Results from Barcelona 2010 on the topic

Democracy

The following are the results of the GAP at the Degrowth Conference 2010 in Barcelona that are particularly relevant for this working group.

The document first presents a summary, including links to other working groups (in red & capital), and then the complete results of those Barcelona working groups with some relations the current one.

Summary:

We should de-commercialize / de-commodify politics (POLITICAL STRATEGIES).

We need to create new spaces and network where deliberation becomes possible and participation in politics and decision-making (e.g. citizen juries) is enhanced. Increase critical and deliberative capacity by creating holistic spaces of education. (EDUCATION)

Ideas and practices of direct / participatory democracy have to be applied to different scales and activities, including enterprises. (SOCIAL ECONOMY).

Question remain what kind of incentives can / should be set to motivate people to participate in political activity and decision-making. (POLITICAL STRATEGIES).

How can we ensure that existing participative decision-making arrangements are taken into account by existing institutional framework?

Working Groups from 2010 GAP in Barcelona with some connections

Participative/direct democracy

Research questions:

• In a degrowth scenario, what ideas and practices of direct / participatory democracy are relevant for different scales of decision-making? Including with respect to different types of enterprises??

• In a degrowth trajectory, what kind of incentives can / should be set to motivate people to participate in political activity and decision-making?

• How can we ensure that existing participative decision-making arrangements are taken into account by existing institutional framework?

Proposals:

• Create spaces and networks for enhanced participation in politics and decision-making (e.g. citizen juries)

• We should de-commercialize / de-commodify politics

• Increase critical and deliberative capacity by creating holistic spaces of education

Political strategies

Three comprehensive and complementary options:

• Exit strategy: leaving the system, building alternatives

• Voice strategy: political movement and activist, a particular engagement

• Loyalty strategy: change within the political system, assimilation within the political party system, perhaps too early and perhaps against the ideas of degrowth

Further points:

• Need to learn from other local initiatives, some cases were discussed, and the need to be based more in the grassroots and history of movements, have relevance recognize diversity of socio-cultural and political history contexts

• Need to learn to local initiatives to reply in other local contexts or to extract models that can be expanded at the global level. Degrowth is not an entirely new idea, to take root in the 1970´s, is important to learn about mistakes, need to highlight alternatives of the past and look at how they have worked.

• The discussion have emphasis in understand social, technological, political and economics contexts that made differences between now and 70´s. The movements change from our current situation and position at local and global level should not be only one, but would have to be constructed from an understanding of the different cultures and political history context in determining the emphasis on particular political strategies.

Property rights

Non-regulation of resources is not a solution. Private property needs to be restricted. This implies further discussion on options and alternatives to private property and its regulation.

In this regard, there is a need to

• Distinguish between manufactured and natural resources.

• Identify indicators to determine the maximum level of property

Degrowth is about halting the commodification of nature. The term private property comprises various aspects. In terms of degrowth, some of these ambits could still remain in the context of private property and these should be defined.

Degrowing in a just way demands democratic management of natural resources (including our own bodies) so the resources should not be commodified.

• Global commons: It is necessary to design jurisdiction according to each global common

• Local commons: It is essential to recognize and integrate communal property rights under national law.

Energy degrowth and the transition to renewable energies

Political proposals:

• Foster policies, incorporating a multi-criteria evaluation to have an energy system with the highest EROI and the lowest environmental impact and lowest material throughput with lost transport distance…

• The decision making process of planning for future policies should be in a democratic and decentralized manner but the decision could be to use and manage the energy either locally or centralized.

Research questions and proposals:

• How can we ensure fair access to fossil fuel as their scarcity increases

• Research on the trade off and complementary points of locally vs centrally derived energy systems.

• Further invest money (public) on alternative energy sources (apart from nuclear) to research on their fundamental principles and also strategies for implementation in a transparent (to everyone) and for the common use and good of everyone (bien común).

Points of disagreement:

• Cap on the energy demand; prioritization of sectors for reduction of energy consumption.