Association on Monetary Innovation and Community and Complementary Currency Systems (RAMICS) was held in Rome from 6–8 November 2024 at the National Research Council (CNR), under the title “The Future of Money: Democracy, Localism, and Inclusion.”  Bringing together 123 participants from 30 countries and featuring 58 presentations, structured around six themes the event examined how local monetary initiatives may reconnect citizens and formal institutions, particularly where regulatory gaps have pushed economic activity toward informal spheres.

This special issue presents thirteen selected and peer-reviewed papers reflecting the conference’s conceptual and empirical breadth. Contributions range from theoretical frameworks for comparing monetary systems and proposals for money plurality, to analyses of commitment pooling as cooperative infrastructure. Several case studies investigate community currencies across diverse contexts, including Türkiye, Austria, Germany, Kenya, Brazil, Japan, and the Basque Country, addressing sustainability, digitalization, gender equality, territorial impact, and social innovation. Collectively, the papers offer a multifaceted and evolving picture of complementary currencies as tools for democratic renewal and resilient local development.