Date archives "June 2013"

Voices from OuiShareFest 2013

OuiShareFest a 3 day festival dedicated to exploring the collaborative economy took place in Paris at the beginning of May. The festival brought entrepreneurs, designers, makers, economists, investors, politicians and citizens together from around the world to discuss and debate the future of the collaborative economy. The program featured a broad range of presentations many… Continue reading

Event: Shared Digital Futures

Over the last decade digitization has reached deep into our societies, invaded the archives, transformed production and distribution. The established divisions of labor are called into question, and deep challenges emerge to the theory and practices of many cultural domains. Shared Digital Futures brings together a diverse group of people – artists, researchers, critics, entrepreneurs… Continue reading

Denis Postle, of psyCommons, on the Berlin Economics and the Commons conference

Two reflections stimulated by attending the ECC2013 conference. By Denis Postle: (version without notes) Part One: Beyond Market and State – the Commons and Commoning This is the first of two posts of reflections following my participation in the Economics and the Common(s) Conference – From Seed Form to Core paradigm in Berlin May 22-24,… Continue reading

Is Bitcoin a system designed to create bitcoin billionaires?

A summary of the inequality critique directed at Bitcoin, summarized from a very commented article at Ouishare, from Stanislas Jourdan: “Bitcoin faces two types of criticism. The first is technical: Bitcoin is an anonymous and authority-less currency, which is eventually of great help to drug dealers, weapons sellers and anyone operating on the black market…. Continue reading

Self-managing the commons in contemporary Greece

Here is a brief abstract of an important article by Alexandros Kioupkiolis and Theodoros Karyotis: “In this text we set out to explore a number of contemporary instances of self-management as pursued in various fields of production in present-day Greece. Situated in a poorly industrialised country which is embedded in the information age of global… Continue reading

The explosion of Internet-Enabled Consumer Movements and Campaigns

Excerpted from Simon Mainwaring: “The recent protests against Monsanto over their use of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) have taken on unprecedented proportions. According to the AP, “March Against Monsanto” protests took place in at least 52 countries and 436 cities amassing over 2 million people attacking the agribusiness giant over genetically modified foods. The movement… Continue reading

On the difference between nonprofit and not-for-profit

Excerpted from Donnie Maclurcan: “Distinguishing between non-profit and not-for-profit in use of language is particularly important for two reasons: Firstly, because of the way the game is set up in the U.S. where not-for-profit entities are often called ‘non-profits’ and that these generally represent the old-school model of grant-dependent organisations rather than functioning enterprises. Secondly… Continue reading

Urban Policy Recommendations for Airbnb-style Short-Term Rentals

These policy recommendations were written by Sustainable Economies Law Center Legal Intern, Jessica Arena; Executive Director and Staff Attorney, Janelle Orsi; and City Policies Program Director, Yassi Eskandari. Introduction “This policy brief recommends the adoption of city-level policies allowing residents a reasonable amount of latitude to host and be compensated by short-term guests. The Sustainable… Continue reading

Equity and the Commons: five principles for equitable sharing

“Central to the history and practice of the commons is the idea of equitable sharing. That equitable sharing takes three distinct forms: shared use/benefit, shared stewardship, and shared responsibility or decision-making.” As proposed by the On The Commons team: “In a commons, resources are managed to benefit everyone and to preserve those resources for the… Continue reading