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

• Commons-Based Political Ideas for a New Europe

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

More information

Please get in touch at thomas@commonsnetwork.eu