Commons Magazine

Commons Magazine is your gateway to the latest thinking and action in the commons movement. We pay close attention to how communities around the world are discovering the commons as a way to solve problems and to share what belong to all of us equitably – including future generations. You’ll find profiles of everyday people making a difference, groundbreaking ideas that will prove useful in your own life, as well as current news examined in fresh ways through a commons lens.

November 2011 Edition

Elinor Ostrom Outlines Best Strategies for Managing the Commons

Nobel Prize winner headlines the Minneapolis Festival of the Commons, co-sponsored by On the Commons

October 2011 Edition

How One Percent Grabbed So Much of Our Wealth The economic benefits of knowledge-- which belong to us all-- flow to the rich	Changing the World One Block at a Time The neighborhood is a powerful—but often overlooked—tool for social improvement
Why are Bicyclists Being Targeted by Congress? Minneapolis' rise as America's top bike city owes a lot to federal programs	The Little Library That Could Free neighborhood libraries are popping up all over
The Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street Finally, a truly populist uprising	Occupy Main Street Frustration about Wall Street greed boils over in Middle America
We Power From people's quiet yearnings, come new possibilities for a shift from me to we	The Architect Has No Clothes Why so much modern design looks harsh and feels inhospitable
"The Most Important Thing in the World" Naomi Klein on the beautiful movement that is arising	It's Labor vs. Capital, Stupid Now that we're in the streets, what are we asking for?
The War Comes Home to Wall Street After 10 Years People are demonstrating-- figuratively and literally-- that change is in the air	Live From Wall Street A dispatch from Zuccotti Park
Commons Arises on the Campaign Trail Elizabeth Warren eloquently evokes what we share in Massachusetts Senate race	Elinor Ostrom's 8 Principles for Managing A Commmons OTC co-sponsers a Commons Festival featuring the Nobel Prize winner Oct. 7-8 in Minneapolis

September 2011 Edition

What Are We Waiting For, America? Thoughts on 10 years of war	The Case for the Post Office Will we let the Republicans destroy this most public of all public institutions?
A Secret Inheritance Is Being Stolen From You Right Now Can the American Dream survive the plunder of the common good?	Great Green Public Spaces Right Under Our Noses Cemeteries were once used like parks, which is beginning to happen again
The Military and the Commons Why would we want the military to command the commons?	Bike and Pedestrian Safety Under Attack on Capitol Hill Republicans should heed a surprising conservative voice on the subject
Our Last Chance: Listen to the Wombat Everything we need to know can be learned from a fuzzy marsupial starring in this video	Trusts: A Uniquely Commons Form of Ownership Not private, not government, they preserve resources for the public good
CEOs Get Massive Rewards for Dodging Corporate Taxes Many major companies pay CEOs more than they do Uncle Sam