Proposal for a Conference on Commons-Oriented Economics

Proposal for an International (Un-)Conference on Commons-Oriented Economics (we should really think about and Un-conforence, i.e. set the right topics and inform the right people and make them work together. - Silke)

Draft proposal submitted by Commons Strategies Group

See also: a draft list of Commons-Oriented_Economists

Context

The CSG is a group of commons-advocates consisting of Silke Helfrich, David Bollier, Michel Bauwens and Bea Busaniche (associated member), dedicated to promoting the Commons as a societal alternative and seeding new societal conversations about the topic. In the fall of 2011, we co-organized, with the Heinrich Boll Foundation, a conference on Commons-oriented policy-making, which brought together representatives from both the digital and the physical commons, from science and political activism. The conference was held in Berlin on October 31-November, 2, 2011. The conference, digital and physical commoners came together to discuss common policy formulation for the first time together, it was followed by ... MENTION THE BOOK PROJEcT which is built upon the conference and really tries to FORMULATE cbp - at least in chapter V. This International commons conference was considered very successful by observers, participants, and the co-organizers, and led to the decision to continue similar efforts.

The Calendar

During May 2013 (tbd), it is proposed to organize the Second International Conference on the Commons, again in Berlin.

This large international conference will be prepared by three continental workshops, in the fall and winter of 2012.

1. Germany for Europe: in Paris in cooperation with Vecam (France/ Frédéric Sultan) 3rd week of August (tbd)
2. Chiang Mai for South-East Asia, 3rd week of September
3. Rio de Janeiro for South America, 3rd week of January - WE WERE DIScUSSING MEXIcO city with the idea to bring US/can and LA together. Do you remember. I already shared the idea with Annette von Schönfeld (the new director of the office in Mexico - she is not reluctant, but if there is funding remains to be seen)

The Proposal

The theme to explore and deepen this time will be the economics of the Commons AND a commons based Economy. Indeed it seems clear that both the state-socialist change proposals (1989), and the neoliberal assumptions governing the present economic system, have run out of the steam, with the latter becoming particularly dysfunctional. The present structural dysfuntionalities of social-market-economy and welfare state in times of globalization and the severe threat to the biosphere through climate change and resource depletion make the reformist/ social democrat approaches inoperable and require a more radical restructuring centered around the protection of natural and human resources seen as a commons.

It is therefore imperative to create a dialogue between the economically oriented commons researchers, practitioners and advocates. However, this conference should by no means be restricted to economists only, as the distinction and dominance of the economic framework is part and parcel of the current crisis. Indeed, a commons approach to economy implies a redefinition of what the economy is, what value is, as well as a radical re-discussion about the measures (and the structures of power) which are embedded in the current from of dominant capitalism.

Proposed Major Themes:

The Commons Beyond Economics:

Economics defined as the allocation of scarce resources is a problematic category since it assumes a priori scarcity, confuses quantitative and qualitative aspects of human society and has become the dominant lens to see society and its issues. Being critical of economics of or certain trends within economics is not sufficient. Therefore, any focus on commons-oriented 'economics' can only be a transitional approach, not an end point of a human approach.

1. Roberto Verzola: understanding abundance, scarcity, sufficiency
2. Wolfgang Hoeschele, geographer at Truman State University, Missouri, author of a book on the economics of abundance (Solidarity Economy, commons)
3. Enrico Grazzini, author of Italian-book: The Sharing Economy as a Way Out of the Crisis (Editori Internazionali Riuniti, 2011
4. Manfred Max-Neef, Chilean ecological economist; for his work on 'fundamental human needs'; Book: From an Economics of Power and Greed to an Economics of Compassion and the Common Good‎
5. Katherine Gibson, Australia (community economics; former writing partner with the late Julie Graham, a.k.a., J.-K. Gibson-Graham)

• • Commons-orientated critiques of capitalism, neo-classical economics, neoliberalism and the current mainstream economic assumptions.

1. In Italy, Marcello Cini, who is a physicist, writes since years on knowledge economy and commons. His last book: Sergio Bellucci e Marcello Cini firmano Lo spettro del capitale. Per una critica dell'economia della conoscenza(Codici Edizioni 2009
2. Riane Eisler, (suggested by Nancy Roof), on dominator vs partnership economies
3. Ricoveri, Giovanna, (2010). Beni comuni vs merci. Jaka Book.
4. Luis Razeto [1], solidarity as a productive factor in the economy (factor 'c') (soidarity economics)

• • The Sufficiency or insufficiency of other heterodox economic assumptions: do they take sufficient account of the commons?

1. Andrea Fumagalli, Italy, author of books on the current phase of Cognitive Capitalism

• • The Commons in relation to other trans-economic approaches: What other approaches can be used, in addition to the commons, to go beyond the centrality of economics in human life, and to return it to a system of provisioning of sustainable human needs? How does the commons relate to the solidarity economy, buen vivir and other proposals?

The commons as a global and local alternative

What commons-oriented alternatives are being proposed to deal with the global crisis in both its global and local aspects?

