Capitalism explained

  Everybody talks about capitalism – but what is it? | Kajsa Ekis Ekman | TEDxAthens Capitalism is production for profit in private hands according to Kajsa. And ordinary people are stuck between asking employers for enough wages to pay their bills and banks who want enough money to pay their loans.

Overshoot day August 20: will “economic” reality meet resource reality?

Let us look at overshoot day from the point of view of economics. By economics I mean the technology of keeping track of housekeeping with resources and keeping track of material obligations to those around us.  Economics does not need to be restricted to counting with money. Other measures can be used. And it is fascinating to try it. In this case we can consider that a Nation has its own household that it needs to keep fed and housed, and has its natural resources to do it. We start with a situation however where many nations are living over their means. […]

Experimental currency in Sweden

Does your local community need and injection of money to usher in prosperity? No worry, just get your scissors out and make some! This is anyway what a group of local community developers in Sweden are trying. The initiative is a cooperation between Transition Towns in Sweden (the organization that works on a local level to prepare for a world without oil) and ISSS, the Institute of Swedish Safety and Security – an organization that is working to promote resilience and disaster preparedness.

Philip Wyer, chairman of ISSS, the project’s lead partner, explains that the role of his institute is to study the changes occurring in society and relate them to the safety, security and well-being of people. Understanding resilience and ways for society to show resilience in the face of change is a perspective that ISSS covers with the other partners, the Swedish Transition movement and Open World Villages. Most important is to understand the risks society might face and ways to mitigate those potential threats. Philip likens it to preparing for a journey: you cannot be sure of what to take with you until you know if the journey will be along smooth roads, in hot jungle or up freezing mountains. Having understood where you will be going, i.e. what situation society will be in, the analysis, assessment and recommendations follow, utilizing tools including R.A.I.D assessments. This acronym stands for risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies, which enable the organization to understand the current perspective on a potential scenario and analyze the effect of future changes. […]

Swedish Foundation sees fees on raw materials can create circular economy

Just released, the latest version of the Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation’s White paper presents in detail how nations can usher in the zero emission, no waste society using a special fee mechanism on raw materials. Download the paper from the Foundation’s web site  People get worried that we should reduce consumerism, as our way of Read more about Swedish Foundation sees fees on raw materials can create circular economy[…]

We pick up the pollution bill and go hungry while corporations get the profits

In a recent article in grist.org, journalist David Roberts explains that None of the world’s top industries would be profitable if they paid for the natural capital they use Citing a recent report [PDF] by environmental consultancy Trucost on behalf of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) program sponsored by United Nations Environmental Program, Read more about We pick up the pollution bill and go hungry while corporations get the profits[…]

The citizen pays all, whilst what she wants is taxed and doesn’t want is allowed free.

Preparing a project to explore the finer art of taxation I created this diagram to illustrate the various fee and tax relationships that exist between the entities in the political economy. Some rather striking things emerge from this simple diagram: there are a lot of transactions going on, separating them all out from each other Read more about The citizen pays all, whilst what she wants is taxed and doesn’t want is allowed free.[…]

Secret alternative rules of Monopoly show how everyone can live in prosperity

I am utterly astonished. We have heard of the DaVinci code, but there is a MONOPOLY code. The secret rules of the game from the early 1900s show how, by changing the rules, everyone can live in prosperity. Back in the early 1900s a woman called Elizabeth J. Magie patented the Landlord’s game to be Read more about Secret alternative rules of Monopoly show how everyone can live in prosperity[…]

Envisioning a world without work

We are getting closer to 1984 and Brave New World, where people work but that has nothing to do with the cost of living, rather something they just have to do. In this article in the Guardian,  Nina Power analyses the disparity between the value add workers bring, to the amount of wages they take home. The theory has been that if Read more about Envisioning a world without work[…]

Eco-village hosts post-peak oil Live Action Role-Play

Last week, our eco-village, Änggärdet, played host to two days of Live Action Role-Play (LARP) along the theme of how life could look in the near future, 2016-2027, post peak oil and economic collapse. Life after Capitalism! Live action role play, as I understand it, (I might have got this wrong, but this is how Read more about Eco-village hosts post-peak oil Live Action Role-Play[…]