Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 21:08:06 +0200 From: Thomas Johansson <solek-AT-telia.com> Subject: New mailing list on ECONOMY New mailing list on ECONOMY There is now a new mailing list for discussing long-term creative and practical work with economy. The mailing list is intended primarily for people with a socialist or anti-capitalist outlook who aspire for a society based on decentralized grassroots structures, worker’s control, cooperation, solidarity, ecological sustainability, local autonomy, direct democracy, and federative, non-authoritative forms of social organization. There are a number of reasons why we need to discuss and work directly with economy. Below is a list of some reasons I come to think of right now: - Today communities continually loose hold of their economy, as their industries, companies, businesses, shops etc. gradually become the preys of capitalist investments, practices, tendencies and ways of thinking. We need to develop and implement strategies through which communities and people may resist this process and hold on to their economy. - We claim that economic structures and institutions based on cooperation and solidarity can be a viable model for an entire society. To make this claim persuasive to others we need to show in practice that such structures and institutions are viable at least at a small scale. - Whenever a society undergoes social change, and there is a possibility that new economic structures be established at a large scale, the idea of cooperative economic structures and institutions must be available to the people and seem attractive to them, if they are going to rely on or implement them in their society. If, then, such structures and institutions already exist and function well at a lesser scale in the society, people are more likely to consider them as a viable possibility. - If a society undergoes social change and the capitalist economic structures fall apart, there must already exist some alternative economic structures and institutions that function well to take care of the material needs of the society. To the extent that such structures and institutions do not exist, people will be inclined to revert to the old ways, i.e. to those of capitalism, in order to provide for their needs. The present mailing list shall focus on the practical work (projects/strategies etc.) that can be done locally, nationally or at an international level to develop and strengthen alternative economic institutions and structures in society. In the present context, this means whatever economic institutions and structures conform to a society based on decentralized grassroots’ and worker’s control, cooperation, solidarity, ecological sustainability, local autonomy, direct democracy, and federative, non-authoritative forms of social organization. (Examples: cooperatives, non-capitalist businesses, patterns of consumption and savings supporting such institutions, credit unions, community associations etc.) Hopefully, the list will not only be a forum for mere discussion. It should also facilitate networking at the international, national, and local level, and give rise to new and fruitful projects that can contribute to the gradual emergence and development of alternative economic institutions and structures that enable communities and people to take hold of their lives and live in solidarity and cooperation with each other. Examples (but only examples) of the sorts of questions that conceivably may be addressed on the list are: - What can be done in present-day society to start developing and supporting alternative economic structures on which a better social and political life can be built? - What sorts of grassroots’ programs can be employed in a community in order to recover its economic life from capitalist interests and control, and to make the community’s grip of it stronger? - What sorts of companies that exist in present-day society are compatible with the sort of society to which we aspire, and how can they be supported? - What can we do to support and encourage the development of worker’s (and other forms of) cooperatives in a given community? - What can we do to develop worker’s cooperatives that function well internally and can stand strong in today’s capitalist market economy? - What sorts of social and economic structures in a community can support such cooperatives, and how can we develop such structures in a community? - What can we do to encourage the people of a community to develop consumer’s patterns that support desirable forms of companies, such as workers’ cooperatives? - What sorts of institutions and programs can be set up in a community to stimulate the emergence and growth of better economic and social structures in it? - What are the prospects for international, national or regional cooperation between worker’s cooperatives, between local economic projects and between communities? At least initially, English will be the primary language of the list, and its scope will be international. It is my hope that similar lists eventually can be set up for particular regions and for languages other than English. To join the list, go to: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/econ_dev (Please also stop by the list survey to specify your geographic whereabouts, which will take you less than a minute: http://www.onelist.com/surveycenter/econ_dev) The list is not moderated. Traffic will depend entirely on those who are subscribed to it. Thomas Johansson
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