Economics and the Common(s): From Seed Form to Core Paradigm

From the 22nd to the 24th of May, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) and Britta Rutert (Natural Justice Associate based in Germany) attended a meeting on the commons hosted by the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Berlin, Germany. The meeting sought to show the wide array of commons based methodologies, develop a coherent narrative of these methodologies and plan the next steps for action. To do so, the conference had 5 main streams: 1) Integrating theory and practice in the management of natural commons; 2) Doing away with labour: working and caring in a world of commons; 3) New infrastructures for commoning by design; 4) Commoneering Money, Markets and Value; and 5) Treating Knowledge, Culture and Science as Commons. 

The meeting was attended by commoners from a range of backgrounds and countries, who all shared their own experiences in protecting the commons. Natural Justice has been involved in this particular commons discussion since 2010, given the importance of commons systems to indigenous peoples and local communities. We would like to thank Heinrich Boell Foundation for supporting our participation to attend the meeting.