Birju: Yours is a nice discussion of some of the more subtle and thornier issues of PIF within the universe of gift economy models. In particular, I think you do a superb job of distinguishing PIF from pay-as-you-will (what the questioner sloppily calls "pay-what-you-can"). The difference is critical, and not always easy to discern. Indeed, while I am a fan of Karma Kitchen, I would argue that its PIF bona fides are way more difficult to readily appreciate than, say, a gift economy project like Upasana Small Steps, which also uses PIF as the mechanism of exchange. Perhaps this discrepancy is because the communitarian aspects of KK inure more directly and self-evidently to those who serve than to those who consume presently or might consume in the future.
I agree with you that the philanthropic aspect of PIF transactions confers an important social contribution (as well as a potentially transformative personal benefit to the giver), even where the accounting is outwardly indistinguishable from less other-regarding forms of exchange. Your toll booth example is a good one. There is one other feature of PIF transactions I find extremely worthwhile. The shift of the pricing decision from the producer to the consumer forces an all-too-rare consideration of the value of the goods or services, including the often externalized social benefits and costs. This awkward awareness of something that should be so natural and commonplace causes us to begin to pay closer attention to the broader implications of individual consumption decisions, even in our more traditional market transactions. It makes us more thoughtful consumers and, in this way, is a gift economy gift that keeps on giving. Best, MBJ
On Dec 7, 2010 mbj wrote:
Birju: Yours is a nice discussion of some of the more subtle and thornier issues of PIF within the universe of gift economy models. In particular, I think you do a superb job of distinguishing PIF from pay-as-you-will (what the questioner sloppily calls "pay-what-you-can"). The difference is critical, and not always easy to discern. Indeed, while I am a fan of Karma Kitchen, I would argue that its PIF bona fides are way more difficult to readily appreciate than, say, a gift economy project like Upasana Small Steps, which also uses PIF as the mechanism of exchange. Perhaps this discrepancy is because the communitarian aspects of KK inure more directly and self-evidently to those who serve than to those who consume presently or might consume in the future.
I agree with you that the philanthropic aspect of PIF transactions confers an important social contribution (as well as a potentially transformative personal benefit to the giver), even where the accounting is outwardly indistinguishable from less other-regarding forms of exchange. Your toll booth example is a good one. There is one other feature of PIF transactions I find extremely worthwhile. The shift of the pricing decision from the producer to the consumer forces an all-too-rare consideration of the value of the goods or services, including the often externalized social benefits and costs. This awkward awareness of something that should be so natural and commonplace causes us to begin to pay closer attention to the broader implications of individual consumption decisions, even in our more traditional market transactions. It makes us more thoughtful consumers and, in this way, is a gift economy gift that keeps on giving. Best, MBJ