Innovative Time Bank Practices in Taiwan

Abstract This article investigates the practice of time banking through two empirical cases in Taiwan, arguing that such initiatives with innovative measures can function not merely as providing alternative services in aging societies but also as mechanisms for fostering community integration and pursuing social value. The article applies an analytic framework that integrates the spectrum of time banking and the characteristics of the social and solidarity economy. The analysis illustrates how these time banking practices generate interpersonal trust, intergenerational engagement, and community cohesion. While these cases do not fully conform to the social and solidarity economy parameters, they nonetheless offer significant conceptual and practical insights for advancing social and solidarity economy-oriented approaches in Taiwan.