The Commons

The commons seems to be the closest translation of the much better known concept in French "le bien commun". The English term literally refers to the provisions shared in common. These are aspects of daily life that are accepted as collective property or the common heritage of all peoples and communities. The most obvious are the air we breathe, the water we drink, the oceans and plant biodiversity. In increasingly complex societies, political and economic systems exist to manage these resources. Examples of community or collective management are municipal water systems under the control of local government or community control, shared land management or seeds being exchanged as the collective property of a community in rural areas. Increasingly, these resources move from the community to the private domain as a process of continued privatisation. Those who are critical of this approach speak of "enclosure of the commons" and argue for “reclaiming the common”. Resources below refer to this critical approach.

Sources

“Reclaiming the Commons”, chapter in Cavanagh, J. and Mander, J. Alternatives to Economic Globalisation, a better world is possible, Behrrett-Koehler Publishers, San Fransisco, 2004

“Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth” by David Bollier, co-founder of Public Knowledge, a public-interest advocacy group. [1]

Films

“Le bien commun” Documentary by Carole Poliquin, France, Les Productions ISCA, 63 minutes, 2002.

“The Corporation” Documentary realised by Jennifer Abbott et Mark Achbar ; Script : Joel Bakan, Mark Achbar et Harold Crooks; Production : Big Picture media corporation, Documentary, Canada, 145 min, 2003.

Case Studies

Mildred Mpundu describes how throughout southern Africa customary laws governing land management are coming into conflict with modern statutory laws that aim to put land on the market. She accounts that a tiny southern Zambian village has become the focal point of a conflict which pits the poor against a corporation backed by a government determined to roll out economic liberalisation across the country. The article van be found on the Panos website: [[2]]