People are increasingly coming together for these sorts of informal swaps, says Boston University economist Juliet Schor. In her latest book, "Plenitude", Schor says the economic downturn has made more people open to the idea of swapping. (1)_________________________________.
"In the past, if you wanted to organize some kind of a neighborhood swap or sharing scheme, you'd have to go around, call the people in the neighborhood, knock on their doors, etc. So there's a lot of what economists call transactions costs. (2)_________________________________."
And Schor says that once these swaps do come together, they reinforce connections between people. It's what economists and sociologists call "social capital". And Schor says communities with strong social capital work better.
"Soup may seem like a small thing, but it may turn out that your sharing network is very important to you if you lose your job, your housing is in jeopardy. You're gonna have these folks to rely on." There has been a rise in soup swap activity every year, as more groups start up. Founder Knox Gardner agrees the Internet and the economy have helped its popularity, but - he insists - it's also because of the soup.
"I think that(3)_________________________________ when people bring food together to share it. Soup's like the ultimate soul food." The 5th National Soup Swap will be held on January 22nd, and Knox Gardner is expecting a couple of thousand quarts of soup to change hands.
发表于 2012-3-27 10:25
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发表于 2012-3-27 15:22
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