• • Overview of commons-oriented macro-economic conceptions: how does a commons orientation fits in today's economic approaches , or not, i.e. to what degree is the commons approach compatible with the existing system; what needs to change?

• • The Commons and the non-capitalist economic traditions. The aim of this session is to open up a dialogue with indigenous, traditional and neotraditional conceptions of the economy, especially those which give the commons an important if not central place

1. Lora Goldner, Economy of Communion
2. Sabbath Economics (evangelical)
3. Charles Eisenstein; author of Sacred Economics
4. Padmasiri de Silva, Monash, Melbourne (Buddhist economics)
5. Peter Daniels. Griffith, Brisbane (Buddhist economics)
6. Apichai Puntasen, Thailand, Buddhist Economics

• • Solving the biospheric crisis: preserving and protecting the natural commons. The biosphere and its natural resources cannot be considered as one commons amongst the others, but as the key commons for human survival. What commons approaches have been proposed to preserve our planet?

1. Peter Victor, managing without growth, towards economics of flow, a dialogue partner between commons and ecological economics [2]
2. James Boyce, UMass Amherst (ecological economics)
3. Herman Daly, steady-state economics
4. Josh Farley, U. of Vermont (ecological economics, community development)
5. Peter Söderbaum - important "green economist,

• • Technology and the commons. To what degree is technology a enabler or hindrance of the commons. What kind of technology needs to be developed for a commons-oriented society. What is the linkage between technology and sustainability?

1. Brett Frischmann. Minnesota Law Review essay (April 2005) "An Economic Theory of Infrastructure and Commons Management: Projected book: Infrastructure: Social Value of Shared Resources.

• • Strategies for transformations. How do we achieve a transition to a commons-oriented civilisation?

1. Christian Arnsperger: see, Six Framework Conditions for Global Systemic Change
2. James Quilligan, essays on the Global Commons in Kosmos Journal, etc .. (the social charter approach)

Overview of alternative approaches

1. Wolfgang Hoeschele, geographer at Truman State University, Missouri (Solidarity Economy, economics of abundance)
2. Juliette Schor, author of the book Plenitude (economics of abundance)
3. Allen Butcher, expert on Community Economics
4. Alain Caille, MAUSS, France, Gift Economy
5. Kevin Carson, mutualist economics centered around distributed manufacturing

Key elements of a commons-based societal infrastructure

A commons oriented society requires that certain enabling infrastructures, and in all likelyhood, a substantial decommodification of substantial aspects of human society, such as labor and finance. In this session, we review key infrastructural areas and how they should be changed and adapted in the context of an evolution towards becoming a commons.

• • Money and Finance as a commons: from local credit commons to transnational monetary reform

Common-stock approaches (capital owned by citizens and workers) to physical production and manufacturing: to what degree can the emergence of global innovation commons based on open content, free software and shared design, be combined with not just open and distributed forms of machinery, but with new forms of distributed, commons-oriented, property and ownership

1. a representative of Modern Monetary Theory
2. Ellen Brown, reforming finance through the public creation of money
3. Chris Cook, Open Capital approach
4. Thomas Greco, instituting Credit Commons
5. Hazel Henderson, Ethical Markets
6. Mellor, Mary ( 2010). The Future of Money, Pluto Press.
7. David Hales; Towards a Quality Financial Commons?

• • Legal Infrastructures and new institutions for the Commons

What kind of legal infrastructures and new institutions do we need to enable and maintain commons?

1. Ugo Mattei
2. Janelle Orsi, Sustainable Law Development Center
3. Caroline Botero, Creative Commons
4. Gerald Epstein, UMass Amherst (cooperatives)
5. Mark Whitaker, Toward a Bioregional State (bk), combines Commodity Ecology and the Civic Democratic Instititutions of the Bioregional State form, for longterm protection of the watershed nature commons.

• • Labor as a commons

1. Tom Walker: Towards a Labor Commons through Social Accounting, through seeing Employment as a Common Pool Resource
2. Paul Hartzog: General Theory of Unemployment
3. Jaroslav Vanek, labour cooperative economics, [Jaroslav_Vanek_on_Cooperative_Economics]

• • Nancy Folbre, UMass Amherst (feminist economics/caring economy)
  • Marilyn Waring, New Zealand: "If Women Counted". This feminist analysis of modern economics reveals how economic theory automatically excludes women's housework, caring of the young, sick and the old from value of people. Waring later produced a documentary on the same topic, Who's Counting.

• • Education as a commons

Sustaining Sectoral Commons.

This section is where specialized commons can present and discuss their specific issues.

• • Economics of the physical commons: what can we learn about the governance and economics of local physical commons

1. Peter Barnes [3], Pt. Reyes Station, California (former entrepreneur; commons; Sky Trust) *
2. Elinor Ostrom [4], Arizona State & Indiana U. (commons; not an economist, but she might as well be)

• • Economics of digital common: what can we learn from the economics governing digital commons

1. Philippe Aigrain, free culture, IP and filesharing economics
2. Yochai Benkler [5], Harvard Law School (digital commons; not an economist, but he might as well be)
3. Mayo Fuster Morell, Berkman Center fellow, studies Online Creation Communities