SciLux podcast – Gilles Evrard Essuman on Social Innovation and Participatory Action Research

29 April 2025

Local Currencies

Have you ever heard of La Doume money in France or the Beki currency in Luxembourg? Both are local currencies, monetary systems created within a community to encourage local spending and stimulate economic growth. This is one of the topics that Dr Gilles Evrard Essuman is working on in the field of social innovation.

Dr Gilles Evrard Essuman is a Research Associate at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER). His research focuses in social innovation, community economies, and socio-territorial transformation processes, combining design thinking with action research to develop impact-oriented strategies for community development. His current work focuses on urban regeneration strategies through design thinking, living labs and citizen science approaches. 

Over the years, Dr Evrard Essuman has coordinated and consulted on numerous projects funded by the European Commission, spanning various socio-spatial and economic scales—from local grassroots initiatives to international collaborations. 

Listen to the new SciLux episode

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