An update via Rob Wheeler: “The treaties call for specific action by civil society, businesses, governments and other stakeholders. We intend to continue to develop a strategy and process to work on the ongoing implementation of the Treaties after Rio. They will be included as a part of The Widening Circles process that is being… Continue reading
A critique of Michael Porter’s ‘Shared Value” assumptions
Excerpted from John Elkington, the original coiner of the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ concept, who contrasts the ‘inside-out’ model of shared value proposed by business strategist Michael Porter, to the outside-in vision of the sustainability movement, which sees humans and natural resources, and not the corporation, as primary: “Shared Value is undeniably a key step forward… Continue reading
Can the Digital Commons Save the Natural Commons? (2): Reaction from “Poor Richard”
Poor Richard posted an extended comment to the previously published theses by Brian Davey: “Brian Davey raises several interesting points but I believe there is a flaw in some of the underlying logic. “Economists tell us that by putting a price on natural resources that this creates a restraint on their use. That is rubbish… Continue reading
Spain: Crowdfunding Against the Impunity of the Banks
Source: GlobalVoices In view of the indifference of the government and the district attorney’s office to investigate the management of Bankia by it’s ex chairman, Rodrigo Rato, people in Spain raised money from donations to submit a complaint before the court and meet the requirements to conduct a legal investigation efficiently. The initiative has had a massive following… Continue reading
Person of the Day: Hazel Henderson, pioneer of ethical finance
Hazel was forty years ahead of most of us, pioneering the research into ethical finance, ethical economies and alternative metrics since the 1970’s and she is now putting her energies in Ethical Markets TV, which brings ethical enterpreneurs to the attention of a wider audience. The following is excerpted from an interview conducted by Forbes… Continue reading
Video of the Day: Fairtrade Electronic
Movement of the Day: The New Economy Movement in the U.S.
Gar Alperovitz describes the emergence of this new movement: “Just beneath the surface of traditional media attention, something vital has been gathering force and is about to explode into public consciousness. The “New Economy Movement” is a far-ranging coming together of organizations, projects, activists, theorists and ordinary citizens committed to rebuilding the American political-economic system… Continue reading
Are internet job exchanges depressing western salary levels?
A provocative argument excerpted from Rich Reiben: “is no longer necessary for a corporation to go to a third-world country to outsource. There are plenty of 99-percenters who are willing to work for almost nothing. A number of sites ask potential workers to bid on jobs. Absurdly low pay is justified by calling the job… Continue reading
The reality of (almost) total surveillance of our internet activities
The “Cypherpunk” episode of the Julian Assange show on RT is well worth watching:
Launch of massive encyclopedia on social change driven by Indignados and Occupy movement
Via Bernardo Gutierrez: 15M.cc is up and running Background On 15 May 2011 massive spontaneous protests across Spain signalled the birth of a movement which was dubbed 15M, after the date, and was also known as the Spanish Revolution. The “indignados” (the indignant) were fed up with soaring unemployment, the ongoing recession and… Continue reading
Syriza and the Syntagma Square Movement
Excerpted from an interview of Nasos Iliopoulos of the Greek Syriza party, by Alex Nunns for Red Pepper: “RP: What is the impact on the young generation of the crisis? There are two aspects of the attack on the youth. One is work, and the second is education. Among the youth there is a general… Continue reading
Alain Ruche: Economies of Scale are a Myth
Alain Ruche argues: ‘Economy of scale is a myth’. “When he was head of strategy planning at the UK Cabinet Office Geoff Mulgan commissioned a study into the evidence for economies of scale in public-sector reform. The study found none. It was not published. Economists say that if we keep moving to the right –seeking… Continue reading
Person of the Day: Charles Eisenstein, ‘sacred economist’
For an economics that is rooted in a sense of sacred partnership with nature and all living beings, look no further than the work of Charles Eisenstein. Shareable writes that: “Charles Eisenstein is the author of The Ascent of Humanity and Sacred Economics. He graduated from Yale with a degree in Philosophy and Mathematics and… Continue reading
P2P Radical Subjectivity as the new historical actor?
Referring to Macchiavelli’s The Prince and to the thought of Gramsci, Orsan Senalp interprets the new p2p-driven social movements as the key emerging historical actor to achieve fundamental change. The first half of the article, not reproduced here, is a summary of the organisational evolution of the Occupy/Indignado movements. Excerpted from Orsan Senalp: “‘‘the Newest… Continue reading
Cheap computers and conflict minerals
Excerpted from Eugene Tisselli: “Powerful computers are getting unbelievably cheap and small: It’s a fact we witness everyday. Many of you may have heard about the Raspberry Pi: a $25 “credit-card sized computer” that plugs into a tv and a keyboard. it uses an ARM processor and comes with a GNU/Linux OS. According to the… Continue reading
Using the virtual to expand physical public space
Republished from Sarah Wanenchak (Cyborgology): “Last week, cell phone footage emerged on Youtube that purports to be taken by a Saudi Arabian woman in a mall, of her clash with the Saudi religious police. The woman is righteously indignant, insisting that they have no right to harass her, that it’s “none of [their] business if… Continue reading