Commitment Pooling

* Article / Report: Commitment Pooling - An Economic Protocol Inspired by Ancestral Wisdom. By William O. Ruddick - Founder of Grassroots Economics Foundation, 2024

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"a protocol that GrE is developing for resource coordination. The paper theorizes concepts not as isolated phenomena unique to Kenya or GrE programs, but as universally applicable mechanisms that transcend regional and cultural boundaries."

Abstract

"This prospective report introduces the pooling of commitments, as a mechanism for curating and fairly exchanging resources within communities. This approach hinges on the idea that commitments can be effectively pooled to create a more equitable and collaborative economic system, and echoes traditional mutual service practices. To operationalize this concept, the paper presents a protocol being piloted by Grassroots Economics; the Commitment Pooling Protocol is designed to aggregate commitments while facilitating the management and fair exchange of resources. The study describes the background, development, and potential impact of this approach, demonstrating how it can support autonomous, decentralized, non-monetary, and polycentric systems of Commitment Pooling. The emphasis is on fostering community well-being, aligning economic practices with the ethos of mutual service, and collective agency. Through practical use cases and analysis, the paper showcases the versatility of this protocol in various socio-economic contexts, highlighting its potential in supporting a more inclusive and resilient economic future."