Structure of the Lecture:

• Review of key points from prior presentations: The Political Economy, Ecology, and Sociology of the Commons
• Implications for higher education and Sonoma State University

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY, ECOLOGY, AND SOCIOLOGY OF THE COMMONS

Figure 1. Evolution of Civilization: Communications, Energy & Economic Systems

The context in which we are operating is driven by technological imperatives.

These technological imperatives revolve around communication and information processing technology. Therefore, information intensive enterprises are most likely to experience fundamental restructuring. These enterprises include financial services institutions, politics, universities, and the media.

Figure 2. The Market and The Commons

Needed: a Political Economy of the Commons

• What we have: The curse of Adam Smith & Free Market Fundamentalism, Privatization
• Power Politics based on money (plutocracy), fear, and traditionalist idealism
• Idealism & ideology: We need new narratives, including narratives about the commons

Political decision making needs to be decentralized to the local and bioregional level for four reasons:

1. Globalization concentrates conventional economic power in global corporations and weakens the economic power of the nation-state

2. Globalization has created a power vacuum at the local and bioregional level, which is where the unsolvable problems--education, health care, public safety, retirement security, and a sustainable environment--and the underutilized resources--human capital--are located.

3. Local politics is the essential laboratory for learning about politics.

4. Effective citizenship is likely to be a more important factor than marketable skills in the quality of life that the individual enjoys

 Ecology & Sociology of the Micro-Commons

• Importance of storytelling: H. Norberg-Hodge, J. Rowe
• Natural & Social Commons: Environmental movement has sensitized public opinion to the natural or ecological commons, but has not developed a coherent theory of its economics
• Progressive theory in the romantic tradition (Rousseau, Wordsworth, Blake, Transcendentalism) including ecopsychology, is developing a coherent theory of the village or community commons. In the humanistic-transpersonal psychology tradition, reconstructing the community is today’s agenda, following the reconstruction of the self in the 1960s and 70s.
• Politics of Trust offers useful policy goals (blueprints). However, the social technology of humanistic politics is most appropriate to the local and bioregional level
• Complementary (regional/local) currencies are a basic tool.

Missing Megacommons: Commons is not only at village/neighborhood/ community/ bioregional level

HIGHER EDUCATION

Figure 3. State of California Budget (not available online)

Figure 4. California State University & Sonoma State University Budgets

Economics & Politics of Education:

Figure 5. $2 billion in additional midyear budget cuts proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Fees vs. Taxes

Progressive Taxes

An agenda for higher education

Jobs vs. citizenship

Curriculum:

• Education for Citizenship
• Entrepreneurship in the Common Economy