Free, fair and vital | The Power of the Commons
(Original in German: Frei, fair und lebendig | Die Macht der Commons)
Book presentation and discussion with Silke Helfrich
When: Wednesday | 15 May 2019 | 7 pm
Where: Literaturhaus im Kunstforum der Saalesparkasse, Bernburger Straße 8 I Halle (Saale), Germany
What do public forests, software from Linux, community-supported agriculture and apartment-house syndicates in common? All of this is not organized as private property but based on collective usage without profit maximization. Because yes, there is a real alternative to capitalism, to the lost state socialism, to the overpowering market and state. It is human- and environment-friendly. It satisfies needs and creates solidarity. It is as old as humankind and can be found all over the globe: The Commons – sometimes also called “common property”.
In her new book Silke Helfrich further developed the findings of the Nobel prize winner and commons researcher Elinor Ostrom and distinguished multifaceted patterns. After the book presentation we had a chance to discuss some of the key questions raised in the book with the author and the audience. The main question is how transformations towards a lifestyle and an economy that respect the planetary boundaries can succeed?
Prof. Dr. Insa Theesfeld, President-Elect of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) and Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Policy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, moderated the discussion.
Now you can watch the video from the presentation with some of the highlights here.
The book is open-access and you can download an electronic version or purchase a hard copy of it here.
