ECC2013

Context

The Commons: From Seed Form to Real Provisioning System

An Overview of The Economics of the Commons Conference (ECC) on May 22 – 24, 2013, and Three Preparatory Workshops

1. The Asia Commons Deep Dive took place in Bangkok, October 12-14, 2012
2. The Latin America Commons Deep Dive took place in Mexico, November 12-15, 2012
3. The Europe Commons Deep Dive took place in Paris, 30/11 to 02/12, 2012

Introduction

One of the most significant impediments to change is the entrenched power of the neoliberal economic and political paradigm. The prevailing economic dogma is that individual self-interest, expansive private property rights and globalized free trade can solve most social and environmental problems. Many challenge this view, of course, and continue to decry the dysfunctionalities of the market economy, the inadequacies of the welfare state and threats to the biosphere from climate change and resource depletion. But despite the important work of many heterodox schools of economic thought in addressing these issues, few political thinkers and players seem interested in or capable of developing a new political/economic philosophy based on practical alternatives. We are stuck at an impasse.

“The Commons: From Seed Form to Real Provisioning System,” seeks to open up some new vistas in in political and economic discourse by exploring the economics of the commons as an alternative provisioning system, worldview and vision for the future. Commons-based principles and models have the potential to build a rich array of stable, equitable and ecological alternatives to conventional markets while strengthening communities and networks. Indeed, the proliferation of commons-based models – for natural resources, digital spaces, civic life and many other arenas – suggests the feasibility of a new Commons Sector. This conference seeks to expand and empower this work by helping crystallize the economics of the commons as a coherent field of inquiry and action. The conference will showcase key actors and initiatives, discuss theoretical analyses, identify conflicting schools of thought, and visualize new action-plans for moving forward.

Any inquiry into this topic is challenging because the very idea of the commons demands that we expand standard economic definitions of “value” especially at they apply to land and nature, culture and knowledge, labor, money, infrastructure, and everyday human life. To understand the commons in these areas, we must understand how different types of social exchange and cooperation create different forms of wealth, much of it non-quantifiable social and ecological in nature. The commons also requires that we address structures of power and control in a political economy, and develop better understandings of how collective governance regimes work.

Building on the work of those who criticize the mechanistic models of conventional economics, we must consider the complexities of human agency, collective organization, and human relationships with nature. We must move beyond the standard definition of economics as the allocation of scarce resources because this category assumes a priori scarcity, and confuses quantitative and qualitative value and meaning. In a sense, commons-based provisioning implies a profound redefinition of “the economy.” The commons helps us re-connect with the original meaning of “economy,” which derives from the ancient Greek word, oikos, for “household,” the most basic unit of social, economic and governmental action.

This conference will explore the foundations of a commons-based economics: What makes a commons so generative? What core principles of commoning can be identified across different resource domains? In what circumstances can commons-based provisioning models substitute for conventional markets, or interact constructively with markets?

To probe these and other questions, the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) in cooperation with the Commons Strategies Group will organize and host a major international Economics of the Commons Conference (ECC) to be held from May 22 to 24, 2013. The event will be preceded several months earlier by three two-day workshops supported by the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation (FPH), each held on different continents in the fall and winter of 2012-2013: for Europe in Paris, in cooperation with FPH and Vecam; for Latin America in Mexico City, in cooperation with the regional office for central America and Mexico of the Heinrich Böll Foundation; and for Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, in cooperation with the Böll Foundation’s South-East Asia office.

The Organizers

The Commons Strategies Group and Heinrich Böll Foundation are the joint organizers of this conference, which is an outgrowth of the landmark International Commons Conference in Berlin in November 2010. That event brought together about 180 commons activists, academics and project leaders from 34 countries, and for the first time started a cross-disciplinary political and policy dialogue about the commons in diverse international settings.

Building on the energy from that conference, CSG has just completed a major book anthology of 73 essays on the commons that has been published in German and English. CSG has also participated in strategic planning for the Rio+20 environmental conference in Brazil in June 2012, and its principals have made dozens of presentations about the commons at various conferences, universities and public events. This Economics of the Commons Conference (ECC) is a logical next step for the CSG in working with networks of commoners around the world to advance the commons paradigm.

The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation has supported the attendance of some partners to the International Commons Conference that took place in November 2010 in Berlin and wishes now to continue its support by co-funding the ECC regional consultation process together with Heinrich Böll Foundation. Both FPH and HBF consider the commons a key element for the transition toward commons-based economics and cultures. Both foundations focus their strategic support toward this end, either in cooperation with partners or through their own initiatives. This “cross-granting” partnership between two European foundations seeks to advance a new culture of collaboration among like-minded political actors and funders. Both foundations believe that a culture of dialogue, sharing and common programmatic approaches among grant makers is a necessity.

