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  • Introducing the Commons

    Vangelis Papadimitropoulos

    Chapter from the book: Papadimitropoulos, V. 2020. The Commons: Economic Alternatives in the Digital Age.

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    This introduction outlines peer production (P2P) as a type of social relations, a technological infrastructure and a new mode of production and property, whereby participants have maximum freedom to co-operate and connect. In the last decades, the author notes that the rise of peer production has been driven by three main factors: the sustainability crisis, neoliberalism and low cost information and communication technologies (ICTs). These factors have led to three main streams of peer production: firm-hosted peer production or platform capitalism (user-centric open innovation business models; the so-called sharing and gig economy); the commons (local and digital commons, the solidarity economy); and a hybrid commons-based peer production operating on the models of platform and open cooperativism. In turn, the author establishes his post-hegemonic perspective, focusing on commons-based P2P which is facilitated today by the architectural design of the Internet. To conclude, Vangelis proposes the book’s intention as to produce a critical dialogue between the different approaches to the commons, putting forth a postcapitalist commons-orientated transition beyond neoliberalism. freedom to co-operate and connect. In the last decades, the author notes that the rise of peer production has been driven by three main factors: the sustainability crisis, neoliberalism and low cost information and communication technologies (ICTs). These factors have led to three main streams of peer production: firm-hosted peer production or platform capitalism (user-centric open innovation business models; the so-called sharing and gig economy); the commons (local and digital commons, the solidarity economy); and a hybrid commons-based peer production operating on the models of platform and open cooperativism. In turn, the author establishes his post-hegemonic perspective, focusing on commons-based P2P which is facilitated today by the architectural design of the Internet. To conclude, Vangelis proposes the book’s intention as to produce a critical dialogue between the different approaches to the commons, putting forth a postcapitalist commons-orientated transition beyond neoliberalism.

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    How to cite this chapter
    Papadimitropoulos, V. 2020. Introducing the Commons. In: Papadimitropoulos, V, The Commons. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book46.a
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    This chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives 4.0 license. Copyright is retained by the author(s)

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    Published on Oct. 20, 2020

    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.16997/book46.a