The Schumacher Center for a New Economics
Formation1 January 1980 (1980-01-01)
FounderSusan Witt and Robert Swann
TypeEconomics
Legal status501(c) organization
PurposeResearch and application of alternative economics
Location
  • 140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Coordinates42°08′55″N 73°26′32″W / 42.148661660103336°N 73.44210567798241°W / 42.148661660103336; -73.44210567798241
Websitehttp://www.centerforneweconomics.org/
Formerly called
E. F. Schumacher Society

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics (formerly the E. F. Schumacher Society) is a tax exempt nonprofit organization based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.[1]

The Schumacher Center promotes the 'new economy', which includes the concepts buy local, local currency and self-sufficiency.[2][3][4][5] The Schumacher Center aims to combine theoretical research with practical application at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Further, the use of transformative systems and clear communication are part of its principles.

History

E F Schumacher Society

The Schumacher Center was founded as the E.F. Schumacher Society in 1980 by Robert Swann and Susan Witt.[6]: 111–112 

Its aim was to preserve Schumacher's personal library and continue his work, which focused on developing and promoting regional, sustainable and socially just economics.[7] To further its aims the organization began hosting annual lectures in 1981.

A library was established in 1990 as a research center for alternative economics. In 1994, E F Schumacher's personal library and archives were donated to it.[7][8]

Rename

In 2012 the Schumacher Center for a New Economics was formed to receive and manage the assets of the E. F. Schumacher Society and to manage and further develop its legacy programs.

Projects

Schumacher Library

A library was established in 1990 as a research center for alternative economics. In 1994 Vreni Schumacher donated Fritz's personal library and archives. The library has about fifteen thousand books. The library building is 2,000 square foot, located on the side of Jug End Mountain in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Topics covered by the library include worker ownership, community supported agriculture, local currencies, the commons, and appropriate technology. Its catalogue is searchable online.[7][8]

Local Currencies

The center has resources about local currencies and helped set up the BerkShare.[9][10] It maintains a list of active local currencies in the United States.[11] In 2004 it held the Local Currencies in the 21st Century conference which as reported by the Utne Reader.[12] In September 2013 Alice Maggio, the Schumacher Center's Local Currency Program Director, was interviewed for PBS's News Hour program.[13]

BerkShares

Main article: BerkShares

BerkShares is a local currency in Berkshire region of Massachusetts. In 2007 over eight hundred thousand BerkShares where in circulation.[9][10] The program promotes collaboration among producers, retail businesses, non-profit organizations, service providers and consumers. Additionally, it is designed to increase public awareness of the importance of the local economy and self-sufficiency. The New York Times referred to the BerkShares program as a "great socioeconomic experiment."[14]

SHARE Micro-credit Program

The Self-Help Association for a Regional Economy (SHARE) is a model community-based nonprofit that offers a simple way for citizens to create a sustainable local economy by supporting businesses that provide products or services needed in the region.[15] SHARE makes micro-credit loans available at manageable interest rates to businesses that are often considered "high risk" by traditional lenders—usually because of their credit ratings or the unique nature of their business ideas. Local SHARE members make interest-earning deposits in a local bank, which are used to collateralize loans for local businesses with a positive community impact. SHARE depositors live in the same community as the business owners they support—bringing a human face back to lending decisions. The SHARE program of the Southern Berkshire region existed from 1981 to 1992, and collateralized 23 loans with a 100% rate of repayment.[16][17]

Community Land Trusts

Robert Swann, founder of the E.F. Schumacher Society, is known as a pioneer of the community land trust movement. The E.F. Schumacher Society provided technical assistance towards the formation of the Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires in 1980.[18]

E.F. Schumacher Lectures

From 1981 to the present, the E. F. Schumacher Society and now the Schumacher Center for a New Economics have hosted an annual lecture in honor of E.F. Schumacher. The E.F. Schumacher Lectures capture some of the most visionary voices regarding the urgent need to transform our economic, social, and cultural systems in a way that supports both the planet and its citizens.[19] Past presenters include:

In 1997, Yale University Press published People, Land, and Community a collection of the annual lectures.[21] According to the magazine Kirkus Reviews, the book "address(es) Schumacher's call for small-scale economies and policies."[22]

Criticism

In August 2011 the National Catholic Register criticized the society for under playing the influence of the Catholic church on Schumacher, in particular Paul VI's Humanae Vitae.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tax-exempt status". Schumacher Center for a New Economics. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Schwartz, Judith D. (11 June 2009). "Buying Local: How It Boosts the". Time. Time Magazine. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. ^ Emily Lambert, Emily. "Funny Money". Forbes. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  4. ^ Angel, Karen (6 January 2015). "To Shop Locally or Not to Shop Locally? That Is the Question". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  5. ^ Bingham, G. Benjamin (22 August 2013). "One Whole or Many Holes: Can Money Be Part of a Holistic System?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  6. ^ Mills, Stephanie (2010). On Gandhi's Path. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9780865716155.
  7. ^ a b c Townes, John. "Interview: "Small is Beautiful"". Berkshire Trade and Commerce. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b "SCHUMACHER CENTER LIBRARY". Online public access catalog. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b Scott Malone, Scott (19 June 2007). "New age town embraces dollar alternative". Reuters. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  10. ^ a b Schwartz, Judith D. (14 December 2008). "Alternative Currencies Grow in Popularity". Time. Time Magazine. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  11. ^ Bundrick, Hal M. "Ditching the Dollar: The Rise of Local Currency". TheStreet.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  12. ^ Stonington, Joel. "Local Currencies Aren't Small Change". Utne Reader. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  13. ^ "What's Minted in Berkshire County Stays There: Finding Reward in Local Currency". PBS. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  14. ^ Dan Barry (25 February 2007). "Would You Like That in Tens, Twenties or Normans?". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2017 – via www.nytimes.com.
  15. ^ Henderson, Hazel (2006). Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy. White River Junction, VT, USA: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9781933392233.
  16. ^ "Introduction to SHARE".
  17. ^ Golden, Jeff. "3 Ways to Invest in Your Community". Yes!. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  18. ^ McFadden, Steven. "The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part I". Rodale Institute. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Schumacher Center for New Economics Publications". Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  20. ^ "Private Sufficiency, Public Luxury: Land is the Key to the Transformation of Society". Schumacher Center for a New Economics. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  21. ^ "People, Land, and Community Collected E. F. Schumacher Society Lectures". Yale University Press. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  22. ^ Book Review: People, Land and Community: Collected EF Schumacher Society Lectures, Kirkus Reviews, June 30, 1997 (via Yes! magazine)
  23. ^ PEARCE, Joseph. "The Vision of E.F. Schumacher". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 23 February 2015.

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