A contribution by Franz Nahrada:
“Its hard to say what “commons” exactly is, its rather that we are aware of some elementary facts totally obscured by neoliberal propaganda. Just a few scattered thoughts on this.
1. “Structure” versus “Process”: we have this parallel memes of “commons” versus “solidarity economics” and I tend to think that “Commons” is more a term that allows us to describe structures and “Solidarity Economics” describes processes and methodologies. Hard to decide, indeed, because “Commons” is linked to “Commoning”, which is clearly a process.
2. What we can say clearly is that the “public” is rather a negative than a positive interest. The constitution of a general good in a society of competitors is abstract, empty, forceful, secondary, tends to be a separate matter driven by a buerocratic class and so on. And it is margely depending on the surplus imposed on a working monetary economic base, which made for the self – destruction of the public in an era where the inner contradiction of the wealth-by-comparison (value-) system has fully evolved and the capital economy is in a final, fatal crisis and just is maintained by its own costly simulation. The aim to revamp the Friendly Leviathan is simply part of that costly simulation.
3. We know that commons in contrary are based on direct communication, voluntary chosen responsibility and accountable interests around which a moral framework is built which ensures and encourages participation. Maybe an important element of the commons is the self-assignment of actors plus vigorous struggle for a supporters base, which explains why there is an inner relation between entrepreneurialism and commons. Legitimacy is built on active participation rather than on external choice mechanisms.
4. We are seing a shift towards refuge of the public to the commons, from the “year of voluntary engagement” to the “big society” in England. But all this is not going to work without a way to effectively transfer resources to the third sector and allow it to produce resources itself in cooperative cycles.
5. We need a global educational commons maintained by local communities. Only local communities have the means to effectively organize material resource bases, and there is a positive feedback cycle between a global educational commons and the ability of local communities to maintain and strengthen this material base.
6. So the answer to the problem, if we put all of this together, is to look for actors in global networking that are willing and able to create a covenant with local communities to help build that global educational commons.
7. We just opened up the discussion in a new mailinglist devoted to educational commons. One of the most interesting question that emerges is: are there even corporate actors whose business logic is clearly built around working with local communities? One possible answer that I did not throw into the debate yet is that the Google business model which revolves around exploiting spatial relations might be a more interesting backbone to enter in strategic relationships than other corporate models which are more shortsighted.
8. The obvious “easyness” of the yahoo move to shut down a tool on which the intellectual work of thousands depends is scandalous and shameful. The answer is not necessaily in “we need to build our own …..” – but in a more in-depth analyses of corporate strategies that lead to the maintainance or not maintainance of infrastructures that have already become true commons.”