The social commons: social protection in the age of sharingFrancine MestrumGlobal Social Justice (www.globalsocialjustice.eu)

GCGI ConferenceParis, 26-28 August 2013

IntroductionThe importance of words

◦Words do not ‘make’ things but create an ontologically subjective reality

◦Social reality can change our perception of things and consequently our agency

◦Perspective on ‘social development’

Social development since 1950UN and its reports on the ’social

situation’: the solution is ‘(economic) development’

1970s: brief period of ‘social development’ with a focus on employment and social protection

1980s-1990s: structural adjustment

1990s-2015: poverty reduction policies

Poverty reduction policiesDouble strategy:

◦WB/IMF: PRSPs◦UN: MDGs

Both failed

Post-2015Sustainable development goalsMost probably with a focus on:

◦Environmental sustainability◦Social sustainability:

Human rights Inequality Social protection

The ‘new’ social protectionObjectives: ‘social investment’

for economic growth Limited scopeUniversalism with divergent

meanings – in fact still targeting

The ‘new’ social protectionPositive elements:

◦Mostly rights-based◦Attention for the income dimension

of poverty

But all in all the ‘new’ social protection is a more comprehensive approach to poverty reduction

Transformative social protectionNeeded: a new conceptualization

of social protection Needed: a new way of organizing

and expanding social protectionNeeded: more social and

economic security for people

Transformative social protectionRe-introduce the collective

dimensionNeoliberalism with its focus on

competitiveness, flexibility and the struggle for life has destroyed social bonds

The welfare of the collectivity does not coincide with the welfare of individuals

Transformative social protectionThis is why not only individuals

but also society has to be protected, materially and immaterially, by recognizing the primordial role of social life as a condition for the emergence and survival of individuals

We need a collective will to protect us against the dominance of individual interests

Transformative social protectionWe need a broad concept of

social protection that encompasses but also goes beyond individual rights, that emphasizes the things we share, our interdependance and the links with nature of which we are all part

Transformative social protection should thus combine the three generations of human rights

The social commonsTransformative social protection requires

a re-thinking of the economy and of democracy

Do we not also need a re-thinking of our way of thinking?

How to take into account the life experiences of young people that resist the current neoliberal globalization?

How to take into account the global village we are living in and the interdependance of all?

The social commonsDefending the commons is focusing on

that which is shared by all human beings: our need for social and economic protection and security

It is the very foundation of collective life of humanity

It is resisting the current commodification of everything and a breakaway from the dominant logic

The social commons are human made commons, meant to protect individuals and societies

The social commonsThe concept of social commons

focuses on the collective dimension of the protection that is needed and on the collective endeavour to achieve it

Social commons are not ‘public goods’ but refer to ‘the common good’ – that what humans share

Social commons refer to collective action and the result of this action

The social commonsThe concept of ‘social commons’

is based on the belief that people can master their present and shape their future within the framework of mutual respect and respect for nature

It is a transformative project requiring changes in different sectors of society

It is a comprehensive approach aiming to offer bread and roses

The social commonsThe concept of ‘social commons’ is not

very different from the transformative social protection I proposed, but:

Words can help to shape our thinking and our acting

Words can influence the way we are perceiving things and react to them

New words can change our mindsets and help us to prepare a better future for people, for societies and for the planet.