This study responds to the managerial call for investigating why, with few exceptions,
community currency systems are still limited to relatively small affinity-based
memberships whose trading volume represents only the tiniest fraction of total
community flows (Powell and Salverda, 1998, pp. 33). The purpose of this study is to
explain what drives decision-makers’ willingness to participate in a community currency.
We apply the Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical model (Ajzen, 1991). Survey
data is collected from 251 students and employees of Maastricht University and
‘Hogeschool Zuyd.’ Social motives, financial reasons and peer-pressure of friends seem
to be the most important predictors of one’s decision to join a community currency.
Moreover, respondents who highly trust other members within a community currency
and perceive the community to be user-friendly tend to have higher perceived control
over performing the behavior. In general, the willingness to participate is higher for
females who have difficulty to get by on their monthly income.