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| smal:small [2025/12/05 10:41] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 | smal:small [2025/12/05 18:47] (current) – [Consumption] asimong |
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| "Small is beautiful" is a philosophy that favours small shops and restaurants rather than enormous supermarkets and chains; small farms and smallholdings rather than huge monoculture agribusiness; local businesses and mutual credit networks rather than multinational corporations and banks, and so on. | "Small is beautiful" is a philosophy that favours small shops and restaurants rather than enormous supermarkets and chains; small farms and smallholdings rather than huge monoculture agribusiness; local businesses and mutual credit networks rather than multinational corporations and banks, and so on. |
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| The reasoning is that the scale of large businesses [subverts democracy](the_democracy_problem), damages [nature](the_nature_problem), provides unfulfilling work and blandness instead of uniqueness. ‘Small is Beautiful’ was the title of a 1973 book by [[wp>E. F. Schumacher]], who went on to found the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now [Practical Action](http://practicalaction.org/)), helping to set up small enterprises in poor countries. | The reasoning is that the scale of large businesses [subverts democracy](thde:the_democracy_problem), damages [nature](thna:the_nature_problem), provides unfulfilling work and blandness instead of uniqueness. ‘Small is Beautiful’ was the title of a 1973 book by [[wp>E. F. Schumacher]], who went on to found the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now [Practical Action](http://practicalaction.org/)), helping to set up small enterprises in poor countries. |
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| The introduction of plantations and factories, producing for multinational corporations, into those countries destroys small farms and businesses and forces people into grindingly boring, unskilled and exhausting work for very little money, with profits exported out of the country. The scale means that they are capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive, which means that small businesses can’t compete when it comes to the capital investment required, and that millions of small farmers are forced off their land and into urban slums and unemployment. | The introduction of plantations and factories, producing for multinational corporations, into those countries destroys small farms and businesses and forces people into grindingly boring, unskilled and exhausting work for very little money, with profits exported out of the country. The scale means that they are capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive, which means that small businesses can’t compete when it comes to the capital investment required, and that millions of small farmers are forced off their land and into urban slums and unemployment. |
| ### Credit clearing and mutual credit | ### Credit clearing and mutual credit |
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| [[Credit clearing]] and [[mutual credit]] are ways for trusted networks of small businesses to reduce their need for giant banks, or even money. They provide ways for local businesses to support each other, and to survive in times of economic crisis. | [[crcl:Credit clearing]] and [[mucr:mutual credit]] are ways for trusted networks of small businesses to reduce their need for giant banks, or even money. They provide ways for local businesses to support each other, and to survive in times of economic crisis. |
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| <WRAP center centeralign> | <WRAP center centeralign> |
| </figure> | </figure> |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Consumption | ### Consumption |
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| - in those shops, try to buy goods produced locally and by small businesses, rather than large brands; | - in those shops, try to buy goods produced locally and by small businesses, rather than large brands; |
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| - use [credit unions](/crun/credit_unions) or [building societies](/buil/building_societies) rather than big banks; | - use [credit unions](/crun/credit_unions) or [building societies](/bsoc/building_societies) rather than big banks; |
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| - get a [veg box](/vegb/veg_box_schemes) delivery, or use a [farmers’ market](/farm/farmers_markets) to support local food producers. | - get a [veg box](/vegb/veg_box_schemes) delivery, or use a [farmers’ market](/farm/farmers_markets) to support local food producers. |