Denizen

Stephanie Lepp, a storyteller and producer, shares tools to integrate opposing points of view. Exploring diverse topics such as controversial figures, economic systems, personal freedom, and societal peace, she emphasizes the importance of curiosity, diversity, and care. The podcast also discusses the relevance of AI in analyzing complex systems.

Guest Jasper van Brakel, CEO of RSF Social Finance, joins Jenny to discuss stakeholder capitalism. They cover key ideas from classical economics to the shift to stakeholder driven models, trends driving stakeholder capitalism, metrics and B Corps, board representation, co-ops, and philosophical questions. They emphasize the need for a systemic shift, the importance of governance and board representation in moving towards true stakeholder capitalism, and successful examples of co-ops.

How can art contribute to systemic change? Design Science Studio co-founder Roxi Shohadaee shares her insights from working with hundreds of artists across myriad disciplines.To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

John Fullerton discusses regenerative economics and its principles, highlighting flaws in neoclassical economics. They explore the paradigm shift needed for a healthy society, emphasizing diversity and a systemic approach in organizations. The podcast also introduces an eight-week economics course and encourages community support.

Donnie Maclurcan, founder of the Post Growth Institute, critiques capitalism's flaws and advocates for a post-capitalist future. He discusses the systemic inequities of debt and profit-seeking, while emphasizing innovative business models like IKEA's sustainable practices. Maclurcan highlights the importance of ethical banking, community-focused investments, and decentralized decision-making to empower workers and create equitable economies. Through real-world examples, he explores pathways for transitioning to regenerative and circular economic systems.

This episode comes along side of the launch of Tobias Rose-Stockwell's book Taming The Outrage Machine: How Technology Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy -- And What We Can Do About It. Tobias is an author, designer, and media researcher who has been working at the forefront of this topic for many years.By investigating media's role in information flows throughout history, Tobias' book brings clarity and fresh insights to the role social media plays in society today. In this conversation Jenny and Tobias distill the book's most salient points for the Denizen audience.‍Outline of the discussion:The role of outrage in democratic governance [4:00]Technological disruptions and the dark valley [10:04]Martin Luther and the printing press [10:52]The impact of the first advertising based newspaper [14:04]The advent of modern journalism [18:16]The relationship between distribution costs and editorial incentives [22:10]Television and the impact of repealing the Fairness Doctrine [23:45]The role of human psychology and cognitive biases [27:17]The three design features that changed everything: the algorithmic feed [31:09]The three design features that changed everything: social metrics [33:54]The three design features that changed everything: the one click share [37:13]Economic incentives and multi-polar traps[41:47]The role of government and design vs. content level regulation [43:41]Hope from a historical example: radio [48:54]Intervention points: the individual [53:52]Intervention points: social media platforms [56:06]Intervention points: policy [59:57]A word of caution about decentralized social media [1:01:41]The speed of technological progress vs. the speed of regulatory response [1:03:10]‍ To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

How might we design our organizations and institutions to align incentives for all stakeholders? Taking inspiration from small, kin-based groups, Joon Yun asks how we can scale such dynamics globally.To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

How might we inspire humans to think on the time scale of civilization? What can we learn about long term thinking from the world's most enduring organizations? Long Now Foundation's Executive Director reflects on his learnings from 25 years in his role. To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

Sociocracy is a form of governance that utilizes content-based decision making in small groups. By delegating authority to the handful of people who are responsible for executing on the related work, power is distributed more broadly throughout organizations. In a consent based model, everyone takes responsibility for decisions made by the group.This conversations covers essential things you need to know to understand this progressive governance model:What is sociocracy? [3:08]Sociocracy and egalitarianism [4:29]Types of organizations that sociocracy is a fit for [5:57]History of sociocracy [7:06]Consensus vs. consent-based decision making [8:31]Sociocracy and rapid prototyping [10:58]Circle aim and composition [13:15]Optimal number of people for consent-based decision making [15:14]Determining who is in a circle [16:47]Circles, domains, and mapping circles across an organization [18:02]Linking circles [20:52]Leaders vs. delegates [21:46]Information flows: double links, prototyping, and voice [22:43]Sociocracy and representation: who is in the circle and creating accountability [25:03]Consent vs. autocratic and democratic decision making [28:21]Revisiting decisions [30:34]Limitations of sociocracy : the people [31:59]Limitations of sociocracy: information flows at scale [34:44]Limitations of sociocracy: current legal structures and the current economic paradigm [36:24]Determining what decisions a circle is responsible for [37:35]Sociocracy, DAOs, and Web3 [39:03]Scale and voice vs. decision making [41:12]Sociocracy and trust [42:18]Nonvoilent communication and sociocracy [44:36]Current state of sociocracy in practice [46:50] To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

Long-term capitalism is one of our most foundational topics. We investigate how we might instantiate a variation of capitalism that optimizes over longer time horizons that a quarter, which is the form of capitalism that dominates the public market.Michelle Green, founding employee, President Emeritus, Board member and Interim CEO of the Long Term Stock Exchange joins us for this foundational conversation. We discuss long-term capitalism at a macro level and delineate how policy makers, investors, and business leaders can put in place measures to institutionalize long-term decision making.Outline of the episode:What long-term capitalism isn't [3:23]Drivers of the emergence of quarterly capitalism [4:58]Defining long-term capitalism [7:29]Trends relating to long-term capitalism [9:57]Narratives vs. reality [11:29]Drivers of the decline in pubic companies over the past 30 years [13:51]Post-pandemic trends in stakeholder capitalism and ESG [16:14]Buybacks, short-termism, and extraction [17:58]Policy measures to address buybacks [20:07]Other policy approaches for long-term capitalism [24:22]Long-term capitalism and corporate governance [26:00]How companies can incentivize long-term investment [29:02]Long Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) [36:21]Parallels between LTSE and certification [39:59]Information dynamics and the signalling value of LTSE [40:46]LTSE's choice to be a principles vs. standards based exchange [41:27]LTSE's five principles [43:40]Principle one: stakeholders [43:45]Principle two: strategy [46:15]Principle three: compensation [47:04]Principle three: Board of Directors [48:17]Principle three: investors [48:40]Establishing a research base for long-term capitalism [49:54]LTSE's ecosystem level approach [51:37]What Michelle is seeing in the current moment [54:10]LTSE and the technology industry [58:11]Limitations to the LTSE's success [1:00:08]Alignment with long-term capitalism and social objectives [1:04:57] Resources:Denizen's research summary on long-term capitalismMichelle's TED Talk on the Long Term Stock ExchangePrinciples of Corporate Governance, Business Roundtable 2016"Short Termism Is Harming The Economy" Warren Buffet and Jamie Dimon, Wall Street Journal June 2018‍ To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.