It’s an interesting trend and obviously would be a large reduction in costs, and the “reciprocal obligations” for the purchase of products and services at agreed upon prices sounds as if it could have been like a discount…but the description in the article appears more like it is some price control scheme which will never work. You have to enable businesses to find their price first and then discount it. Costs, excess costs in ratio to individual incomes simultaneously produced….they rule the micro-economy. Both conservative and  progressive economists and pundits just can’t get that through their heads and/or think they can ignore it. And then what is going to happen as innovation and AI continue to destroy aggregate individual incomes?

Any system based on generic force or manipulation of one sort or another and that ignores basic economic realities will degenerate into a top down vulgar system of oppression. Why not think a new thought like grace/gifting? Why not consider the economic self empowering, mentally powerful and ethically resonant and so powerful concept of grace? This is not religious dogma, but natural philosophy/natural spirituality. Conceive the idea and align policy with it. It’s a straightforward process.