About the Network
With a growing, renewed, interest in community currencies generally, and time banking specifically, this group exists to form a network for researchers exploring uses of time banks. For over a decade time banking has developed in the UK but the evidence base is not strong and the there is a need for greater theoretical insight. This becomes even more important now that the Westminster Coalition Government draws upon time banks as one means of developing the “Big Society”; whilst for Labour time banks are seen to offer a route out of social exclusion. However most of the evidence base remains anecdotal and this group hopes to help address this issue in the following ways.
Group Aims
First, the network seeks to help enhance access to academic research already available in one centralised bibliography.
Second, it seeks to bring together a wide range of academics to provide space for sharing good quality research and facilitating future collaborative research.
By pursuing our aims we hope the group will become an invaluable, independent resource for policy makers and practitioners searching for evidence on time banking.
The Network was instigated by Ruth Naughton-Doe, a PhD Student at Bristol University whose research seeks to Evaluate Time Banks in the UK and Lee Gregory, a PhD student at Cardiff University, researching the health policy implications of time bank practice for developing co-production.
