A new Concept for Meeting the Demands for Services in Communities

Inspired 2005 by an early version of the trust and reputation framework in e-commerce provided by Jøsang et al. (2007) we are looking into a specific situation: We assume that on a day-to-day basis many people have needs which go unsatisfied even though these needs could be met with a relatively small amount of effort on behalf of other people. Such assistance is frequently given and received in social networks. A reduction of the gap between supply and demand is provided by services like ebay.com (goods), www.getafreelancer.com (services), ciao.com (information) or mixed age housing projects (family-type exchange of financial power and work/care). It is difficult to assign a market value to such 'mini jobs' when using the currently accepted economic model. A concept for an exchange service to include both supply and demand covering typical day-to-day needs or mini jobs was designed by the authors. This paper shows the main idea and further details, possible extensions of the concept and possible results of an implementation of such a service, which include making it easier to set up a business, extending the labour market and enabling people with certain disabilities to stay in their homes.