BANCOS DE TIEMPO EN MÉXICO: UN INTERCAMBIO SOCIAL ALTERNATIVO

The Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) is a system that offers different approaches and practices in all areas of the economic cycle, helping to address the problems of unequal resource distribution. Against this background, Time Banks (TBs) emerge as a systematic alternative to capitalism by improving people’s living conditions through mutual aid networks and non-monetary exchanges.This research aims to analyze the social panorama of TBs, valuing time as an exchangeable resource that contributes to the creation and strengthening of human relations. The importance of TBs is visible from the theoretical bases that sustain it: time converted into social currency, the provision of voluntary services and opportunities created for Mexico due the availability of time.One of the main findings was that the underemployed population, people with unpaid jobs, and volunteers, among others, could belong to TBs; to achieve sustainable social impact in Mexico, efforts are required among different social actors and time needs to be established as a complementary social currency and not as a substitute.