Value Beyond Money
About 'Value Beyond Money'
Written by the former managing director of the Bristol Pound, this book takes the reader on a journey from the initial idea of creating a city-wide local currency, to the hey-day of the Bristol Pound as the largest local currency in the UK, and on through the various challenges and problems that led to its eventual demise.
Around this very human story, the author explores many of the ideas included in the terms ‘new economics’ and ‘alternative economics’, and looks ahead to the changes that are needed in our economic thinking if we are to create a system that allows the planet to regain a stable environment and rebalance the many inequalities that the current economic system has created.
An accessible exploration of how money functions in society, this book will appeal to people who are interested in the links between our economic system and the health and wellbeing of both people and our planet. It will resonate with those who enjoyed Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth, and the film Don’t Look Up.
Key themes
The story of the Bristol Pound
Based on interviews with founders, staff and collaborators, Value Beyond Money takes you on a journey through the world's most famous local currency.
Counting things that matter
Things of intrinsic value, like kindness, biodiversity and world peace, are difficult to count. And even if we create tokens to count them, those values cannot be restated as money.
Imagining a global commons
What are the building blocks for a commons-based economy? Money is not appropriate, as it is based on concepts like private ownership, which cannot apply to a commons.
Upcoming book tour events
If you would like an event near you, please contact me using the contact form. Currently arranging events in early 2025, so far including Bristol, Hastings, Brighton and London.
Frome
Thanks to Sustainable Frome for hosting this free event at Frome Town Hall on Tuesday 12 November at 7.30pm.
Totnes
A presentation followed by a conversation with Jay Tompt at The Mansion on Monday 25 November at 6.30pm. Tickets £5.
Stroud
A presentation followed by a conversation with Dave Darby at Star Anise on Tuesday 19 November at 6.30pm. Tickets £5.
Bristol
A presentation followed by a conversation with Professor Martin Parker. Venue and date TBC shortly.
Value Beyond Money is already gaining acclaim
"Value Beyond Money is an excellent chronicle of Bristol Pound and Bristol Pay, both comprehensive and highly readable. As well as detailed information about the inner workings of the Bristol Pound, it includes clear explanations and interesting discussions of other complementary currencies, such as LETS and current-sees. It's a must-read for anyone thinking of setting up a local currency, and will be valuable to those interested in complementary currencies more generally."
Paddy Le Flufy, author of Building Tomorrow: Averting Environmental Crisis With a New Economic System
"Once you’ve read the introduction to this timely and thought-provoking book, you’ll be hooked!
The author takes us on a detailed and tortuous journey of highs and lows as she and others attempt to implement a city-wide local currency in the UK that would help local businesses, shorten supply chains, reduce transport emissions, foster social cohesion, and contribute to a vastly improved democratic system.
The reader will be both challenged and inspired by the work of this visionary."
Helen Dew, Trustee, Living Economies Educational Trust
"The way we think about money reflects and shapes the way that we think about our social relations. In this unique and beautifully written book, Diana Finch tells the story of a city-wide experiment in rethinking what money is and does. Those who want to build a low carbon, high inclusion and high democracy economy will find inspiration in these pages."
Professor Martin Parker, author of Shut Down the Business School: What's Wrong with Management Education
"The Bristol Pound project was an extraordinary act of foresight and imagination and sheer hard work on the part of so many people. It blazed a trail into the unknown and was (still is) a torch held aloft in the darkness of our collapse. Looking beyond this to what else could work better is an act of supreme courage and vision and that’s where this book goes. I commend it to your attention: we all need to walk these steps and there are more of us, more of us, more of us each day."
Manda Scott, author of many books including (most recently) Any Human Power, podcaster and host of Accidental Gods
"Value Beyond Money is an inspiration to anyone who is looking for a way forward to a new more balanced society and a sustainable economy. Diana's story of the Bristol Pound, of which she was CEO for the last four years, is such an important example of an initiative of how one city attempted to create a financial system to help the environment and its own community. In many ways it was ahead of its time and doomed for failure while still sowing seeds of the possibilities of a new community-based economy in many countries around the world."
