157. Economy 2.0 - Exploring the LETS Model

For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Michael Linton. Today’s episode was recorded in April of 2025.Mr. Linton is the inventor of the Local Exchange Trade System (LETS) model, an alternative exchange system controlled by communities. Michael created LETS in the 1980s in Comex Valley, in British Columbia. Ever since then, he has focused on system design for community economics, having started other systems in British Columbia and in other places around the world. In the LETS system, information and transactions are recorded by a centralized body within the community. In theory, this gives communities more control over their economy, as resources are more likely to circulate within the community than flow out of it.Mr Linton joined the Henry George School to discuss the shortcomings of conventional currency, what it means to be middle-class, and why governments don’t like having alternative currency systems.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Today's discussion is hosted by Ibrahima Drame,  our Director of Education, who is joined by Oriane Roty. Our conversation was recorded on April of 2025.Ms. Roty is a Ph.D candidate at the Cultural and Discursive Interactions department of the University of Tours in France. She is part of a French Research agency-funded project called the Trust Issues Project, which brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to study community land trusts (CLTs) and how they can be adopted in France. Much of her research analyzes the evolution of law around CLTs in response to housing crises. Her research homes in on CLT frameworks in the context of social, historical, and legal events going on at the time. Oriane received her bachelor’s degree from Maastricht University in European Law and the University of Paris Sorbonne in Law, her master’s in Philosophy and Society Research from the University of Paris Sorbonne, and is currently completing her Ph.D at the University of Tours in France.Together, we discussed the origins of community land trusts, compared the French and American land-trust systems, and the causes and impacts of the housing crisis in the western world.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Teun van Sambeek. Our conversation took place, and was recorded in, April of 2025.Mr. van Sambeek is an IT professional and entrepreneur. After founding multiple companies, he decided to move to Africa to begin building affordable housing. This led to the founding of Bentoniq, a real estate development company that mass produces affordable housing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Teun is also the founder of the 1coinH system, an alternative monetary system. He received two master’s: one in real estate development from the University of Amsterdam and the other in Construction Engineering Technologies from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Mr. van Sambeek joined Economy 2.0 to discuss the security and privacy of blockchain technology, how alternative monetary systems can avoid inflation via money printing, and how his monetary system can replicate UBI without spiking inflation. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Cameron Sajedi, and was recorded in March of 2025.Mr. Sajedi is a computer and geoscientist with lots of experience in the blockchain world. Cameron believes that with proper architecture, blockchain can be used to increase collaboration and decentralize decision-making within organizations. This led him to start his own company, Starling Foundries. Starling Foundries is a software and programming firm that tries to create collaborative software by mimicking patterns in nature. He is also an advocate of alternative monetary systems, which is what led him to learn more about Silvio Gesell. Currently, Cameron is developing Geocybernetic Atlas Protocol, a project that integrates geosciences, Web3, and economics to create high-resolution location data. Mr. Sajedi earned his bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in Geophysics.We hope you enjoy this talk and make sure to check back on our page every week for a brand-new episode! Together, we discussed his new project, Geocybernetic Atlas Protocol, how blockchain and Web3 can be improved to decentralize decision-making, and different experiments with alternative and secondary monetary systems.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Dr. Martin Jacobson is a political philosopher who specializes in what he calls left-libertarian philosophy. Martin sees Georgism as a fusion of libertarian and progressive philosophy that translates to a version of libertarianism centered on land access as a solution to systemic inequalities. What really interested me about Martin’s work on Henry George was his ability to advance progressive ends with libertarian means, while exploring the relationship between these two ideologies. His dissertation was titled Land & Liberty: On the Natural Monopoly of Violence. Being an American, I think most libertarians we come across are more like the anarcho-libertarians Dr. Jacobson talks about. But our discussion helped me understand why the libertarian perspective is so crucial to reforming the very institutions they criticize.Together, we compared the different types of libertarianism, where Henry George fits in on the libertarian and progressive spectrum, and if effective altruism is ever really possible. To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Mr. Shafarman has been a universal basic income (UBI) proponent since the 1980s. He is the program director of Basic Income Action and a member of Basic Income Earth Network, two non-profits dedicated to promoting the implementation of UBI. He is also the author of several books: Basic Income Imperative, Our Future, We the People, and many more, all of which focus on the benefits of UBI. Steve earned his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Psychology, and Human Development from Colby College.Together, we discussed the specifics of how UBI would need to be implemented, the success of the Bolsa Familia program in Brazil compared to UBI, and how UBI can act as a backstop against poverty.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Starting this week, we’re taking a short spring break, but don’t worry—we’ll return in two weeks, April 3rd to be more precise, with more great conversations. In the meantime, why not use this break to spark your creativity? Along with our break, we wanted to announce The Henry George School of Social Science 2025 Writing and Video Contests are officially open! This is your chance to dive into big ideas, challenge perspectives, and share your voice. Whether you’re a writer or a visual storyteller, there’s a category for you. Plus, there are cash prizes—so why not give it a shot?There is a writing and video contest, with separate competitions between high school and college students. The collegiate contest is for both undergraduate and graduate students. First, second, and third place will receive a prize of $1000, $750, and $500 respectively. The high school prizes will be worth $550, $350, and $200. All submissions should be original, unpublished, and not repurposed. Topics for your submission include, but are not limited to, monopolies, antitrust, land-value taxation, and inequality. The winners will be judged based on depth of analysis, originality, quality of research, and conciseness. For more information about the contest, its requirements, and prizes, please visit the link left in the description, or our website.  Contest Details: https://www.hgsss.org/2025-contests/To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: ⁠https://www.hgsss.org/

For today’s episode, host Josh Sidman is joined by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School and was recorded in February of 2025.Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.Together, we discussed Ed’s career, the pros and cons of incremental versus systemic change, and the whether or not Andrew Yang’s forward party is a meaningful departure from the status quo.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Today's discussion focussed on the life and work of Thomas Paine. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School and was recorded in January of 2025.Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Today's discussion came from our Martin Luther King Day celebration and was recorded in January of 2025. Our talk is hosted by Ed Dodson, a long-time faculty member here at the Henry George School.To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to pause our regular content and give our listeners a special episode on the political economy of Martin Luther King, Jr., exploring Dr. King’s intellectual evolution, and how it impacted his solutions to addressing poverty.Mr. Dodson attended Shippensburg University and Temple University where he received an economics degree. Ed worked for Fannie Mae, a public-private partnership to help distribute home mortgage loans. During his time at Fannie Mae, Mr. Dodson held numerous management and analyst positions within the Housing & Community Development group, helping revitalize neighborhoods and local communities. This gives him an interesting perspective on land use and reform, and how it can reduce inequality. He also has extensive experience as a history lecturer at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute and the Learning is For Everyone program at Burlington County College. Edward has written many papers on history and the political economy and is the author of a three-volume book series titled The Discovery of First Principles.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/