Comments on: Why we need cooperative accumulation

By: Chris Cook

Chris Cook — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 09:17:18 +0000

This is why what I have long termed ‘open’ capital is necessary. This may be through a swap of flows eg gas for power, technology use for the value of carbon fuel savings (pioneered by James Watt’s ‘pumping as a service’ from 1778 when he received a third of the coal savings from the use of his engine).

It may also be through the prepayment at a discount credit instrument, recorded by the ‘stock’ portion of a split tally stick, and which gave rise to the expressions tax return and even rate of return…

In other words we may achieve capital accumulation of ‘money’s worth’ of prepaid value, rather than monetary claims over value created and issued ex nihilo by risk intermediary banks.

By: Michel Bauwens

Michel Bauwens — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 04:34:29 +0000

thanks for the 3 interesting comments. The question of language is always a bit difficult. It is true that cooperative accumulation is ‘contaminated’ by the concept and practice of capital accumulation, but at the same time, it stresses the need to find an alternative to it, that it has to solve the problem of resources and accumulation of power vis a vis the existing system.

By: Graham Barnes

Graham Barnes — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 13:17:13 +0000

Take the point about the term ‘accumulation’ being perhaps too redolent of acquisitive capitalist terminology. Maybe co-operative wealth-store is better. The key point is that the sort of transformative p2p/co-operative projects needed will be operating as ‘islands of sanity’ for the forseeable future, and that co-operative accumulation or wealth-storage will be needed so that step-changes can be self-funded without reliance on external mainstream capital finance. Having to rely on deprecated external financing-with-strings is likely to result in compromise or capture.

By: Helene

Helene — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 12:41:17 +0000

Hi Michel,

Reading Mike Lewis, and wondering how this could be put to work for this purpose:
http://www.slideshare.net/helenefinidori/imagine-thecommongoodconf2013

Its about the language and stories necessary to mobilize the existing forces towards social change and growing the commons…

We’re trying with Wolfgang to organize a workshop around this at the Ostrom Workshop Conference in Indiana next June.

By: Walter Haugen

Walter Haugen — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 16:46:17 +0000

Primary economy – extracting resources to generate capital. You can do this by drilling for oil, mining, timber, farming, etc. The only one that is sustainable is farming. Farming fuels civilization but it also requires slavery. If you don’t want human slavery, you have to use energy slaves (oil, natural gas, etc.).
Secondary economy – selling and adding value to the capital already created in the primary economy. This is where the zero-sum game is applicable. Someone else’s loss is someone else’s gain.
Tertiary economy – creating capital out of thin air. Banks and investment brokers use leveraging, derivatives, etc. to do this.

Alternative economy – I create new wealth from the soil using “beyond organic” methods (organic methods + low carbon footprint to get a positive EROI). I can now use this new wealth for my political ends. I can sell it, I can trade it for silver or scrip, I can barter it, I can give it away.