Using the alternative currency concept of a timebank, this qualitative study aims to evaluate attitudes towards community life on Gotland using three distinct island communities: the Uppsala University Campus Gotland, the city of Visby and the countryside of Gotland. Focus groups and expert interviews have been used to create a holistic understanding of community life on the island, with relation to concepts of timebanks. A thematic analysis with comparative characteristics in combination with theory of social capital and collective action has been used to analyze the collected data. Following the theory, the three communities have been identified as “Transitory Kinship” (Campus), “Family Unit” (City), and “Collective Dream” (Countryside), each characterizing their inherent uniqueness. This research shows that identity, belonging, trust, value, and reciprocity as themes for a thriving community are present within all Gotlandic communities. Another outcome of this study is the alignment of the values of timebanking with Gotlandic community perceptions, within the social capital framework. The findings indicate differences between the three communities such as mentalities around value and trust. We find the communities of Visby and the university as the biggest beneficiaries for the possible foundation of a timebank.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-479341 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Davis, Vivian, Otto, Anne-Katrin |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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