Common Welfare Economy

Description

"The „common welfare economy” provides an economic systemic alternative to the free market as well as to the centrally planned economy, a completely different way and partly also a synthesis from both major historical concepts.

The author and political activist, Christian Felber, created the basis for the common welfare economy in his previous book “New Values for our Economy – an Alternative to Capitalism and Communism.” (2008). A circle of entrepreneurs together with Christian Felber consequently refined this model and endowed it with a name.

The common welfare economy tends to be a form of market economy, in which the polarity of motives and goals of private corporate aspirations are reversed: from profit-orientation and competition to the pursuit of the common good and cooperation.

Contemporary research results show that, despite deeply rooted prejudices, this alternative can be well-combined with human nature. Even more, the common welfare economy builds on exactly those values that contribute to fulfilling interpersonal relationships: confidence building, responsibility, compassion, reciprocal support and cooperation.

These human and sustainable behavioral patterns can be measured with the help of the Common Welfare Balance Sheet and rewarded with an amplitude of incentives and systemic step-ups: the strive for economic gain will be ethically invalidated.

Today, financial profit is regarded as the pivotal criteria for entrepreneurial success. In the common welfare economy, on the contrary, it is not the money that counts, but the common welfare balance. In that case all human beings and living entities feel well." (http://www.gemeinwohl-oekonomie.org/en/)

Critique

Andreas Exner:

"I wrote a detailed critique of Felbers "Gemeinwohlökonomie" http://www.streifzuege.org/2011/neue-werte-im-sonderangebot-die-gemeinwohlokonomie-christian-felbers

Here is a short version: http://www.social-innovation.org/?p=1821

Here I made suggestions for amendments: http://www.social-innovation.org/?p=1843

Basically, "Gemeinwohlökonomie" is a sort of Corporate Social Responsibility, enlarged by enhanced labelling efforts and the image of a "new economic model".

On a theoretical level, it adopts a market-socialist view, but without the state capacities necessary for such an approach to be viable (within its own framework)" (via email, 03/2011)

More Information

2-page pdf at http://www.gemeinwohl-oekonomie.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Common_Welfare_Economy.pdf