Boundaryless Conversations Podcast

Ep. 06 Michel Bauwens - Commons-based peer production at the edge of a chaotic transition

Apr 20, 2020

Michel Bauwens, founder of the P2P Foundation and research director of CommonsTransition.org, dives into the fascinating shift from traditional societal structures to commons-based peer production. He discusses the historical cycles of extraction and regeneration, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices in response to capitalism's challenges. The conversation touches on local and global connections, innovative governance models, and the role of emerging technologies in fostering community resilience. Bauwens advocates for gradual change, highlighting the importance of personal transformation in this transition.

01:02:33

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Michel Bauwens

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Quick takeaways

The rise of urban commons and makerspaces reflects a significant shift towards collaborative production models, with political recognition growing in local governance.

A critical examination of existing economic structures reveals the need to shift the value narrative towards recognizing generative contributions in order to advance commons-based initiatives.

Deep dives

The Growth of Commons-Based Production

Commons-based production has seen significant growth, as highlighted by Michelle Bowens, who emphasizes the rising number of urban commons and makerspaces. In a case study from Ghent, the number of urban commons increased tenfold, showcasing a vibrant shift towards collaborative production models. In Europe, around 120 fab labs exemplify how craftspeople are utilizing common spaces to create products based on open-source principles. This growth indicates that while the movement may not be mainstream yet, it is gaining momentum and political acknowledgment in local governance.

Intro

3min

Navigating Commons-Based Production

14min

Historical Cycles of Extraction and Regeneration

3min

Rethinking Capitalism and Community in a Globalized Era

25min

Questioning Institutional Integrity and Regulatory Effectiveness

2min

Navigating Local and Global Connections

13min

Embracing Gradual Change in a Transitional Society

4min

In this with Michel Bauwens, we explore both the Epistemological and Political/Regulatory layers of the transition from the “old” to the “new” ways of organising society. We dig into concepts like “trans-national institutions” and explore the changes we could expect in both regional and international governance of the economy and society.

Michel Bauwens is founder and director of the P2P Foundation, research director of CommonsTransition.org (a platform for policy development aimed toward a society of the Commons) and a founding member of the Commons Strategies Group.

Michel is a real lighthouse when it comes to collaborative, commons-based production models and works tirelessly since more than a decade in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property.

Here are some important links from the conversation:

> Michel Bauwens, Corona and the Commons http://liminal.news.greenhostpreview.nl/2020/03/23/corona-and-the-commons/

> Michel Bauwens and Jose Ramos, “The pulsation of the commons: The temporal context for the cosmo-local transition” (Draft), https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sHhuecKxfB8HRH8o9aOfdlKNqaPQ8lc91502FXXv8e4/edit#heading=h.99i7fcsrn7tf

> Bologna regulation for the care and regeneration of the urban commons, https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Bologna_Regulation_for_the_Care_and_Regeneration_of_Urban_Commons

> P2P Accounting for Planetary Survival - Commons Transition, https://commonstransition.org/p2p-accounting-for-planetary-survival/

> REPORTING 3.0, https://reporting3.org/

> Robert I. Moore (2000), The First European Revolution: 970-1215, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/712195.The_First_European_Revolution

> Bernard A. Lietaer, The Mystery of Money, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8198838-the-mystery-of-money

> Material flow accounting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_flow_accounting

> Resources, events, agents (accounting model), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resources,_events,_agents_(accounting_model)

> David Ronfeldt, Tribes, Institutions, Markets and Networks, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2005/P7967.pdf

> Jamie Wheal in Rebel Wisdom: War on Sensemaking 3, The Infinite Game, https://youtu.be/mQstRd7opv4