I'm not an economist and I've been puzzled at how little open practical debate there has been over alternative forms of capitalism during the recession.
Now here's Noreena Hertz in a Co-Op think piece outlining the potential of a capitalism associated with collaboration, loyalty and trust, interaction, social connectedness, and respect for process not just outputs.
Here are four of the features of co-op capitalism that she offers:
- The collective has value
- How we interact matters
- The network has worth
- Collaboration can trump competition.
It's a list that you might readily find on a flip chart after a workshop on community development.
I've often noted that there is a fresh receptivity to social values, albeit sometimes in a shallow way; and the evidence of their widespread application in local entrepreneurship is plentiful. As so often, we are waiting for our leaders, so-called, to catch up.
