WIR and the Swiss National Economy
Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1934 and originally called the Wirtschaftsring-Genossenschaft (Economic Circle Cooperative), The WIR Bank, as it isnow called,was to my knowledge the first modern organized circle for directly clearing business trader’s credits among themselves without the assistance of any conventional financial institution. I thus provided an exchange medium that was independent of, and supplemental to, conventional government money. It is still the best example we have of a successful large-scale mutual credit clearing system that has stood the test of time and continues to thrive. Up until the late 1990s, very little information was available about its history and operations. That situation took a significant turn in 1998 when Prof. Tobias Studer published his book, WIR in unserer Volkswirtschaft (translated, WIR and the Swiss National Economy).
Professor Studer, an economist who taught at the University of Basel, served for many years on the WIR advisory board. His book provides important insights into how WIR operated up to that point and how it related to the overall Swiss economy.
In 2005, I paid a visit to Basel with my colleague Sergio Lub, during which time we spent several hours with Prof. Studer discussing his experience with WIR and the contents of his book. Upon returning to the United States, I showed the book to my friend and colleague Prof. Philip Beard, a Professor of German at Sonoma State University who was very interested and agreed to translate the book from German into English. His excellent translation of the Studer book is available and is a “must read” for any student of money, banking, complementary currencies, credit, and exchange alternatives. It can be ordered in paperback or downloaded at a very nominal price at the link below.
“WIR in unserer Volkswirtschaft” (Title of German original) by Prof. Tobias Studer, Department of Economics, University of Basel, Switzerland. Published by the WIR Bank, Basel, 1998.
WIR and the Swiss National Economy
English Translation by Philip H. Beard, Ph.D., Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California 94928 © 2006)
A short time later, a German colleague, Theo Megalli, and I prepared a precis and critique of the Studer book which you can download free at the link below.
An Annotated Précis, Review, and Critique of Prof. Tobias Studer’s WIR and the Swiss National Economy by Thomas H. Greco, Jr. and Theo Megalli (2006).
_____________________
A Short Film about the Swiss WIR Economic Circle Cooperative
Here is a short film that describes the Swiss WIR Economic Circle Cooperative, now called the WIR Bank. This film appears to have been made sometime in the mid-1990s.
_____________________
Initial Results of WIR Research in Switzerland
An essay by Erick S. Hansch written in September 1971
_____________________
60 Years WIR Business Circle Cooperative – Origins and Ideology
A translation of an extremely important and descriptive article which appeared in WIR Magazin, September 1994.
_____________________
A report from Susan Witt on her visit to Basel in October 2008.
WIR – Current Operational Realities: A Report by Susan Witt
__________________________________________
Alternatives to Globalization: Cooperative Principle and Complementary Currency
This article was translated into English by Prof. Philip Beard of Sonoma State University.
Beyond Money 