Alterative Economies

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/
A young man barters a red paper clip for a fish pen, bartered for a smiley doorknob, bartered for a Coleman gas stove, bartered for a generator, bartered for a keg and neon sign, bartered for a Skid00, bartered for a trip to Yahk, bartered for a truck, bartered for studio time, bartered for a rent-free year in an apartment in Phoenix.

This is a terrific example of barter economy, and arguments both for and against it. In the case of for, it shows that capital influx is possible in barter based economies, showing that it is sustainable- or does it? While there is no universal (monetary) value for the item; the impetus to trade would be a perceived value added prospect that the item being traded has an additional value. Can value- even if it is perceived value and not universal really sustain? The term for increased monetary value is deflation, and it's quite rare.

A yearly event takes place in Black Rock Desert, Nevada on the Playa (Spanish for beach). This event called the Burning Man festival is an example of gifting economies. While black market barter does take place- it's forbidden by the organizers. This gift economy is interesting, but how sustainable is it, really? Won't bartering naturally evolve from it very quickly as merchants get taken advantage of? Can our sense of fulfilling our economic duty really outweigh our innate greed? Is greed really innate or is it simply nurtured by our capitalist economy? What's the next evolution of economics?