A good example of using a community currency to facilitate co-production of public services is the ‘Zeitvorsoge’ – literally ‘time- provision’ – initiative, launched and financed by the City of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Its main objective is to allow retired but generally fit senior citizens to save time-credits through helping those in need of basic care. Several local elderly-care organisations provide volunteers with opportunities to earn time-credits.
The city itself acts as guarantor, ensuring that credits can be redeemed at any date in the future for similar care services if and when the earner requires them, either through the elderly-care organisations or peer-to-peer.
This puts people in charge of their own care, allowing them to define and meet their own needs – crucially, however, with the professional and financial support of public institutions.