Value in the Commons Economy: Developments in Open and Contributory Value Accounting
Society is shifting from a production modus based on value created in a market system (through labor and capital) to one which recognizes broader value streams. These streams are experienced as ‘contributions’ to structures based on the co-construction of shared resources, also known as ‘commons’.
Our common world is faced with significant questions regarding the evolution of value. We consider the following to be among the most important:
- What is value, generally in the context of the allocation of resources in human societies, but more specifically in our ‘digitalized’, ‘networked’ societies where emerging knowledge commons are playing an increasingly vital role?
- What ‘should’ value be in a world marked by ecological and resource constraints presently operating at a global scale?
- In a world of social, cultural and institutional diversity, can a new ‘value system’ incorporate the multiple values that are not recognized by capitalism, such as the care economy and domestic work?
This report does not offer complete answers to these questions, but it looks at how the new commons-based approaches attempt to deal with them.
[Download report from HBS site]
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