The For-Profit Paradigm | The Commons Paradigm | |
Resources | Scarcity is given or created (through barriers and exclusions). | For rivalrous resources, there is enough for all through sharing. For non-rivalrous resources, there is abundance. |
Strategy: “Efficient” resource allocation. | Strategy: Strengthening social relations is decisive for assuring fair shares and sustainable use of resources. | |
Idea of the individual | Individuals maximize benefits for themselves (Homo economicus). | Humans are primarily cooperative social beings. |
Human relationships to nature and other humans | Separation
| Interrelationality
|
Change agents | Powerful political lobbies, interest groups and institutionalized politics focused on government. | Diverse communities working as distributed networks, with solutions coming from the margins. |
Focus | Market exchange and growth (GDP) achieved through individual initiative, innovation and “efficiency.” | Use-value, common wealth, sustainable livelihoods and complementarity of enterprise. |
Core question | What can be sold and bought? | What do I / we need to live? |
GOVERNANCE | ||
Decision making | Hierarchical, top-down; command & control | Horizontal, decentralized, bottom-up. Self-organization, monitoring and adjustment of resource use. |
Decision principle | Majority rules. | Consensus. |
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP | ||
Power relation tendency | Centralization & monopoly. | Decentralization & collaboration. |
Property relations | Exclusive private property. | Collectively used possession. |
Access to rival resources (land, water, forest) | Limited access; rules defined by owner. | Limited access; rules defined by users. |
Access to non- rival resources (ideas, code...) | Limited access; scarcity is artificially created through law and technology. | Unlimited access; open access is the default norm. |
Use rights | Granted by owner (or not). Focus on: individual rights. | Co-decided by co-producing users. Focus on: fairness, access for all. |
Social practice | Prevail at the expense of others; competition dominates. | Commoning; cooperation dominates |
KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION | ||
Corporate ideology and values integrated into education and knowledge production. | Peer-to-peer, networking and collaboration allows diversity of viewpoints. | |
Knowledge regarded as scarce asset to be bought and sold. | Knowledge regarded as plentiful resource for the common good of society. | |
Proprietary technologies. | Free and open source technologies. | |
Highly specialized knowledge and expertise are privileged. | Knowledge is subject to social and democratic control. | |
IMPLICATIONS FOR ... | ||
Resources | Depletion/exploitation. Enclosure. | Conservation / maintenance. Reproduction & expansion. |
Society | Individual appropriation vs. collective interests. Exclusion. | “My personal unfolding is a condition for the development of others, and vice- versa.” Emancipation through convivial connections. |
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