Objectives

We need to formulate a plausible and compelling vision for the future by showing the breadth and feasibility of commons-based provisioning and by forging a coherent public narrative and analysis about it. This conference aspires to speak to the need by:

• Convening key researchers, practitioners and advocates from around the world to discuss shared concerns;
• Consolidating their knowledge into a common field of inquiry;
• Reconceiving our economy as a constellation of commons-friendly provisioning systems;
• Developing practical plans for moving a commons provisioning agenda forward; and
• Deepening and broadening relationships among key individuals and institutions, including after the conference itself.

Substantive discussion at the conference will focus on several key themes:

• The commons as a way to move beyond economics
• Alternative economic/provisioning models
• Macro-economic transformations: making the transition to a new type of economy

A number of specific sub-themes will also be emphasized:

• Economics of physical commons: What can we learn from the governance and economics of local physical-resource commons?
• Economics of digital and cognitive commons: What can we learn from the economics of digital and knowledge commons?
• Financial and credit commons: from local credit commons to transnational monetary reform.
• Natural resource commons: How can they help solve the biospheric crisis?
• Justice and equity in commons: How does a commons re-conceive the role of labor and its entitlements and responsibilities?
• Spiritual (traditional and religious) commons
• Issues of governance and power

The Six Topical Streams

Land and Nature

Responsible for stream: Saki Bailey (Italy)

Throughout the world, neoliberal economic policies have had destructive effects on land and natural commons both resulting in the degradation of these natural environments, as well as reduction in equal access to natural resources and the enjoyment of nature. These policies are taking the form of cuts to public programs and the privatization of the management (and thus the control) of key natural resources. Cuts to public programs are undermining previously publicly supported preservation of natural spaces: pastures, forests, coastal and mountain spaces, as well as agricultural lands for ensuring local food production and food security. Privatization measures have been aggressively applied to water in large metropolitan areas, resulting in an increase in price, decrease in quality, as well as decrease in access in places like Paris, Berlin and Naples. In the heart of the metropolis, where access to natural commons maybe even more scarce and the cost of denying access much higher, the issue has become a potent node of political activism. The fundamental character of water to human life has made it a symbol and rallying cry against the privatization of crucial natural commons, leading most famously to the Bolivian water wars and reform of the Bolivian constitution. In Europe today two different European Citizen’s Initiatives are running on the platform of water as a fundamental right and common good. Since the remunicipalization of water began, the local governments of Paris, Berlin and Naples are experimenting with commons governance through more participatory methods of management which includes not only workers but users. For example in Naples, the previously public-private water company has been converted into the first of its kind public-common institution which emphasizes the complementary relationship between the public and civil society sectors as opposed to the state and the market. However the flourishing anti-privatization movement and these examples of newly emerging commons institutions to protect natural commons are still lacking in the analytical and theoretical tools to produce a true paradigm shift in the way we look at the economy.

While commons theory is rich in examples of successful commons arrangement, the historical, social and cultural factors and institutions crucial to their success, makes them extremely difficult to generalize into a new type of commons based economic model. Additionally, the need to take a “resource specific” approach to the governance of different natural resources presents an obstacle to unified forms of regulation. And while a “one size fits all” model and “top down” policy are intuitively counterproductive, there is clearly a need to articulate a general theory capable of deconstructing and resisting the hegemonic dominance of neoliberalism and to articulate an alternative policy. This deconstruction requires the development of a new theory about the relationship of the law and the economy, of regulation and resources, of government and productive activity. Law, rather than operating as a tool for creating market conditions and the conditions for scarcity could be used to produce the conditions for commoning and abundance. Neoliberalism is potent precisely because it understands the law as tool of intervention necessary to producing the economy. In order to fight neoliberalism, we must adopt this insight and use it against itself to create the conditions for the commons based economy. However such “retooling” of the law to serve the commons requires an understanding of the nature of property as a bundle of discrete rights (use, exclusion, transfer, expropriation) and the construction of a commons ideal type, which policymakers, regulators, and activists can propagate in order to multiply commons institutional forms at the local, national, and transnational levels.

This stream attempts to bring together both legal scholars with insights into the way in which to transform property law into tool for designing the commons based economy, and those activists and practitioners fighting on behalf of the protection of natural commons particularly water, in order to articulate an alternative economic policy for governing natural commons informed by both theory and practice. As commons property scholar Carol Rose points out, water may be the ideal natural resource for shedding new light on the ways in which to free natural commons from the prison of isolated property units into the open space of shared resources and realities.

