Elinor Ostrom vs. Malthus and Hardin "How Inxorable is the 'Tragedy of the Commons'?
Capital vs. Commons, and how to start winning
-
Upload
socrates-schouten -
Category
Government & Nonprofit
-
view
58 -
download
0
Transcript of Capital vs. Commons, and how to start winning
The circular economy: Capital vs Commons,
and how to start winning
Socrates Schouten, 19 April 2016 WUR Development & Social Change
www.socrates.nu // @soc_sch
• Why the rapid uptake of ‘circular economy’?
• Nice discourse for business & gov’t
• Inspiring vocabulary for the ecologically minded
My book / The question
1. Economy — finitude — growth
2. New business models
3. The society, city, and policy perspective
4. Capitalism in the 21st century
5. Circularity beyond the economical
My book / Chapters
• Circular economy: change of discourse offers opportunity
• But already well on its way of reaffirming economic liberalism and corporate action
• We need our own narrative, and I like to call it ‘the commons’
My book / Main message
• pro: It puts economics into clever perspective
• con: Economics inevitably in the middle
• con: Means—ends dichotomy not very ecologist
Economy—merit relations / 1 / Daly’s ends
ultimatemeans
intermediatemeans
intermediateends
ultimateends
economicsnatural sciences humanities
• pro: Vivid concept, putting ‘humanity’ center stage
• pro: ‘Ends’ more critically expressed in human rights terms
• con: Is there such a space, and can economic development mediate it?
• con: Again, dissociation of people and nature
Economy—merit relations / 2 / Doughnut economics
• pro: Strong and straightforward proposition
• con: Perhaps a bit too business friendly
Economy—merit relations / 3 / Environmental fiscal reform
extracted value
added value
• pro: Strong and straightforward proposition
• pro: Citizen entitlements; business auctions
• con: Perhaps a bit too… clever?
• My guess: Need to strengthen ‘merit’ logic
Economy—merit relations / 4 / Cap-auction-share
a merit logic?
1. New ‘organic economy’
2. Decoupling? Or recoupling?
3. Common, reciprocal, goods
4. The economical and the ecological
• process: extraction, accumulation, trickle-down
• pro: strong, legible, ‘taxable’
• con: amoral, evasive, depleting
Same dichotomy, different take
capital commons
• process: creation, circulation, emergence
• pro: resilient, generative, lateral
• con: complex, latent
• process: extraction, accumulation, trickle-down
• pro: strong, legible, ‘taxable’
• con: amoral, evasive, depleting
Same dichotomy, different take
capital commons
• process: creation, circulation, emergence
• pro: resilient, generative, lateral
• con: complex, latent
limited extraction
taxing: share rentscultivate
formalize
• Multinationals: keep detailed records of their use of the commons & pay
• Sme’s: subject to simpler tax scheme
• Citizens: organize in commons institutions and get gov’t support
Economy—merit relations / The commons ‘solution’
commons: describes and delineates the ‘merit’ domain of people & nature
… Does this survive critical scrutiny?
• My big fat proposition: it is possible to bring to life a broad concept of the commons that provides a vocabulary with which ‘capital-first’ institutions are avoided
www.socrates.nu // @soc_sch
Commons first!