Barteriga

Barteriga is a term used in economic anthropology and comparative economics to describe a networked system of exchange that relies on barter rather than formal money. As a concept, barteriga refers to the organization of multiple actors trading goods and services through reciprocal arrangements, often mediated by intermediaries, time-sharing, or informal credit, within a community or between communities. It is not a single institution but a family of practices.

The word is constructed from “barter” and the suffix -iga, used in some scholarly writings to denote a system or set of practices. The term is not widely standardized and may be used differently by researchers, sometimes emphasizing different mechanisms or scales of exchange.

In a barteriga, exchange values are negotiated directly between participants, with goods and services valued through agreed-upon standards, reciprocity, or local unit credits used within a network. Transactions may occur through rotating credit associations, gift exchanges, or seasonal markets. Some models incorporate informal record-keeping to track obligations and reduce the double coincidence of wants.

Barteriga models may include time banks or mutual-credit networks, where a unit of account is created to balance exchanges across diverse goods. Digital platforms can support barteriga by listing items, tracking credits, and automating settlement, while preserving social ties and trust.

Proponents view barteriga as a way to sustain exchanges in currency-constrained settings, support local resilience, and reinforce community ties. Critics highlight inefficiency, potential for value mispricing, liquidity constraints, and lack of formal legal protections.

See also: barter; gift economy; mutual credit; local exchange trading systems; informal economy.