During the recent United States presidential election, material embarrassing to candidate Hillary Clinton surfaced in Wikileaks near the end of the campaign. The leak was blamed on “Russian hackers” aiming to influence the election in favor of candidate, and Vladimir Putin fan, Donald Trump. Russian hackers are not the only entity in the news accused… Continue reading
Continuing our series on reactions to Trump’s victory, Thomas Piketty writes the following for the Guardian: Both the Clinton and the Obama administrations frequently went along with the market liberalization launched under Reagan and both Bush presidencies. At times they even outdid them: the financial and commercial deregulation carried out under Clinton is an example…. Continue reading
A Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) Working Paper 2016-7 by Anna Waldman Brown, originally published here. Introduction “Many believe that modern technologies such as 3D printers, sensors, and networking capabilities provide an unprecedented opportunity to support a renewal of localized production – especially when combined with “Maker Movement” trends toward customization, user engagement,… Continue reading
On a visit to Barcelona last week, I learned a great deal about the City’s pioneering role in developing “the city as a commons.” I also learned that crystallizing a new commons paradigm – even in a city committed to cooperatives and open digital networks – comes with many gnarly complexities. The Barcelona city government… Continue reading
Liberal and Left are not the same thing, they are not interchangeable, each describes a different political position which is generally at odds with the other. In an age where the right is on the rise in all the highly developed economies, it is important to make this distinction. Many liberals are fine with fascism, as… Continue reading
Enjoy this very concise three-minute audio description of the P2P Foundation’s work and ideals by our founder, Michel Bauwens. It was originally recorded for the Innovation and Creative Intelligence unit at the University of Technology Sydney. Beautiful Minds with Michel Bauwens Clip description Morsels are small bites gleaned from talks, events and conversations hosted by… Continue reading
December 5, 2016 9h-17h. Conference in the European Economic and Social Committee, Brussels EESC Building – Room VMA 3 (2nd floor); 2 rue Van Maerlant – 1040 – Brussels Join Michel Bauwens, myself and others in this special event co-organised by La Coop des Communs, Confrontations Europe, P2P Foundation, SMart, Ouishare and Cecop. Register HERE. (BEFORE 1… Continue reading
Excerpted from Mark Graham, a researcher on digital labor conditions for the Oxford Internet Institute: “What, then, can be done to improve the state of digital work for the millions being enrolled into it? How do we counter the structural transfer of risk and responsibility from firms onto precarious workers? The strategies that both Guy… Continue reading
My own readings of anthropological literature led me to understand that the feasts of non-class societies were in fact techniques to avoid the accumulation of material goods and hence class and state formation as well. However, the ethnographic studies of Brian Hayden led him clearly to the opposite conclusion. Worth reading for challenging classic assumptioms…. Continue reading
http://teamhuman.fm/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/TH_10-Aaron-Dignan_06.mp3 Playing for Team Human is Aaron Dignan. Aaron is a strategist, author, and founder of the Ready, where he works on updating the “organizational operating systems” of business. Dignan has advised top executives at global brands including GE, Ford, and American Express. In today’s episode, Aaron and Douglas speak candidly about what goes on behind… Continue reading
In a recent editorial, after noting how much value for corporations is created by society and the state, Yanis Varoufakis proposes a Universal Basic Dividend that is funded, not by taxes, but by a Commons Capital Depository fund: (excerpted from Project Syndicate) “How should society be compensated? Taxation is the wrong answer. Corporations pay taxes… Continue reading
Maira Sutton: Brian Eno rejected the lone genius myth — the idea that groundbreaking works of art arise out of a notable few graced with exceptional talent. Instead, he observed that good artwork doesn’t miraculously emerge from a few great figures, but from relationships. He coined the term “scenius” to reflect the genius that arises out from… Continue reading
An interesting event on Digital Social Innovation economy, preparing the grounds to exchange ideas and develop new collaborations around the European Commission initiative “Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation (CAPSSI)“. 1-2 February 2017, Rome (Italy) The DSI Fair 2017 offers a rich program featuring an international conference, focused workshops, networking and hands-on sessions…. Continue reading
22 November 2016- In the wake of Trump´s shocking victory and in the midst of a deep EU crisis accelerated by Brexit many commons activists around Europe have reacted with a sense of “Don´t mourn, commonify!”. The current economic order has left many behind, has alienated many from the establishment and in order to resist… Continue reading
By Marianne Gronemeyer “I have no expectations from technology, but I believe in the beauty, in the creativity, in the surprising inventiveness of people, and I continue to hope in them.” Ivan Illich (Cayley 1992:111) This creativity and inventiveness are not, as we often believe, products of extraordinary individual minds. Instead, they originate from a… Continue reading
A revived and mainstreamable left should offer large numbers of people productive roles in an economy that can actually build the alternative energy technologies, decentered electric grids, urban food-production systems and well-maintained housing and collective infrastructures that are needed to face the ravages of environmental decay and climate change. We need a commons-centric, peer production… Continue reading