Commons Governance Work Group

Our Mission:

We seek to assist in the creation of an integral model of co-governance that can be applied both within existing and emergent commons in various developmental stages and contexts.

The Commons Defined:

We understand the commons to be a sphere of life that is distinct, both from the public sphere of government provision and distribution, and from the private sphere of property and trade.  

The commons are expressed in many contexts of life, spanning a continuum from observable exterior realms such as physical and biological resources and social institutions, to abstract interior realms such as learning processes and cultural histories.

The commons are also expressed at many levels of human activity, ranging from local initiatives, to cross-border collaboration, to global cooperation on behalf of present and future generations.

The commons denote fundamental shared legacies, as well as shared sovereignty amongst diverse peoples.   

Commons ...

• support the growth and evolution of life, whether human or non-human;
• evolve as complex systems over time -- they cannot be manufactured, but must be preserved; 
• are vulnerable to enclosure, neglect, and misuse, but are likewise responsive to protection, restoration, and sustenance.

A commons legacy depends on the cooperative sovereignty of those who use them to preserve their vitality for the benefit of all.

Integral Model Defined:

Integral Model is based upon Integral Theory, as developed in the writings of Ken Wilber and others.  Our primary use of this model is to organize human governance according to the four quadrants representing subjective (inner) and objective (outer) aspects of reality, for both individual and human groups. 

The four quadrants represent (1) inner values and motivations held by the individual; (2) cultural values held by groups (also an inner process); (3) behavioral actions taken by the individual (outer, observable process); and (4) social actions and powers represented by institutions and other outer influences.

We believe the four quadrants provide a natural foundation of theory for our project in that – compared to other forms of analysis – they more completely cover all the phenomenon that have an impact on the ways humans govern themselves.

Our Vision:

As a commons group, we strive to manifest a working model of commons governance that renews human sovereignty over the commons, enables just governance and democratic oversight, supports sustainability of the commons and promotes sharing and right livelihood for those who use the commons.

Our Statement of Intent:

We are part of a growing movement that recognizes the global commons as a third sector of human endeavor and world resources, one that is distinctly different from existing public and private sectors.  The global commons belongs to all of humanity.  It calls for an increasing awareness of global sovereignty on the part of all world citizens who, as groups and as individuals, need new structures of governance through which to cooperate.

Our intention therefore, is to assist in the creation of an integral, decentralized, grassroots system of governance that works to protect and sustain the global commons.  The nature of the "commons" varies broadly, from local fisheries to the world of knowledge, calling for different kinds of institutions.  We are concerned here with governance that originates at the local community level, empowering people in their home places, as well as with governance structures at larger geopolitical levels, including the global level.  Further, we are concerned that this local governance be supported at all levels, through all regions, by the United Nations and other international groups.  We believe that the full emergence of the commons will provide a balance for existing public and private sectors, resulting in greater justice and more sustainable markets.

We therefore seek...

1.   to join civil society organizations, businesses, governments, community groups, and individuals throughout the earth to  heighten collective awareness, advancing a new dialogue among all peoples regarding our relationships with each other and with the global commons;

 2.   to facilitate cooperative action, direct participation, and global representation of world citizens with regard to the recognition, protection, use and preservation of their commons;

3.  to promote the creation of commons trusts which are founded on the principles of equitable decision-making, sustainability, and accountability to all present and future generations of life.