Post on 18-Jul-2015
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Working Group on Alternative Energy ModelAkademia Network, Brussels, 18-19 April 2015
J.M. Díaz Nafría (Universidad de León; HM)
SUBSIDIARITY:A PATH FOR DEMOCRACY ANDJUSTICE CONCERNING ENERGY
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Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
“Complexity does not put us only in the distress of the uncertain, it allows us to see besides the probable, the possibilities of the improbable...We are in an epoch of doubtful and uncertain combat”. Edgar Morin
Contents
1. Subsidiarity and Viable Systems Model2. Case 1: Allende’s Chile National Economy3. Case 2: Mondragon Cooperative Group4. Proposal
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
1. Subsidiarity
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• It was first develop with the Christian Reformation related to the Calvinist conception of the common being (Sinod of Emden, 1571: decision making at the lowest possible level)
• It becomes of major political relevance in the 19th C. in the context of growing inequality in the industrialized societies (Capital-Work)
• It becomes part of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church• Principle of Participatory Democracy Positive Subsidiarity• Advocacy of Conservative Liberalists Negative Subsidiarity• Juridical Principle (Civil Law / Penal Law…)• Organic principle for activity in complex organisms: action is taken at
the lowest level, the closest to arisen issue.
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
1. Subsidiarity
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• EU (since Mastrich) > General principle of European Union lawUnder the principle of subsidiarity, in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, either at central level or at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at Union level
• UN (UNDP): Decentralization, or decentralising governance, refers to the restructuring or reorganisation of authority so that there is a system of co-responsibility between institutions of governance at the central, regional and local levels according to the principle of subsidiarity, thus increasing the overall quality and effectiveness of the system of governance, while increasing the authority and capacities of sub-national levels.
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
1. Subsidiarity - Viable System Model
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1. Subsidiarity - Viable System Model
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Policy makingPlanning and strategy
Stability
Optimisation
1. Subsidiarity - Viable System Model
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Nested systems:
Levels of Recursion:
2. Case 1: devising democratic Socialism in Chile
Starting process of nationalizing half
industrialized economy
1970, Allende’s democratic pathway
to reach the government
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Production + GDP + Wages + inflation + scarcity
Nationalized firms
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2. Case 1: devising democratic Socialism in Chile
2. Case 1: CYBERSYN
Fernando Flores Stafford Beer (cybernetician)
Central Government CORFO Industry
CORFO (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción)
Cybernetic principles in the industry managingManagement Cybernetics Industry: Complex relationships
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• Cybernet: was designed to use the telex network for real-timemonitoring of each business. This control may seem contrary toAllende’s idea of individual freedom, however, this control waslimited to external observation, results per business day, whichwas framed in the idea of centralized economy.
• Cyberstride: collected the set of software used for collect, process, and distribute data to and from each of the state enterprises.
• CHECO: short for 'Chilean Economy' was never materialized, but it was a mathematical and statistical model sought to simulate the behavior of the Chilean economy as to predict it’s behavior and likewise seek solutions before problems arise.
• Opsroom: was a space aimed to control the whole project. Itconsisted of seven chairs with simple systems for any type ofworker could hold such positions. Opsroom was only materializedin a prototype.
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2. Case 1: CYBERSYN
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2. Case 1: CYBERSYN
2. Case 1: CYBERSYNThe worker as a fundamental unit
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2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
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• Corporation and federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain founded in 1956
• 10th largest Spanish company (asset turnover) and leading Basque business group
• 74,061 employees (2013) in 257 companies and organizations in four areas of activity: finance, industry, retail and knowledge
• Operates in accordance with Statement on the Co-operative Identity maintained by the International Co-operative Alliance.
2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
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Cooperative level
2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
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Group level (federation)
4. Promoting democracy and justice in Energy issues
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Europe
States
Regions / departments
Municipalities
Communities
Households
SUBSIDIARITY: A PATH FOR DEMOCRACYAND JUSTICE CONCERNING ENERGY
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