Commons-Based Political Ideas for a New Europe

* Book: Our Commons: Political Ideas for a New Europe. Ed. by Sophie Bloemen and Thomas de Groot. Commons Network, 2019

URL = https://www.commonsnetwork.org/ourcommons/

Description

"Our Commons: Political Ideas for a New Europe is a collection of essays, case studies and interviews about the commons, published right before the European Elections of May 2019. The book showcases the wealth of transformative ideas that the international commons movement has to offer. With contributions by Kate Raworth, David Bollier, George Monbiot and many others, Our Commons is a political call to arms to all Europeans to embrace the commons and build a new Europe.

Commons Network’s very own Sophie Bloemen and Thomas de Groot worked on this book for almost two years, doing research and interviews, working with academics, policy makers, authors and activists to paint a colourful picture of the commons as the blueprint for a new future, one that is inclusive, ecologically sustainable, equitable, democratic, collaborative, creative and resilient.

Our Commons features reflections on the enclosure of knowledge and the monopolisation of the digital sphere, stories about renewable energy cooperatives and community foodwaste initiatives and urgent pleas to see the city as a commons and to treat health as a common good. Published by the Institute of Network Cultures, the book is first published online as an e-book, free for all to download and share and as a printable PDF. The book will also be available on a wide variety of print-on-demand platforms." (https://www.commonsnetwork.org/ourcommons/)

Contents

I. SHIFTING PARADIGMS

1. Introduction - by Thomas de Groot and Sophie Bloemen .............................8

2. The Potential of the Commons - with Kate Raworth and George Monbiot ...14

II. ENERGY

3. Commons-Based Renewable Energy in the Age of Climate Collapse - by David Hammerstein ... 24

4. Energy Commons: The Missing Link Between Energy Transition and Climate Justice - by Cecile Blanchet ...32

III. FOOD

5. Territories of Commons in Europe: Niches of a Much Needed Transition - by Jose Luis Vivero Pol ...40

6. Social Circularity: Food-sharing Platforms Are Re-inventing Urban Solidarity - by Thomas de Grootm...45

IV. CITIES

7. Ostrom in the City: Design Principles and Practices for the Urban Commons - by Christian Iaione and Sheila Foster ...52

8. Designing, Sustaining and Defending Resilient Urban Commons - by Doina Petrescu and Constantin Petcou ...63

9. Could This Local Experiment Be the Start of a National Transformation? - by George Monbiot ...70

V. DIGITAL COMMONS

10. A New Vision for a Shared Digital Europe - by Alek Tarkowski, Paul Keller and Sophie Bloemen ...76

11. Own This! A Portfolio of Platform Cooperativism in Progress - by Trebor Scholz ...84

12. Digital Commoning and the Fight for a Human-Centered Internet - by Mai Ishikawa Sutton ...89

VI. ACCESS TO MEDICINES

13. From Lab to Commons: Health as a Common Good - by Sophie Bloemen ...98

14. The Medicines Patent Pool: A Remedy for the Anti-Commonsby Ellen ‘t Hoen ...106

15. Developing Drugs through the Commons - by Jean-Francois Alesandrini and Benjamin Coriat ... 113

VII. WHAT’S NEXT?

16. On the Commons and Europe - with Michel Bauwens, Silke Helfrich and David Bollier ...122

Excerpts

From the editor's introduction

Sophie Bloemen and Thomas De Groot:

"Having learned about the different practices and forms of commons and what they need from institutions to thrive, we decided to bring it all together. Here, we showcase the ideas, the people, the practices and the policy implications. This book offers an insight into this growing movement. While we are writing this, new commons initiatives are emerging, adding to the theories and practies and further developing the discourse.

Working on the commons, we have come to observe transformative ideas emerging all around us. More and more people dare to imagine radically different futures, beyond ‘there is no alternative’. More and more policymakers are adopting new concepts like food sovereignty or ‘the Doughnut’. More and more activists are merging anti-racism and eco-feminism in one intersectional and emancipatory theory of change. Even de-growth, a concept that is still too radical for most greens and social-democrats, is slowly becoming more mainstream. We have moved past the neoliberal consensus. We have come to recognize the limits of our planet and the boundaries of the living world as we respect our embedded role in it.

The commons are not primarily a political theory, but first and foremost a practice emerging from the bottom-up. Everywhere, people are engaging in alternative practices as part of the struggle for ecological, social and cultural transition within their communities. Local energy cooperatives are prioritising community wealth and open access medical journals are sharing knowledge – these practices represent social and cultural shifts in value models.

While societal shifts are often framed in terms of economy or technologies, they are rooted in cultural change. Our culture reflects and shapes our values and how we attribute meaning to our lives. Many current community-led and social innovation initiatives contain strong elements of practical cultural change. New social values and practices are enabling communities to be generative instead of extractive. This is creating a new civic and cultural ethic that is breaking with conventional notions of citizenship and participation.

The regeneration activities of commoners showcase, above all, cultural manifestations of new ways of daily life.

The European Union and its member states have a huge role to play in facilitating social and ecological transition. The political project of the European Union could be truly transformative. Yet for now, our institutions are firmly grounded in outdated frames of thinking. Most of the policy that originates in Brussels is based on endless growth, markets and competition. In order to transition to a different economy and society, we must first have a vision. It is crucial that a large transformative vision gains the support of institutions and policymakers.

The commons often emerge from the bottom up; they are dependent on community processes and their logic is mostly at odds with the EU’s institutional logic. However, we believe there is an important role for EU politics and policy to create the right incentives, to remove hurdles and to support this re-emerging sector. Supporting communities means addressing the sense of losing control, identity and security. As a post-nationalist project, the EU will, ideally, undergo a change in consciousness away from nationalism, moving toward a flexible mode of citizenship that allows for multiple belongings.

This publication explores these new politics and describes the commons in different spheres of society, economy and politics. With these stories, positions, and visions we aim to inspire but also give clear direction. The book is divided into seven thematic sections. Most sections have a theoretical position and a practical case study. All sections feature influential thinkers whose voices we want to amplify. This book is comprised of the insights of more than 20 writers, activists and pioneers, standing on the shoulders of hundreds more." (http://networkcultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/OUR_COMMONS_lulu.pdf?)

More excerpts

• Energy Commons as the Missing Link Between Energy Transition and Climate Justice

More information

Please get in touch at thomas@commonsnetwork.eu