Commons and New Development Model

In this article I formulate the proposal that the commons - updated to the present - may become the backbone of a social order alternative to the capitalist order, which has dominated the world for the last three centuries. I hold that the "return of the commons", as I call my proposal, is an historical necessity to overcome the crisis of capitalism and the problems it has created, especially in its last financial phase: plunder of nature, privatisation of the public space, unemployment, social inequalities, ecological catastrophes. To support my proposal I first identify the main features of commons such as self-government by local communities. Second: I recall briefly how the commons were de-legitimated by the Industrial Revolution in the passage from Medieval times to Modernity. Third: I highlight the new recent enclosures of water, air, land and energy such as climate change. Fourth: I hold that the return of the commons requires an intermediate step, i.e. the ecological conversion of economies to be carried out by local communities. Fifth: I speculate on the reasons that haven’t yet allowed to the return of the commons to become the first item on the agenda of the movements.

Keywords: Commons, New Enclosures, Local Communities

Giovanna Ricoveri, Beni comuni e nuovo modello di sviluppo in "AGRICOLTURA ISTITUZIONI MERCATI " 3/2009, pp 91-106, DOI: 10.3280/AIM2009-003005