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COMMONS MAGAZINE

Economy and Markets

Conventional economic theory fails to account for the pivotal role of the commons in generating and distributing wealth. It is important to understand the limits of individual property rights and pay attention the wide benefits coming from the commons sector of the economy.

(By Hoan Luong under a Creative Commons license)

February 20, 2015

How Much is the Commons Worth?

In the US alone, almost as much as all private wealth

(By Laity Lodge Family Camp under a CC license.)

January 9, 2015

How to Save the Middle Class When Jobs Don’t Pay

Sharing common wealth would revive the American Dream for all

By the Catholic Church of England and Wales under a CC license. 

December 16, 2014

Will Pope Francis' Humanitarian Values Shape Church Policies?

“Every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral--and not simply an economic--act.”

(By Chris Goldberg under a CC license)

December 15, 2014

The Retail Jungle

Working conditions for part time employees is a national disgrace, which local governments are now addressing

(By Jeremy Hunsinger under a CC license)

December 4, 2014

Hope For Imagining a World Beyond Corporate Control

Finding ways to democratically control our common wealth, from Quebec to India

By Alfredo Mendez under a CC license from flickr.com

November 21, 2014

Debating the Sharing Economy

Is this sharing's big breakthrough? Or business as usual?

By Susan Sermoneta under a CC license

November 18, 2014

The Great Promise of Social Co-Operatives

A practical alternative to corporate economic control already exists. It is more efficient and more responsive to people's needs

(By Dale Calder under a Creative Commons license.)

October 1, 2014

Linux for Lettuce

Revolutionizing American agribusiness from the ground up, one seed at a time

A Southern town that broadens government role in promoting the common good.  (Photo by J. Stephen Conn under a CC license)

September 11, 2014

The Little City That Could

Somerset, Kentucky bucks big corporations by selling its citizens gasoline at lower costs

Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson was elected on a platform advocating that resources be "operated democratically for the benefit of all the people".

August 13, 2014

A Great Old Idea for the New Economy

A Cooperative Commonwealth vision, which created Canada's healthsystem, is still powerful today