In a context of crisis and recession caracterised by increasing inequalities and precarisation of living condition, the need to change the way economy works is felt as being urgent for a growing part of the population. Local initiatives and global movements are proposing paths towards an economy that is more respectful of human dignity and the environment. One of the key point is to rethink exchanges in society and advance towards a more equal access to resources.
Below are listed examples of actions (in orange) and policies (in green) collected that design paths towards a new type of exchanges and access to resources.
Non-monetary exchanges
New systems have appear and develop in order to provide access to resources without using monetary exchanges.
In various fields and regions there are many ways in which resources – human, social, material, financial and cognitive – are wasted (including misuse, over‑exploitation and under‑utilisation). Sharing appears as a way to better use resources and also to provide access to them to a larger number of persons.
All over Europe, citizens practice different ways of sharing means of transportation (cars, bikes, etc.) that facilitate access to mobility for everyone.
Freeshops, Giveaway Shops, Umsonstladen, Weggeef Winkel etc. are stores where all goods are free. They propose new ways of accessing goods that are based on the sharing of resources and avoiding waste.
Particularly in the context of the present economic climate, initiatives are emerging in communities across Europe that involve the planting of any suitable piece of land and sharing the produce grown. The benefits of these kinds of movements are multi-fold.
“Commonification” of public services means first and foremost managing them in a not‑for‑profit‑oriented way, and therefore as commons to which each and every individual must be able to have equal access, regardless of his or her ability to pay. In other words, “commonifying” public services serve to satisfy essential needs and enable the full exercise of fundamental rights. But “commonification” also implies a process of democratising the management of commons.
There is a need to create the right conditions that will enable the people concerned (regardless of social status) to take an active part in setting priorities and organising services. This gradual transformation process could be based on experimental models and should satisfy at least two requirements: first, that members of the public services’ board of directors include representatives of active citizens, people’s movements, NGOs and service staff; and second, that there are participatory forms of result evaluation.
Auteur : Maria Jeliazkova - Publié le : 2013-08-14 09:58 -
Creation of a common structure, through which to combine the potential of citizens and experts, as well as the inclusion of the structure in a global network, to help address and solve the problems of growing energy poverty in Bulgaria in the last decade.
Auteur : David Rinaldi - Publié le : 2013-08-02 14:38 -
Creating a citizens’ movement dealing with the situation and management model of primary and secondary services within the small town of Bagheria (province of Palermo).
The CSA initiatives consist in creating a direct link between consumers and producers, taking into account the environmental and social impact of the production process.
Shared housing experiences, such as neighbours living in the same building, may result in better organisation and sharing of resources, thus facilitating greater access to all involved. Take for example, the sharing of food through the establishment of a group-purchased building, or organising shared care of loved ones.
Most notably developed in Italy, GAS ("solidarity purchase groups") bring together consumers who wish to buy products as a collective from one or more producers.
AMAP ("Associations for the maintenance of peasant agriculture") appeared in France in the early 2000s. It is a scheme that provides consumers with direct access to produce and allows growers to plan for the long-term.
Although the money that results from paid-work activities is still the main way of having access to resources in European societies, it is not the only path. Other initiatives and practices proposed different ways to access them.
The introduction of a basic income – now demanded by numerous movements in Europe – consists in a regular income paid by a political community to each of its members on an individual basis and unconditionally.
Genuine Clandestino is a national campaign promoting the free processing of farm products considered "illegal" by Italian law, the “km zero” production and the ethically sustainable and direct sale of items.
Based on principles of solidarity and sharing: organisation and management of an old, important flea market that is run by a cultural association composed of Italian, migrant and Roma workers (about 300).
The Project Rebeldia, a social center which was for two years without a space to carry out its activities, together with the Municipality of the Commons (consisting of groups and citizens' associations that have always worked with the Project Rebeldia) occupied a former paint factory (Ex Colorificio), located in an industrial area of a multinational of about 14,000 metres, and which had been abandoned for 5 years. The main purpose of the occupation was to return it to the associations and citizen groups as a shared and common good; a place for the provision of many different activities and services to the city.
The non-profit Association Favara Urban Network is the laboratory for development of the City of Favara (AG). F.U.N. has the task of supporting, from a scientific and cultural point of view, the transformation processes of Favara and the metropolitan area.
Auteur : Philippe Granger/Lorna Muddiman - Publié le : 2013-06-04 07:39 -
Bring & Fix events are intergenerational community fairs where people share their skills and knowledge freely with each other to 'fix' problems (material and non-material), recycle and reduce waste. The aim is to stimulate sustainability and contribute towards generating resilient and empowered communities in the locality.