Aspects Regarding Alternative Currencies

The occurrence and use of alternative currencies is manly related to the informal economy area, usually placed outside the economistsþ preoccupation. Under the conditions of the current crisis, there is, however, a reconsideration of the attention given to alternative currencies would be opportune, taking into account the high unemployment, low consumption capacity for a considerable part of the population and even the lack of liquidities that can sometimes occur in an economy. Furthermore, the expansion of Internet and its increasing intense use favors a leap to another level of „classical” alternative currencies used during the last decades in various communities, by amplifying their positive effects and their use on a broader scale, even global. In this paper we shall define the alternative currencies and will present a short typology of them, then we shall outline a series of advantages and disadvantages related to their use.