Lynne Franks, Founder of SEED Women’s Network
"The story of the Bristol Pound is the story of a rare local experiment in alternative economics. This books tells the story of what we have learned from the decade long experiment. It offers a breath of cool practicality in a world gasping in the hot air of abstract and ungrounded theories. Please read this book if you have any interest in actually creating a fairer, more equitable economy."
Zaid Hassan, author of The Social Labs Revolution: A New Approach to Solving our Most Complex Challenges
"The story of the Bristol Pound needed to be told and Diana Finch has told it with brio and pace. I very much hope it will inspire new local currency projects benefiting from the lessons on technology, business planning and mission amongst other things that Diana so clearly elucidates."
Henry Leveson-Gower, editor of “The Mint” and practicing alternative economist.
"The Bristol Pound was the golden child of a local currency movement that twinkled across western Europe in the 2010s.
The sheer weight of the project meant that it faced many challenges and learned many lessons that smaller projects never encountered, and it is for this reason that Diana Finch's book deserves attention."
Matthew Slater, Community Currency Engineer
"For those of you working on community currencies as a means to save the world, Value Beyond Money offers a taste of reality from someone who has spent half a decade leading just such a project. This book is a must for anyone who preaches about the velocity and issuance of money but has never gotten into the reality of issuance, deployment, and legality. Finally, the book offers trulu alternative approaches along with her rationale and empirical evidence of why community currencies are not the saviours they are touted to be. Diana Finch is one of the leading practitioners of alternative economics and has deeper insights than almost anyone else in the field."
Grace Rachmany, author of So, You've Got A Dao...: Management For The 21st Century
"In a time when the roots of the meta-crises facing humanity are increasingly being linked to the global economy and mega-corporations, Diana Finch’s journey and insights with the Bristol Pound have profound implications for the future. This book is a must-read for those who want to re-imagine the money system."
Manish Jain, Swaraj University and the Ecoversities Alliance
Links to articles and podcasts
Diana talks to Manda Scott on the Accidental Gods podcast: Let's get rid of money and start afresh!
Film celebrating the Bristol Pound at M Shed's Think Global Act Bristol exhibition: The Last Fish
Article in Stir to Action, issue #36, "Money and non-money - a novel approach to counting the things that matter"
Article on the RSA, website, "Making the social economy pay"
TRE interview with Hannah Murray
Bristol 24/7 article
Radio Bath podcast, talking to Richard Beauvoisin, A Story To Tell - Diana Finch - Author
BBC Radio Bristol interview with Richard Darvall
DigitalBytes and DataDrivenInvestor article, "Lessons from the Bristol Pound project and thoughts on digital money"
Article in The Mint Magazine "Local lucre, little interest"
Scotonomics podcast talking to William Thomson: "Value Beyond Money - the story of the Bristol Pound"
Boots Shoes and Fashion blog interview
Upcoming: Lynne Franks podcast
Contact Diana to arrange an interview, article or talk.
Speaking engagements
2019 Guest lecture, University of the West of England
2020 Guest lecture, University of Bristol
2019-20 and 2020-21, Project for MSc. Sustainability and Management, University of Bath
2022 Keynote speaker at Muntuit Local Currency conference, Ghent; Presentation at the Global Conference on Economic Geography, Dublin; Presentation at European Society for Ecological Economics conference, Pisa
2022-23, Project for MSc. International Management and Design Innovation, Glasgow School of Art
2023 Presentation at Planet Local conference, Bristol
2024 Presentation at Monetary Diversity and Collaborative Finance Gathering, Liege; Guest teacher at Our Economy and Creative Writing workshop, Arkbound Foundation, Glasgow; Presentation at ABCs Festival, Stir To Action, Bristol; Presentation at Festival of Commoning, Stroud; Keynote speaker, Sustainable From event; Guest lecture, London College of Communication; Book event, Stroud; Book event, Totnes
Use the contact page to invite Diana to speak at your event.
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