Shifting Economics for Societal Value
A bit of context…
This is one of (7) overarching societal coalition living lab themes that Unstitution is proactively targeting.
Each coalition theme is multi-layered and multi-faceted, catalyzing and building upon — in supportive synergistic ways — many initiatives that are already doing important work.
With overlapping synergies between and among us all, we can spawn wider and deeper, connecting additional coalitions and initiatives — a pattern already underway and observed.
Unstitution’s own driving theme is a linchpin for the others. A reciprocal and symbiotic interdependence is at play. Multiple coalitions and initiatives, over time — and beyond our own work and lifetimes — will collectively contribute to rebooting society’s operating system. Activating an abundance mindset toward flourishing on a finite planet needs us all with gifts differing reconstituting the commons in a variety of ways.
The regenerative and resilient health of Unstitution, patterned as a collaborative commons, contributes to the integrity and resilience of any and all coalitions and initiatives within and across our nested and interconnected ecosystems.
Theme descriptions are not carved in stone. Since coalitions and initiatives spawn organically and by design, we’re always balancing strategy thinking with co-creative emergent learning. As people co-catalyze and engage, they will help to shape and adapt the trajectory in more granular and tangible context-based and place-sourced ways that bring it to life.
Overview…yeah it’s complex…but we gotta cut through…
There are many overlapping and layered issues, challenges and opportunities.
Money and funding is a big hairy recurring challenge that understandably rears its head. One big hydra-headed monster!
Success and wealth in conventional neoclassical economics and finance is based entirely on the financial return on capital investment. Positive social or environmental impacts are seen as byproducts. Negative externalities beyond narrowly defined corporate ESG and CSR goals are routinely ignored. This pervasive monocapital model is the root and perpetuating cause of many layered societal problems and vicious clusters of monsters such as environmental destruction, planetary boundary overshoot, colonization, injustice, poverty, addictive consumerism, greed and corruption, to name a few.
Most coalitions as they are typically formed, are not coalitions in the true sense. They are often limited to a two-way let’s-scratch-each-other’s-back collusion between government and business — with civil society, people and our natural environments overlooked, commodified and suffering the consequences.
The intractability of these kinds of problems points to a compelling need for new models, contexts and the values-aligned incentives that can help to navigate deep shift and rebalance society.
Regenerative economics is a multicapital model with financial capital as one of several energizing capitals or capacities supporting value flows and exchange. Positive social and environmental impact and economic well-being (reframed) are the primary goals. Financial return is seen as a byproduct. Money is an enabling means to an end when regenerative finance is the guiding model. It’s about healthy circulation and flow, not accumulation of financial wealth for the sake of growth and profit (for the wealthy few.) Life enhancing economics designed for people and planet can lead to (greater) overall prosperity. Abundance is reframed in ways that fosters flourishing for all — meeting basic needs and serving meaningful purpose.
While there is growing awareness that society’s driving economic model is failing, and many experts are developing and proposing alternative regenerative models, strategies methods and platforms:
📚 Macro and micro, ideological and practical economic perspectives and challenges are wide ranging — with advocacy ranging from incremental tweaks to transformative societal shifts
📚Economic thought leaders, government and business policy makers and regenerative finance experts, investors, philanthropists and others do not share a unifying view on the most viable and feasible (trans)contextual pathways forward
📚 Polarization persists even among many of those who share concerns, regarding the dysfunctional GDP driven economic model and practices
📚 Labelling and binary debate tend to dilute efforts and sub-optimize the potential impact, reach and momentum of initiatives pursued
📚 Divisiveness, deep distrust, and conflicts of interest slow policy change and extend predatory industry delay and green washing — e.g. when the experts disagree, stall tactics persist
📚 Strategies and solutions must be adapted and right scaled to address context-based and place-sourced bioregional ecological, cultural and socio-economic needs and differences
Unstitution is co-catalyzing and collaborating on various initiatives with leaders and practitioners who are pioneering alternative economic models, currencies and technologies to co-create a SHfT toward human and planetary thriveability and prosperity.
