Doing it Together? Implications of the stimulation of informal care with a community currency

Abstract

In this thesis I examine the implementation, in the Dutch social care sector, of complementary currencies (CCs) that seek to stimulate informal care by “valuing” the relative’s effort. In the Netherlands, municipalities and social care providers make an increasing appeal on volunteers and informal caretakers through the Social Support Act (SSA). One potential tool for local governments and social care organisations to stimulate informal efforts are complementary currencies (CCs). I argue based on my findings that CC projects allow the creation of a situation where the participants can openly discuss their contributions to the caretaking process. As such, these projects enable a balanced and harmonious cooperation between formal and informal labour. However, my findings suggest that in order for CC projects to have positive implications for the interaction between formal and informal labour, an organisational context with room for the professionals to interact with others in a communicative way is essential. In a social care context with a stronger focus on efficiency and productivity, CCs that seek to stimulate informal care potentially have negative implications for the interaction between formal and informal labour.