Exchange economy or gift economy?

You can certainly attempt to revive a gift economy among your friends and associates – and good luck to you in the attempt, sincerely – but as a model for the industrial economy in which most of the world operates, how likely is it that you can order up a subway system or even your household power bill for the month, for that matter, based on whatever gifts you’ve given and obligations established with the subway equipment manufacturers and contractors and their sub-suppliers, and your local power company?

Not very likely, I think.

There’s a lot to be said for “nurturing components” of the gift economy model, and I’m not looking down my nose at them: there are a lot of things that we could get better in our world, and that’s for sure. But I like my subways to be built on time for known costs that can (and will) be paid, and I like reliable electric power delivered without significant interruption day after day, month after month and year after year.

I like being able to walk into supermarkets and fill up a basket with products of known and regular quality – and price – and walk out a few minutes later with bags of groceries that are mine, free and clear, with no other obligation expressed or implied. Sometimes soulless is good, too.