“Why is land-immovable, enduring land-the central symbol for property? Why not, say, water? Water, after all, is in fact the subject of important and valuable property rights, and indeed, concerns about water can substantially modify the rules about land. If water were our chief symbol for property, we might think of property rights-and perhaps other rights-in a quite different way. We might think of rights literally and figuratively as more fluid and less fenced-in; we might think of property as entailing less of the awesome Blackstonian power of exclusion and more of the qualities of flexibility, reasonableness and moderation, attentiveness to others, and cooperative solutions to common problems." (Rose,1996)

Suggested Speakers: Strategy: combine commons property legal scholars with water movement politicians/activists Carol Rose (commons legal scholar), Michael Heller (commons legal scholar), Ugo Mattei/Alberto Lucarelli (Alderman of the Commons Naples), Anne Le Strat (Paris water), (someone from the Berlin water movement), Talha Syed (commons legal scholar).

Money & Value

Responsible for stream: Ludwig Schuster (Germany)

Labor

Responsible for stream: Heike Löschmann (Germany)

We witness a convergence of production and consumption and an increase of collaborative forms of production that outcompete hierarchical modes of production. As a result, 'the Commons' is slowly entering the official discourse even of the international trade union movement. Yet, unionists tend to focus on the labor market instead of analyzing the changing character of labor in its double function of a) a needs oriented production activity of goods for consumption and as b) a livelihoods reproducing activity. In a commons based context labor is framed in a holistic way and is not oriented toward the market. It therefore grows out of its historical role as being a market product itself. Labor in the commons is based on the principles of sharing and/or reciprocity and implies subsistence and access rights to the commons. It produces different economic, cultural and political modalities, that present an alternative to national-industrial and „developmentalist“ approaches that are reductionist and - above all -based on an increasingly corporate driven growth paradigm that tends to overexploit common pool resources und undermines democratic principles. Re-conceptualizing labor in a commons economy implies a re-assessment of relations: not any longer between the laborers and the employees but between individual participants of an abundant commons network. It also implies a re-consideration of our relationship with nature as well as of the historical origins of the separation between the productive and reproductive sphere as the root cause for structural gendered inequality and exploitation. It is here where this stream is inherently linked to the stream on the life, meaning and spirituality of the commons, an open outcry for a cultural paradigm shift.

Questions:

• What does work, productive activity and labor mean in the context of a commons economy?

• What is the relationship between labor and the commons, ie. in a context where production and reproduction are not separated?

• Is it possible to de-commodify labor?

• Can unions transform themselves into commons supporting organizations for laborers?

• Can the discourse of the commons strengthen traditional labor union demands? If so, to what extend? What kind of reform in thinking and perception is necessary?

Culture, Science & Knowledge

Responsible for stream: Mike Linksvayer (US)

"Knowledge as commons has such paradigmatic instances (eg specifically and recently, free software; broadly and for centuries, science) and enclosures (copyright and patent) that re-conceptualization as commons may seem unnecessary. But the strength of these paradigmatic examples may be constraining our vision concerning what might be achieved by moving most provisioning of knowledge to the commons, the extent to which this is possible, the commoning methods we use, and the relevance of knowledge commons and commoning to commons and commoning of governance, labor, natural resources, infrastructure, etc.

Questions:

What happens when we consider that enclosure of knowledge does not start with copyright and patent, but rather these are only "modern" instances of power enforcing inequalities in what may be known and communicated, in order to grow and protect itself? What happens when we consider reaction to copyright and patent (eg movements for reform and voluntary licensing) to be small parts of a much broader movement of knowledge commoners and commoning, including transparency, privacy, collaboration, and all of science and culture, with potential for much greater coordination and potency? What happens when we consider our strategy in light of commons values first, including equality, autonomy, humanity, sustainability, and view narrow incentives and "business models" with deep skepticism?

In this, the challenge of knowledge commoners to break into the dominant discourse is the same as that of all commoners -- the value of commons are not significantly captured in monetary flows and other relatively easy measurements -- but they are the lifeblood of humanity. How do we make the case, to the world, and reorient ethics, practice, and policy accordingly? How do knowledge commoners make the case to other commoners?"

