Project OverviewOnce the Principled Societies Project is legally formed, first-year efforts will focus on fundraising, building organizational capacity, and planning and conducting the first preliminary study. This preliminary study is to create an agent-based computational economics (ACE) model of the Token Exchange System. The purpose of the mathematical model is to further develop the token concept, to identify operating parameters and data needs, and to investigate economic outcomes that might be produced in a live trial. First-year costs for startup and operation of the Principled Societies Project and completion of the initial ACE model is estimated at $350,000. If the ACE model suggests that the Token Exchange System could be beneficial, the Project will continue forward with its plan to develop, run, and assess the first live pilot trial. The estimated time from founding the Project to completing the first two-year pilot trial is six years, given adequate funding. Principled Societies ProjectPSP_fb04c9f2-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24cThe Principled Societies Project is a science-based effort to design and test pioneering systems of finance, economics, and governance that improve well-being and speed the transition to a sustainable society. John BoikThe starting framework for new financial, economic, and governance systems is the Principled Societies concept, as described in Creating Sustainable Societies: The Rebirth of Democracy and Local Economies, by John Boik. A synopsis and free PDF copy of the book are available [at http://www.principledsocietiesproject.org/download/]Douglas White, Ph.D.Douglas White, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, Graduate Director, Social Networks at the University of California, Irvine is a collaborator on the modeling project.DonorsYour support allows the Principled Societies Project to move forward in developing pilot trials to test innovative systems of finance, economics, and governance. We invite individuals, corporations, foundations, and others to support our efforts with a donation or grant. Volunteers are welcome too.Individuals Corporations FoundationsVolunteersThe Principled Societies Project requests help from all sectors of society, including business, government, academia, finance, nonprofit, religious, law, labor, art, and media. Many opportunities will exist for getting involved as a volunteer or advisor. Nearly all academic disciplines can play a role. On an informal level, everyone can help by telling friends and colleagues about our efforts. If you have a web page, blog, or social media account, please link to us and post your thoughts about what we are doing. Any networking help you can offer is greatly appreciated. Of course, we are grateful for all donations, too. And please sign up for the newsletter. On a more formal level, we need assistance with a number of specific future tasks.BusinessGovernment AcademiaFinance Organizations Nonprofits Religious OrganizationsLawyersLabor OrganizationsArtistic Organizations Media... improved well-being and sustainable society._fb04cc22-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24cThe goal is to create fully functional, metro-scale pilot trials in which the impacts of new systems of finance, economics, and governance can be assessed. _fb04cd08-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24cScienceWell BeingSustainable SocietiesPrincipled Society[Establish] local volunteer-membership clubs that implement and test new systems._fb04cdbc-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24cA Principled Society is a local volunteer-membership club that implements and tests new systems. The framework contains three interdependent elements:Tokens[Establish] token exchange systems._fb04ce70-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24c1Token Exchange System. Tokens are a local electronic currency. Their volume and circulation rate are managed so as to maintain a steady purchasing power over time—tokens are designed to be free of deflation and inflation. The token system generates interest-free loans for local businesses, as well as donations for local schools, nonprofits, and public services. Both loans and donations occur through a mandatory crowdfunding operation. Members must use a certain percentage of incoming tokens as interest-free loans and as donations to support the organizations of their choosing. Further, a negative interest rate is applied to tokens that are stored too long in a member’s account. This encourages members to spend tokens on goods and services, or to store them in loan portfolios. A trading system allows retrieval of tokens from loan portfolios when additional tokens are needed.Business Model[Establish] for-profit corporations that retain the social mission, transparency, and accountability of nonprofits._fb04cf2e-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24c2CorporationsPrincipled Business Model. A Principled Business is a for-profit corporation that retains the social mission, transparency, and accountability of a nonprofit. It is a community-centered business model that builds upon the B-Corporation and Yunus Social Business models. Principled Businesses are legally organized as socially responsible L3Cs, B-Corporations, or similar, but in addition must meet another set of criteria that ensures they will remain highly transparent, act consistent with their social mission, and maximize community benefit. Principled Businesses receive preference for the interest-free loans generated by the crowdfunding operation.GovernanceMake decisions, develop rules, and set policies through the Collaborative Governance System._fb04cfec-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24c3Collaborative Governance System. A Principled Society makes its decisions, develops its rules, and sets its policy through the Collaborative Governance System. This is a form of direct democracy in which ultimate legislative authority is held by the membership. To maintain efficiency, councils handle day-to-day and non-controversial issues. Controversial ones are decided entirely by the membership through an efficient, secure, fair, and effective online process.ReputationBuild reputations by participating in governance activities, assisting others, making wise funding decisions, building successful businesses, and other means._fb04d0be-1f22-11e2-99ec-48163736e24c4A fourth meta-component that intertwines the other three is a reputation system. In a Principled Society, reputation is a form of currency. Members can build their reputation by participating in governance activities, by assisting others, by making wise funding decisions, by building successful businesses, and in numerous other ways. The high degree of transparency present in the three core elements serves to inform the reputation system, and the reputation system builds community.2012-10-25http://www.principledsocietiesproject.org/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net