Shaping a More Meaningful Economy — Part 7
A Path to the New Economy
A workshop as a space for experience
If a more meaningful economic system can indeed be able to better meet our needs, the question is how we can try out the new system without too many challenges or risks. One way is to learn the new principles and practices together with like-minded people in an experiential space suitable for this purpose: the One-X Workshop. Here, pioneers of the new system can experiment and learn from each other with mutual support. A gradual entry into the new system is recommended in order to internalize the principles and experience the benefits without being overwhelmed. At the same time, it should be easy to return to the old, familiar economic system at any time if problems arise. To inform the decision to join the One-X Workshop, there are several options: One can learn more about One-X by reading other articles in this series. Contacting members can also be helpful to hear their experiences and clarify doubts. Representatives of One-X institutional entities can also provide information and clarify the way of working and possible risks of the system. With enough clarity and interest, you can then try out without further requirements the new economic system in the Workshop.
The path begins in the old economic system
To begin the journey into the new economic system, we must first consider our initial situation in the old system. Basically, there are three possible scenarios from which we can enter the new system. The first option is to enter the new system as an individual alone, by connecting to an existing instance of One-X. The second option is for individuals to come together who have been acting independently, i.e. not coordinating themselves in the current economy, and form a new One-X instance. This could be, for example, a group of acquaintances or of companies that want to form an association. The third possibility is to set out together with other individuals who are already connected in the current system by established economic relations, such as employees of a company or citizens of a municipality.
Individuals who previously acted independently from each other, can directly begin to learn the new practices. Economically coordinated individuals, however, must first let go of some of the existing economic structures and replace them with new ones. We focus on the introduction of new practices in this article because they are relevant in all cases.
Holons as autonomous members
In the new economic system, members should be able to cooperate on an equal footing and make autonomous decisions. Therefore, if individuals are part of a larger ‘economic unit’, for example a family, they will join along with the other participants in that unit. These units should be able to act both as one, in this example the family, and as a part of a larger system, for example a neighborhood or a larger community, and are referred to as holons.
This means that members of One-X can consist of individuals, but also of groups of individuals acting as holons. For example, any household, defined as a group of people who pool their income to finance the fulfillment of their needs, can become a member of One-X. Another example is a department of a company, assuming that it can act autonomously, for example as a profit center in the company.
The gradual empowerment as a holon
Once it is determined which individuals and holons are interested in joining together in the One-X economic system, concrete steps can be taken to gradually introduce the practices to achieve the five qualities of a more meaningful economic system. To successfully implement these practices, it is recommended to enter One-X in stages to avoid an abrupt transition. There are three suggested stages: Transparency, Collaboration, and Resource Sharing.
Transparency
The first stage, “Transparency”, is about new members entering into the agreement with the institutional entity Identity to support the One-X statutes and framework. In this stage they make economically relevant aspects of their lives transparent. For example, for a household, this includes the number of household members, their skills and needs, their own trust and motivation, and activities and finances outside of One-X. Members are encouraged to seek opportunities to make a greater impact together and also to consider forming new economic entities, called One-X entities, where appropriate.
Collaboration
The “Collaboration” stage is about a member of One-X finding one or more One-X entities with which they can meaningfully collaborate. In consultation with the other members, the member will then focus part of his attention on these entities and spend his time on them. It is recommended to start with a not too small portion of one’s attention in One-X, so that a significant added value can be generated. An attention between ten and twenty hours per week and member can be a good basis for this.
The member will invest his attention in entities in coordination with the institutional entity Market, while his needs will be financed by the institutional entity Good Life according to the share of invested attention. If the member creates his own entity, it will be funded in coordination with the institutional entity Balance. Possibly, over time, the share of attention of each member in One-X entities is gradually increased, without necessarily coming to 100% at individual or household level.
Resource sharing
The “resource sharing” stage is about making the use of resources within the One-X economic system more efficient and sustainable. Once enough trust has been established between members, it makes sense to license their own property. Prior to this stage, members must obtain their necessary resources from other sources, including their own property, if not sufficiently funded by One-X. However, once a household’s needs are fully covered by One-X, exclusive access to owned resources is no longer necessary. For example, one’s own bicycle can thus be made available to other members when not used. It then makes more sense to license one’s own resources bit by bit within the One-X economic system. The licensed resources are only obtained by members and entities via the market against payment of a rent or a purchase price, even in the case that the actual owner wants to use them.
Be able to go back at any time
We believe that a more meaningful economic system can provide a suitable alternative for all. However, we realize that members’ circumstances and priorities can change. Therefore, members must have the freedom to move between stages or terminate their agreement with One-X. If a member moves to a lower stage or leaves, all previously existing commitments will be dissolved, with no negative consequences for the remaining members or the leaving individual. Shared personal information will be deleted upon request, collaboration will be suspended, and resources licenced by the member will be given back to the original owner.
A possible concrete way
Everyone can decide for himself or herself how he or she will enter the new system. If you don’t have any experience with the system yet, the following steps might be a workable sequence:
- First contact: If you learned about One-X through acquaintances or articles like this one, and the promises are relevant to you, you can start looking for a specific implementation.
- Choose your holon: We recommend that you do not start from scratch, but choose a holon where you are already economically active and where the new system could increase the overall effectiveness.
- Clarify the general conditions: If the specific application seems feasible, you need to detail the framework of the experiment. What do the members need? How will success be measured? How much time and resources do you need to invest?
- Start-up: When the trial is settled and the time has arrived, you begin the start-up of the new system. Institutional representatives are elected, One-X entities are created, activities and resources are gradually transferred to the new system.
- Connection with other holons: Once one’s holon is active and experience has been gained, one can decide whether to connect the holon with other holons in One-X to experience even more synergy and stability.
Once in, you can support and develop the One-X system in the Workshop to take care of yourself and all other members. We have personally experienced the added value of this system and believe it has great potential. How do you see it?
Shaping the new system together
If these topics are relevant to you, we invite you to read other articles in this series. All articles are linked below.
If you are still not sure whether these topics are relevant for you, we offer to each reader the possibility of a short personal reflection. Also, feel free to contact us at info@one-x.org and we will quickly respond.
We welcome pioneers who are eager to share their principles, practices, and experiences with us, and work together to develop a new economic system for broader application.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Andrea Demaria & Tobias Bantzhaff
Articles of the series Shaping a more meaningful economy:
- Part 1: Toward a New Vision
- Part 2: Voluntary Engagement
- Part 3: Peer Empowerment
- Part 4: Environmental Respect
- Part 5: Purposeful Investment
- Part 6: Fair Participation
- Part 7: A Path to the New Economy (this article)
- Part 8: Fundamentals of One-X (to be published)