As we collectively make progress, we will apply what we learn in various initiatives, experimenting with new models and funding mechanisms that facilitate the flow of capital where it is needed toward regenerative mission critical efforts and impact. At the same time, we’ll seek multiple/pooled funding sources thereby supporting healthy mutually interdependent interests and preventing conflicts of interest and power inequalities. Examples of overlapping topics and initiatives being explored include:
⚙️ Connecting, reconciling and incorporating perspectives on degrowth, post growth, circular economies and Doughnut Economics
⚙️ Money flow, identifying where it is most needed
⚙️ Alternative multicapital models of valuation (beyond GDP)
⚙️ Alternative impact, systemic and ergodic investment models
⚙️ Systemic triple materiality, context-based sustainability standards, accounting models and evaluation methods
⚙️ Connecting and integrating commons governance and prosocial principles and systems to alternative economic models and practises
⚙️ Introducing and applying ergodic principles toward the investment and development of interdependent start-up and early stage venture ecosystems
⚙️ Decentralized money, cryptocurrency, tokenization, blockchain, land trusts and DAOs
⚙️ Advocacy and strategies for broader societal economic policy change and transition
Initiatives that cut across and build bridges within this overarching theme.
We work collaboratively and co-creatively with several global and local organizations, practitioners and initiatives who bring overlapping and differentiated perspectives, expertise, capabilities and lived experience. We’ll potentially bring together and build upon any and all of the following who have/are devising, adapting and implementing alternative models, methods and platforms to help make the shift towards regenerative economics aligned with life-affirming Game Be operating principles:
⚙️ Economists
⚙️ Policy makers
⚙️ Academia
⚙️ Alternative economic and financial service providers
⚙️ Impact investors, funders and philanthropists
⚙️ Entrepreneurs and creators working with DAOs, enabling technologies and alternative currencies
This work has synergistic links to our other overarching coalition themes:
Linking to our Elementally Sustaining People & Planet: Earth, Fire, Water, Air theme through -
Initiatives that fund and support a range of regenerative initiatives towards positive impact on natural and built environments, community resilience and social cohesion and related climate issues.
Linking to our Justice-Led Social Wellbeing theme through -
Initiatives that fund and address poverty, marginalization, alternate ways of valuing differentiated contribution in society (e.g. the caring economy)
Linking to our Amplifying Youth-Led Change theme through -
University, school and community projects that fund and support youth leadership, agency, learning and creative activation
The afterthought that’s NOT an afterthought
Having recognized that Education and Learning and Arts and Culture are fundamental multimodal building blocks that can extend reach, inspire, develop capabilities and foster social change — they are woven into all coalition themes and the functions that make up our Living Operating System.
We welcome people who are especially poised to enrich coalition work and help to embed and embody learning, culture and creativity — to participate.
Yeah…we know…sounds rather ambitious as described.
Navigating between worlds is fraught with difficult challenges, with many of us dependent on conventional economics — affected by the very issues we are trying to overcome. There are many pressures and tensions that reinforce dysfunctional dynamics — holding onto control and domination-oppression patterns.
It’s not easy to be in this world and live by and into different rules of engagement — to uphold and stay true to a healthy collaborative partnership way of being.
The good news…it’s underway. We gotta step it up in a variety of interconnected, tangible ways.
Working together synergistically — you and we can all be unstitutional.
There’s a growing reservoir of regenerative economics education, publications and resources with pioneers and practitioners shaping the way. We celebrate, draw from, support, share and build collaboratively from these. On a planet of 8 billion people, we need to widen the pathways for multitudes of initiatives to flourish for the common good. A spirit of generosity, reciprocity and enabling value flows will lift us all. ~ Unstitution
*This article was updated January 2024, reflecting additional perspectives and ongoing action research, as we continue to observe, listen, assimilate, curate and adapt — a humbling learning journey.
Unstitution was birthed as a collective creative commons and nested ecosystem. We (co-)catalyze and support collaborative communities, initiatives and coalitions where people from across sectors, disciplines, cultures, generations and walks-of-life work together on mission critical issues. From readiness through to regenerative progress — moving beyond polarization — is how we roll. The links embedded throughout this article are a warm invitation to go a bit deeper, at any time. For more insights reflecting our ongoing journey, our suite of Unstitution articles are published on Medium. They portray a small sample of the ways we are adapting and contributing among ever-expanding commons-based communities and initiatives inspired and fuelled by citizens — perhaps better described as denizens — anywhere in the world — living into the principles and spirit that govern our collaborative work.
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