Challenges and Approaches to Scaling the Global Commons

Abstract

The re-emergence of commoning over the last decades is not incidental, but rather indicative of a large-scale transition to a more “generative” organization of society that is oriented toward the planet’s global carrying capacity. Digital commons governance frameworks are of particular importance for a new global paradigm of cooperation, one that can scale the organization of communities around common goals and resources to unprecedented levels of size, complexity and granularity. Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) such as blockchain have lately given new impetus to the emergence of a new generation of authentic “sharing economy,” protected from capture by thorough distribution of power over infrastructure, that spans not only digital but also physical production of common value. The exploration of the frontiers of DLT-based commoning at the heart of this article considers three exemplary cases for this new generation of commons-oriented community frameworks: the Commons Stack, Holochain and the Commons Engine, and the Economic Space Agency. While these projects differ in their scope as well as in their relation to physical common-pool resources (CPRs), they all share the task of redefining markets so as to be more conducive to the production and sustainment of common value(s). After introducing each of them with regards to their specificities and commonalities, we analyze their capacity to foster commons-oriented economies and “money for the commons” that limit speculation, emphasize use-value over exchange-value, favor equity in human relations, and promote responsibility for the preservation of natural habitats. Our findings highlight the strengths of DLTs for a federated scaling of CPR governance frameworks that accommodates rather than obliterates cultural differences and creates webs of fractal belonging among nested communities.

Data commons

“…ture of data implies that technology, mainly discussed in the field of blockchain, may be leveraged to that aim (Fritsch et al, 2021). However, in light of the above, questions about how commons should organise themselves and their relationship with other communities and actors will always be in need of sustainable answers.…”

Blockchain and Holochain in Medical Education from Planetary Health and Climate Change Perspectives

“…According to a performance evaluation, an Internet of Things healthcare solution based on Holochain technology is more resource-efficient and offers an adequate level of security and privacy, when compared to a solution based on blockchain (9). As these studies showed, Fritsch et al (32) suggests that Holochain has the potential to enable distributed, participant-led governance models that can be more responsive to local needs and values. This can lead to more sustainable and equitable decisionmaking in medical education, as well as more efficient use of resources.…”

Blockchain for regenerative built environment governance

“…The centralized value system inherent in traditional non-technical governance approaches can undermine the inclusion of diverse perspectives, hinder the realization of equitable outcomes across nation boarder and subpar the efficiency in managing complex systems [40]. Conversely, local community oriented governance, while beneficial for value inclusivity, suffers from the tragedy of the commons [41] and difficulties in scaling [42]. Therefore, a transformative governance tooling that tightly unites social, economic, and technological aspects is pivotal in advancing regenerative development to a higher level of effectiveness.…”