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Commons-based peer production

on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 13:45

Commons-based peer production is a term coined by Harvard Law School professor Yochai Benkler to describe a new model of economic production in which the creative energy of large numbers of people is coordinated (usually with the aid of the Internet) into large, meaningful projects mostly without traditional hierarchical organization (and often, but not always, without or with decentralized financial compensation). Often used interchangeably with the term social production, Benkler compares commons-based peer production to firm production (where a centralized decision process decides what has to be done and by whom) and market-based production (when tagging different prices to different jobs serves as an attractor to anyone interested in doing the job).

 
The term was first introduced in Benkler's seminal paper Coase's Penguin. His 2006 book, The Wealth of Networks expands significantly on these ideas. (Wikipedia)

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janosabel's picture

Capitalism3.0---A Guide To Reclaiming The Commons can be used as a DIY manual to transform capitalism itoo a commons based modern economic system.

There is a free electronic version online but it is well worth getting the hard back version from Amazon for 12 dollars. I bought two copies, am reading it for the second time but no one else seems to have time to work through it with a view to doing something about it.

janosabel's picture

It is time to start using our "text book". The intention is to have two meetups a month on the second and fourth Thursdays, 6 pm to 8 pm at the South Bank Center, Royal Festival Hall, Level 2, Blue Side.

The meetup site is http://www.meetup.com/goodworldmovement/. During the first few meetups we will just familiarize ourselves with the book and get to know the author.

The first meetup already happened with three people attending and a fourth sending apologies for absence.