[p2p-research] economic abundance textbook

[Nathan Cravens]

It would be appropriate, especially for this subject, to make the work dual
license at least; free at the digital altar; paid for at the paper generated
gate: like Benkler, von Hippel, ect. Its too late now, I suppose. If someone
decided to print this out and give it to others, I don't see an issue with
that either.
Another bit of irony is that its for a classroom environment, well known for
its socialization of artificial scarcity by means of artificial
specialization. Therefore, this book is a work of artificial abundance! No
offense, Michel, I know you and many other professors mean well, and are
doing their best under the circumstances.

I have not read the book, but I do not see in the contents table mention of
methods of production that would render something scarce or abundant. That
may be covered somewhat in '4. Resources and the Environment'. Production
method is very crucial point in determining a scarce (market) or abundant
(commons) environment.

Boundary negotiation is another vital point; and seems covered in the bits
on inequality in the second section.

I am really suspicious of this part:

""

11. Universal Employment

""

Full employment does not work if machines or flooded labor markets are doing
most of it!! This is why this topic must also be covered in that section!!:
Wealth redistribution practices in Europe that qualify as a Basic Income; or
the legislation passed in Brasil to enact a basic income overtime; as it is
understood that markets are good at capturing wealth, but lacks the ability
to nurture that which surfaced its wealth.

These policies are crucial to discuss if we do not want to end up in a Mad
Max like environment, not from nuclear proliferation, but from large failing
infrastructures unable to financially afford maintenance after monopolies,
whether state or business or both, have exceeded 'on average' monopoly
advantages. This is happening already in the United States with news stories
of bridges and other large infrastructures collapsing due to lack of
attention to the topic of redistribution.

I really must read this book before making any further comments. . .


Nathan



2009/9/21 Smári McCarthy <smari at anarchism.is>

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> Did nobody else notice the irony in the fact that a textbook on
> Abundance be made artificially scarce? If the authors truly understood
> the topic they're preaching here, they would have made a PDF available
> for download.
>
> The economist's counterargument is "but we spent our scarce time writing
> the book, and wish to be reimbursed"... and while that is a fine
> argument and I fully support them in the venture to get more
> artificially scarce money to buy more artificially scarce food, it
> doesn't change the fact that they're staring right down the chamber of
> the scarcity gun: by making this book thing artificially scarce they're
> perpetuating a nonsensical system that, if abolished, would make this
> particular book sell a whole lot more*.
>
>  - Smári
>
>
> * of course, the meaning of the word "sell" might change... :P
>
> Michel Bauwens wrote:
> >
> http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsa.asp?Title=Economic+Abundance:+An+Introduction
> >
> > *Economic Abundance: An Introduction
> >
> > *Dear Professor,
> >
> > As a preferred customer, we would be delighted to send you a FREE exam
> > copy of Economic Abundance: An Introduction, by Dugger and Peach, to
> > consider for your course(s). To receive your copy, reply to this e-mail
> > or contact me at Aviggiani at mesharpe.com <mailto:Aviggiani at mesharpe.com>
> > with your current course information, enrollment, decision date, and
> > preferred shipping address.
> >
> > Most principles of economics texts are predicated narrowly on the
> > concept of scarcity, but that is only one aspect of economics. This
> > supplemental text for basic and intermediate level undergraduates
> > provides a serious discussion of the concept of abundance—what it means,
> > how we can move toward it, and what keeps us from doing so. For
> > additional information and to view the table of contents, please click
> > here
> > <
> http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsa.asp?Title=Economic+Abundance:+An+Introduction
> >.
> >
> > --
> > Work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
> > Research: http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html - Think thank:
> > http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
> >
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> >
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