P2P Book of the Year 2014

Towards a Cooperative Commonwealth

* Humanizing the Economy. By John Restakis

Book: Humanizing the Economy. Co-operatives in the Age of Capital. by John Restakis. New Society Publishers, 2010

URL = http://www.newsociety.com/Books/H/Humanizing-the-Economy

"At the close of the twentieth century, corporate capitalism extended its reach over the globe. While its defenders argue that globalization is the only way forward for modern, democratic societies, the spread of this system is failing to meet even the most basic needs of billions of individuals around the world. Moreover, the entrenchment of this free market system is undermining the foundations of healthy societies, caring communities, and personal well-being. Humanizing the Economy shows how co-operative models for economic and social development can create a more equitable, just, and humane future. With over 800 million members in 85 countries and a long history linking economics to social values, the co-operative movement is the most powerful grassroots movement in the world.

Its future as an alternative to corporate capitalism is explored through a wide range of real-world examples including:

Emilia Romagna's co-operative economy in Northern Italy
Argentina’s recovered factory movement
Japan’s consumer and health co-operatives

Highlighting the hopes and struggles of everyday people seeking to make their world a better place, Humanizing the Economy is essential reading for anyone who cares about the reform of economics, globalization, and social justice." (http://www.newsociety.com/Books/H/Humanizing-the-Economy)

* Learning from Cooperatives in the Global Crisis

Book: Capital and the Debt Trap. Learning from Cooperatives in the Global Crisis. By Claudia Sanchez Bajo and Bruno Roelants. Palgrave MacMillan (2013)

URL = http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=688814

"The recent financial crisis has had a devastating impact around the globe. Thousands of businesses have closed down and millions of jobs have been cut. Many people have lost their homes. Capital and the Debt Trap explains how key economies have fallen into a ‘debt trap’, linking the financial sphere to the real economy, and goes beyond, looking into alternatives to the constant stream of financial bubbles and shocks. Overlooked by many,cooperatives across the world have been relatively resilient throughout the crisis. Through four case studies (the transformation of a French industrial SME in crisis into a cooperative, a fishery cooperative in Mexico, the Desjardins Cooperative Group in Quebec and the Mondragon Group in the Basque country of Spain), the book explores their strategies and type of control, providing an in-depth analysis within a broader debate on wealth generation and a sustainable future."

Vandana Shiva:

"Both nature and society work on the principles of co-operation. In CAPITAL AND THE DEBT TRAP - Learning from Cooperatives in the Global Crisis Bruno Roelants and Claudia Sanchez Bajo show us how an economy based on co-operation can address the deep crisis we face.”

* Democratizing Wealth for Building a Citizens' Economy

e-Book: Democratic Wealth: Building a Citizens' Economy. Ed. by Stuart White, and Niki Sethi-Smith. openDemocracy and Politics in Spires, 2014

URL = http://www.scribd.com/doc/211019686/Democratic-Wealth [edit]Description

"Democratic Wealth' is a collection of essays that challenges the poverty of thinking around economic policy, particularly after the 2007 financial crash. It explores the renewed interest in republicanism and suggests this as a framework to shape an economy that serves the common good. It is a selection of articles from a series published by openDemocracy and Politics in Spires, a blog run by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The book is split into three parts. The first, Taking Back the Economy, features contributions from Philip Pettit, Thad Williamson, Joe Guinan, Jessica Kimpell and others on republican thinking and the market. The second, Republican Economy in Practice, looks at application around the globe, including contributions on cooperatives, sovereign wealth funds, basic income, tax fairness and green solutions and discusses how to develop these models at scale. In the third, Republican Politics, contributors including Quentin Skinner, Alex Gourevitch and Karma Nabulsi discuss the politics of republicanism, from challenging the surveillance state to democratising the workplace and harnessing the demands of new social movements for freedom from domination by the one per cent. It ends with an afterword by James Meadway, senior economist at nef, on clearing a path for a better future." (https://opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/opendemocracy/democratic-wealth-free-e-book)

* Proposals For A Democratic Economy

Proposals For A Democratic Economy

eBook: Alternatives To Capitalism: Proposals For A Democratic Economy. by Robin Hahnel, Erik Olin Wright. New Left Project, 2014

URL = http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_comments/alternatives_to_capitalism_proposals_for_a_democratic_economy

"New Left Project’s new e-book, Alternatives to Capitalism: Proposals for a Democratic Economy, is now available for download.

In it the leading radical thinkers Robin Hahnel and Erik Olin Wright take on the crucial but all-too neglected question: what kind of society should we be fighting for instead of capitalism? Hahnel favours ‘participatory economics’. Wright advocates ‘real utopian socialism’. Alternatives to Capitalism puts these practical proposals through their paces in an in-depth, frank and extremely instructive debate about the central question of our time." (http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_comments/alternatives_to_capitalism_proposals_for_a_democratic_economy)

* EGaia

Gary Alexander. eGaia Growing a peaceful, sustainable Earth through Communications. Published by Lighthouse Books, ISBN 0907637248 (2nd ed. 2014)

URL = http://earthconnected.net/egaia-2nd-edition/

Reviews at http://sustainability.open.ac.uk/gary/blog/?page_id=34

* Cooperatives in a Post-Growth Era

Book: Co-operatives in a Post-growth Era. Creating Co-operative Economics. Edited by Sonja Novkovic and Tom Webb. Fernwood Pubn. (with Zed Books), 2014

URL = http://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/cooperatives_in_a_postgrowth_era

"Featuring a remarkable roster of internationally renowned critical thinkers, this book presents a feasible alternative for a more environmentally sustainable and equitable economic system. The time has never been better for cooperatives everywhere to recognize their own potential and ability to change the economic landscape."

Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future

Book: Robert Costanza and Ida Kubiszewski. Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future: Insights from 45 Global Thought Leaders. World Scientific, 2014

URL = http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/8922 [edit]Description

By Roberto Costanza of Solutions Journal: "Ida Kubiszewski and I have just released a new edited book titled: "Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future: Insights from 45 Global Thought Leaders" that I think might interest you. The book offers a broad, critical discussion of what a sustainable and desirable future should or can be, with chapters written by some of the world's leading thinkers, including: Wendell Berry, Van Jones, Frances Moore Lappe, Peggy Liu, Hunter Lovins, Gus Speth, Bill McKibben, and many more. [edit]More Information

You can view the table of contents, download a sample chapter, and order the book at: http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/8922. It’s also available at Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Sustainable-Desirable-Future-Insights/dp/9814546887