The global sharing economy:making the shiftRajesh Makwana 27th August 2013

11th GCGI International Annual Conference, Cité Universitaire Internationale, Paris. www.stwr.org

What is economic sharing?

The global sharing economy: making the shift www.stwr.org

Sharing in terms of ‘giving’ implies ownership:

• Charity • Philanthropy• Gift economies • Reciprocity

We cannot give away a tangible resource unless it belongs to us in the first place.

Sharing in terms of ‘using jointly’ implies trusteeship:

• The global commons • Public goods and services• National trusts• Community assets

A shared resource is not necessarily owned, given or received but can be collectively managed and freely accessible.

• Planet Earth as a self-regulating system

• Natural cycles and elements within the biosphere

• The cells of all living organisms share available nutrients

• Plants and flowers freely share their pollen and seeds

• Evidence of sharing in groups of highly social animals

Sharing in nature…examples

The global sharing economy: making the shift www.stwr.org

Homo-economicus

The global sharing economy: making the shift www.stwr.org

Policymaking is:

• based on the assumption that human beings are selfish, competitive, acquisitive and individualistic

• driven by the endless pursuit of economic growth, profit and wealth accumulation

Creating a world in which:

• market forces rather than human need dictates the distribution of resources, goods and services

• commercialisation has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, encouraging highly individualistic and unsustainable consumerist lifestyles

• natural resources are usurped at far greater rates than they can be replenished

Economic sharing:Justice and sustainability

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Economic sharing is about creating environmentally sustainable systems that deliver social and economic justice.

It relates closely to the concepts of:

• Equality

• Human rights

• Universalism

• Trusteeship

• Common ownership

• Stewardship

Sharing in action…examples

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• Agricultural land was traditionally shared/managed cooperatively as a ‘commons’

• Saving and sharing seeds has played an integral role in farming

• Transition towns, cooperatives, conservation projects, alternative currencies, and ‘trusts’ that manage common-pool resources

• The sharing economy: collaborative consumption, peer-to-peer technology, open source software development, gift economies, time banking etc.

• Land value taxation as a form of public revenue can share the value of a country’s land more fairly with citizens

• Participative democracy seeks to share political power more equitably with citizens

• Progressive taxation and public spending is a complex form of economic sharing whereby nations redistribute financial resources for the benefit of society as a whole

• Extending the concepts of justice, socio-economic rights and environmental sustainability to include the entire community of nations and the planet as a whole.

• Ensuring that people in all countries, including future generations, can access what they need to survive and prosper without devastating the planet in the process.

• Recognising that all people are part of an extended human family with the same basic needs and rights, and establishing policies and institutions at the global level that embody this understanding.

Global economic sharingKey principles

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• Poverty: 95% of people who live in developing countries survive on the equivalent of less than $10 a day. Around 15 million people die needlessly every year from a lack of access to essentials such as food, water and healthcare.

• Environment: We consume natural resources 50% faster than the planet can replenish them. 80% of all resources are consumed by the wealthiest 20% of the world’s population, who are therefore responsible for the vast majority of global warming.

• Conflict: At least 18 international conflicts have been triggered by competition for resources since 1990, including the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The possibility of future conflict remains very real, especially in light of a rising world population, soaring global consumption rates, and rapidly disappearing energy supplies.

The global emergency…a snapshot

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1. If financial resources are redistributed or shared more equitably both within and between nations, inequality could be reduced and extreme poverty could be eliminated in a relatively short timeframe.

2. If the international community shared the world’s natural resources more sustainably and equitably, it would be possible to regulate and equalise consumption patterns across the world and bring emission levels to within environmental limits.

3. Sharing rather than competing over the world’s natural resources could help de-escalate conflict and increase international peace and security.

Sharing as a solution to global crises?

The global sharing economy: making the shift www.stwr.org

Campaigning for a fairer sharing of wealth, power and resources within and between nationswww.stwr.org

The global sharing economy: making the shift www.stwr.org