Infrastructure

Responsible for stream: Miguel Said Vieira (Brazil)

By Miguel Said Vieira:

One of the main challenges in advancing commons as a solid alternative paradigm is the issue of the infrastructures needed for commons-based projects. How can we, for instance, avoid competition and inequality between different commons in the use and access to this kind of infrastructure, and turn this competition into cooperation? In other words, is it possible to build and manage the infrastructure itself also as commons? We also have to consider the possibility that, while some aspects of infrastructure issues might be tackled in P2P fashion or at the local, community level, others might not: car pooling and distributed power generation help in dealing with transportation and energy dillemmas, but they often depend on roads and power grids, which are typically built by states; 3D printing helps in localizing industrial production, but does not avoid the need for basic industry -- typically provided by markets (and sometimes subsidized by states). In which cases this dependence on states and markets poses problems, and in which cases there are better alternatives available? In which cases it is possible to forgo states --arguably the strongest actor in the provisioning of infrastructure during the last century-- without reinforcing the economic and social inequalities that underpin our society, and how can it be done? Finally, what lessons can we learn from already existing instances of commons-based infrastructure? One case in hand is the logical layer of the internet (its protocols). On the one hand, it is clearly an example of infrastructure that has strengthened other commons-based projects (not necessarily related to the internet); on the other hand, the commons- character of this layer hasn't stopped the arisal of extreme cases of private concentration and state abuse (or state dependence) on the internet itself, in its physical and content layers. How does that translate to other areas of infrastructure? What commons-based infrastructure solutions currently emerging around that realm (mesh networking, decentralized P2P "clouds" etc.) could be adapted to other areas?

Life, Meaning & Spirituality

Responsible for stream: Andreas Weber (Germany)

"Today’s scientific economical theory vastly stretches beyond economy. Rather, it has to be viewed as a comprehensive theory of reality. The current liberal paradigm builds to a large extent on unquestioned assumptions about the nature of reality. These comprise necessary struggle for fitness, the absolute value of efficiency, the denial of real agency, embodied feeling, and meaning. These ideas stem from a historical stream of thought which might be called „bioeconomics“, because liberal economy and darwinistic evolution co-created one another. To show the flaws in current liberalism, and to argue for a viable alternative, we have to 1) uncover the social construction of our economical and ecological assumptions, and 2) re-evaluate living reality for an alternative set of values and structures that could guide the construction of a generalized theory of commons economy. Biology itself is in full paradigm change, shifting from a Newtonian theory of machine-like objects to a theory of embodied subjects constantly building meaningful relationships to one another. If we follow this new paradigm, we can see that feeling, subjective meaning, value and beauty are not „illusions“ but rather form the centerpiece of a new „poetic ecology“ concerned with subjects, not objects alone. In ecological terms, such lived reality can be no longer alone described as a struggle for resources, but rather as a commons where agents and ressources are indistinguishable, and were the self-realization undergoes an endless process of negotiation between subjects and the whole. The biosphere therefore stands model for the basic rules of commoning."

The Plan for the Conference

More than fostering an exchange of information, the conference is intended to help build new working relationships, personal commitments, and a group ethic of listening to each other and caring for each other. Active participation by everyone and commoning will be vital. This will be facilitated by an online wiki and listserv, which will include a bibliography of resources, profiles of participants, and other resources to be determined.

Day One:

What Does the Economics of the Commons Mean?

9:00 am – 10:30 am Keynote remarks + two short talks

Special care will be taken to avoid a “sectoralization” of commons discussion. CSG believes it is important to develop a “general narrative” of the commons that applies cross-sectorally. Even with differences in the rivalrous/nonrivalrous nature of resources, certain principles and ethics of commoning can be seen in each case.

Rest of day: details to follow

Day Two:

From Stocks to Flows, and from Market Assets to Commoning

9:00 am – 10:00 Recap the principles of commons and core design principles.

10:15 am – 1:00 Begin two sets of sectoral discussions focused on these resource domains:

• Land & Nature
• Money & Value
• Labor
• Culture, Science & Knowledge
• Infrastructure
• Life, Meaning & Spirituality

Task force hosts will facilitate breakout groups to discuss specific action steps for synthesizing knowledge, convening key players, publishing strategic documents, organizing institutions and/or the public, etc.

Self-organized Break

11:45 am – 1:00 pm

1:00 – 2:15 Lunch

2:15 – 4:30 Reconsidering Provisioning Systems

An un-conference format where participants divide up into specific commons sectors of their own choosing. A key question for each group: What does it mean to reconceptualize that domain (labor, knowledge etc.) as commons? How exactly does needs-based production work?

4:30 – 5:15 Groups report back to plenary session with five minute reports.

Day Three

(for task force leaders and participants who choose to stay)

How Do We Get There from Here?

9:00 am – 1 pm