siees

Siees are a unit of social value described in speculative worldbuilding and fiction to illustrate how communities might organize contributions beyond markets. A siee represents a measured contribution to communal well-being, such as tutoring, elder care, environmental restoration, or knowledge sharing. Unlike money, siees are designed to track social capital and encourage cooperative behavior rather than price-based transactions.

Earning and recording siees involves performing designated acts that benefit others. Individuals or groups accumulate siees as they contribute, with a community ledger or digital record logging each transaction. Entries are typically reviewed by a local council or peer committee to ensure legitimacy and prevent manipulation. Siees may accrue over time and can be held by households or individuals.

Redeeming siees occurs when participants exchange them for goods, services, or access to shared facilities. Exchange rates are determined locally by governance bodies and may be anchored to a basket of essential services or adjusted dynamically based on scarcity, need, or social priorities. Some communities impose limits to prevent hoarding and ensure broad access, while others experiment with time-based earning and redemption windows.

Origins and terminology in the imagined setting often trace the word siee to a fictional language used by the communities that first adopted the system. The plural form siees denotes the units themselves. Variants across different locales reflect different balances between equity, incentive, and administrative overhead.

See also: gift economy, reciprocity, social currency, time banking, community resilience.