ARGENTINA > the barter clubs’ network
Our mission: supervising a study (qualitative and quantitative) on the Argentine network of barter clubs
Time: 3 months (November 2010 to January 2011)
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Born in 1995 in Bernal, province of Argentina, and then extended over the years to entire Argentina bartering became a true underground economy, a parallel system of production and of goods and services exchange, meant for everyone, but especially for those who had been excluded from and disappointed by the official economy. Beginning in 1998 the Network Promoting Group develops this system in Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.
The number of clubs reaches a peak in the middle of year 2002 with 5 000 clubs and about 2.5 million of active participants, probably 6 million beneficiaries, representing almost 10% of the country’s goods and services exchange. Unfortunately a few months later the « Argentine miracle » collapses.
But the system has survived, there are still many barter clubs, but it is difficult today to assess its influence and efficiency, as information and data are not available.
Action plan
- To draw up an all-comprehensive list of the still active barter clubs from Argentina et Chile
- To supervise a qualitative study, to collect accounts given by yesterday’s protagonists (who experienced the rise and fall of the barter network) and today’s actors
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Also discover our missions in Uruguay, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil.