[p2p-research] request for contributions for: Top Ten Constituents of New Commons Economy

[Michel Bauwens]

Dear friends,

how far does our p2p/commons vision coincide or not, with the return to
localism? as expressed here below.

I would like to add the comments from this community to that text, to be
published on the 17th,

Michel


[image: photo of Michel Bauwens]
Michel Bauwens
17th October 2010

 The puzzle of the constituents of a new economic systems are slowly
emerging. Check out the links for extensive documentation in our P2P
Foundation Wiki.

The main differentiation is that we believe that the resurgence of the more
local economic forms can only succeed when they are interconnected through
global innovation communities. Only then can they not be ‘dwarfish forms’,
and outcooperate the current non-sustainable system.

I added some extra commentary in bold:

*Joshua Nelson*:

“The path ahead is not entirely clear, there are many opportunities to
improving our social fabric and strengthening our local economics, but I
believe that certain ideas will shine above the rest. Most of the change
will come from the bottom up. This is true not only because the viability of
anything getting done at the top of the political spectrum is practically
non-existent, but also because the local movements will out-pace the
movement of congress any day of the week. Here is my list of Top Ten Things
That Will Build The New Economy (in no specific order):

*1. Local Currency <http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Money> – Keeping the
economy local, supporting the community businesses, and creating wealth
within your region are all side effects of using a local currency. Local
currency has really seen a boom in the last decade, too. From the Ithaca
Hours to the Berkshare to time banks, there’s even a transition town book on
the subject.*

*MB: NOT just local currencies, but a wide variety of both global, local,
and affinity based value systems.*

*2. Distributed Renewable Energy
Systems<http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Energy>– E.F. Schumacher was
right when he said “Small Is Beautiful.” Community and
home scaled energy systems not only help create resiliency, but when
connected to a smart grid can easily amplify that resiliency to the system
as a whole. Distributed energy systems encourage local green jobs and in
most cases utilize otherwise wasted space (rooftops, for example).*

*3. Co-ops & Employee Owned
Businesses<http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Cooperatives>– What could
be more empowering than employee ownership? It unifies a
company from the base employees to the CEO. Instead of putting stockholder
profit ahead of the actual people who make a company (employees), it puts in
power those very employees – allowing them to decide what’s best for the
company. When economic downturns hit, perhaps they will decide to
collectively take a paycut instead of putting people on the street. When
times are good they can invest in employee-supporting programs or back into
the company. I’m willing to bet these types of corporate structures will
outlive and out-thrive the stockholders in the long run. Why? Because they
put the power in the hands of the people.*

*MB: NOT just coops but a wide variety of mission-oriented enterprises and
phyles that ‘internalize’ externalities and subsume profit-maximisation to a
wider ethical goal, and are coalesced around value-generating commons*

*4. State Banks – When the economy crashed banks put there hands up in the
air and said, “sorry, no more loans.” Every bank except for a state-run bank
in North Dakota. This state run bank wasn’t out to make huge profits on high
risk loans or derivatives – it is owned by the people to serve the people. A
banking institution that is owned by the people it serves is more likely to
be thinking in the interest of the people and not the shortsighted, profit
interests of shareholders.*

*MB: Not just US-centric state banks, but a wide variety of credit commons
and new forms of distributed funding*

*5. Fair Wage Distribution & Reduced Work Hours – I put these two into one
because I think they will work hand-in-hand in the transformation of our
working standards. In order to employ everyone we cannot afford to trust in
GDP growth – it actually, will not happen. Equally important is the
realization that GDP growth is unsustainable. To both maintain a sustainable
economy and eliminate our staggering unemployment we must reduce our average
work hours – spread the available work around, while increasing our personal
and leisure time. But, we must not allow unfair wage distribution to
continue in this restructuring or many will be pushed into poverty.
Increasing base wages and decreasing the ungodly wages of CEOs is not only
socially just, but necessary to maintain a middle class with a shorter
workweek.*

*6. Alternative Metrics <http://p2pfoundation.net/P2P_Metrics> – GDP is a
grossly inadequate metric of prosperity. It is literally a measurement of
total economic activity, not a measurement of well being or even of positive
economic activity (oil spills tend to boost local GDP). A more comprehensive
metric that takes into account both good and bads on a multitude of levels –
economic, social, environmental, happiness – is necessary for us to better
gauge the progress of our economy.*

*7. Sharing, Bartering and
Trading<http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Sharing>– Returning to the
basics is not necessarily a bad thing. Non-monetary based
transactions like sharing, bartering and trading are becoming more common
place and will be the basis of a more resilient, local economy that will
emerge from the wreckage of our current globalized, liberal disaster of an
economy. We’ll still have currency (mostly local, see above), but we’ll be
using a lot more of these basic non-monetary means as well.*

*8. Cycling & Trains <http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Transportation> –
Transportation is a fundamental part of our daily lives. However, we cannot
continue to rely on oil and coal for cheap fuel anymore. Besides the
problems of crossing over the peak of oil production, we must transition to
a sustainable means of travel to avert runaway climate destabilization.
Bicycling provides a great means of self-propelled transportation that is
widely available, zero-emission, efficient and one of the few types of
transportation that improves your health! Coupled with public and mass
transit powered by renewable energy, cycling is a great small distance
alternative to the gas-guzzling cars of the past. In the new economy we will
see a larger emphasis on alternative means of transportation and I’ll bet
money the cycling community will boom, especially when trains are
bike-friendly.*

*9. Backyard Gardens & Farmers
Markets<http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Agrifood>– A stable of our
existence, food is no laughing matter. During the war
efforts of the world wars “victory gardens” were rampant – everyone was
supplementing their food with homegrown variety. Today’s local, resilient
economies are seeing a resurgence of the backyard garden because they just
make sense. And when we have reduced work hours, we’ll have more time to
devote to growing our own foods! It is a simple way to connect with family,
the Earth and become more self-reliant. Couple victory gardens with local
farmer’s markets that keep your community farmers in business and you’ll
have an even more prosperous economy. This is the future of food:
sustainable, organic, community-based production.*

*10. Transition Towns <http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Ecology> – The
Transition Town movement takes pretty much everything I’ve just discussed
and places it in a manual for cities to become resilient to the shocks of
climate change and peak oil. But these are not simply measures taken to
prepare for some horrible, looming future. Far from it. In fact, all of
these measures connect the community, enhance the personal spirit, encourage
sustainability, and improve our general well being. Sometimes thinking
outside of the box and looking back to some of the simple things that worked
in the past out larger dividends than business-as-usual.”*


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