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How Cleveland’s cooperatives are giving ex-offenders a fresh start

Apolitical
Apolitical

Apolitical writes about The Evergreen Cooperatives that were founded by the Democracy Collaborative. Apolitical writes about the challenges, how they were started and results and impact of Evergreen Cooperatives. 

The project was designed by the non-profit Democracy Collaborative and established in collaboration with the Cleveland Foundation, a private charitable trust, and the City of Cleveland. The co-ops, which consist of a laundry company, an energy efficiency contractor, and America’s largest urban farm, were grown with the help of procurement contracts with Cleveland's biggest schools and universities. All three use green technologies to reduce their carbon footprint, and can also save businesses money: for example, buying solar power from Evergreen Energy Solutions makes firms eligible for tax credits. After a year of work, employees at the co-ops can buy a $3,000 stake in their company through payroll deductions over a course of years, and also have a say in how it operates.

Read more about it here 

Democratic Ownership and the Pluralist Commonwealth: The Creation of an Idea Whose Time Has Come

Gar Alperovitz
Truthout

Writing for Truthout co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative Gar Alperovitz highlights the connection between Youngtown, Ohio, and the Principals of the Pluralist Commonwealth.

On September 19, 1977 -- a day remembered locally as "Black Monday" -- the corporate owners of the Campbell Works in Youngstown, Ohio, abruptly shuttered the giant steel mill's doors. Instantly, 5,000 workers lost their jobs, their livelihoods, and their futures. The mill's closing was national news, one of the first major blows in the era of deindustrialization, offshoring, and "free trade" that has since made mass layoffs commonplace.

Read more about it here 

For most people it's easier to imagine the destruction of the world than the end of capitalism

Mette Rodgers
Information
Mette Rodgers writing for Information Magazine, in Denmark, about the exploration of alternatives to capitalism through the Democracy Collaborative's Next System Project. She interviews Ted Howard about the community wealth building project and the ideas being put forth by the Democracy Collaborative: 

"...If 'our side' actually won the power, then we would have no idea what to do with it. There is no articulated political program yet," he says."

Read the rest of the piece 

 

Author David Ansell Exposes Inequality's Deadly Influence

Martha Jablow
AAMCNews

Writing for AAMCNews Martha Jablow writes about the deadly affect of poverty and inequality and how the work of the Democracy Collaborative through the Healthcare Anchor Network could be vital in tackling health inequality: 

There is a new national collaborative, called the Healthcare Anchor Network, that is bringing new focus to the role of health systems in bringing economic vitality to these high-poverty neighborhoods.

Read more in AAMCNews

Bottom Up Economic Development

Phil Anderson
Reader

Phil Anderson writes for Reader in Deluth, MN about the alternatives to top-down strategies for revitalization. Reader highlights the work of The Democracy Collaborative work in different neighborhoods and communities which aims to build community wealth instead of policies that "favor big buisness:" 

Democracy Collaborative is another organization “building community wealth.” Their publication, Cities Building Community Wealth, lists 20 cities with successful local initiatives (including Madison and Minneapolis). These cover a wide range of activities to increase local ownership, create affordable housing, help small business, increase minority businesses, revitalize neighborhoods and expand renewable energy use. 

More in Reader 

Is 'Going Local' the Secret to Economic Development?

J.B. Wogan
Governing

In Governing, a look at how Mayor Ras Baraka is championing a movement to hire locally in Newark, NJ.

“We think this could take off in lots of different communities," says Ted Howard, president of the Democracy Collaborative, a national nonprofit focused on economic development in urban areas. “We’re going to be promoting it."

Don’t Be Scared About The End Of Capitalism—Be Excited To Build What Comes Next

Jason Hickel and Martin Kirk
Fast Company

Jason Hickel and Martin Kirk write for the publication Fast Company, in this article, they highlight the work of the Democracy Collaborative through the Next System Project. Speifically looking at the innovative ideas proposed at the Next System Project. 

Fortunately, there is already a wealth of language and ideas out there that stretch well beyond these dusty old binaries. They are driven by a hugely diverse community of thinkers, innovators, and practitioners. There are organizations like the P2P (Peer to Peer) FoundationEvonomicsThe Next System Project, and the Institute for New Economic Thinking reimagining the global economy. The proposed models are even more varied: from complexity, to post-growthde-growthland-basedregenerativecircular, and even the deliciously named donut economics.

Read more about it Fast Company

 

Tired of deals like the one proposed with Foxconn? There is a better way

Marjorie Kelly
Journal Sentinel

Marjorie Kelly writes for Wisconsin Sentinel about how to create good local jobs in places like Wisconsin through worker coops. 

Also troublesome is the abysmal labor record of Foxconn, exemplified by scores of workers committing suicide on their brutal iPhone assembly lines in China. Foxconn also has failed to deliver on similar deals in India, Vietnam and Pennsylvania. It’s worth asking, who really benefits from this use of state tax dollars? It’s not the residents of the state, but instead the absentee owners of this Taiwanese company.

Read more at the Sentinal website 

As US Inequality Breeds Oligarchy, New Report Details Pathway to Equity

Jake Johnson
Common Dreams

Jake Johnson writes in Common Dreams about the Inequality Report released by The Next System Project and Insitute For Policy Study

That is the conclusion of a new report published Monday by the Next System Project and the Institute for Policy Studies. Their analysis makes overwhelmingly clear that despite the Trump administration's self-serving celebrations of the stock market boom and recent monthly job data, the vast majority of Americans remain locked out of America's tremendous wealth.

Read more at Common Dreams 

 

Could Preston provide a new economic model for Britain’s cities?

Justin Renolds
City Metric

Justin Renolds writes in City Metric about the Democracy Collaborative work with the city of Priston. The Democracy Collaborative along with other organizations are looking at ways worker coops could have positive affects in the Priston. 

The council worked with the Democracy Collaborative, a US consultancy closely associated with Cleveland’s reconstruction, and British think-tank the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) to identify anchors capable of bootstrapping Preston’s economy.

Read more about it in City Metric 

Gar Alperovitz’s new book calls for a new democratic political economy

Alex Becker
Real Change News

Alex Becker writes about Gar Alperovitz's new book The Principals of the Pluralist Commonwealth in Real Change News. 

“Ideas are important, but unless you can bring that vision down to earth, it’s just pie-in-the-sky,” Gar Alperovitz said. This philosophy seems to guide much of his work. A distinguished historian, political economist, activist and writer, Alperovitz is well known for his critically acclaimed books on the atomic bomb and atomic diplomacy. He has also written extensively on the subject of building alternative economic systems and, among his many achievements, he was the architect of the first modern steel industry attempt at worker-ownership in Youngstown, Ohio.

Read more about it here 

 

Single-Payer Would Be a Good Start, but Real Health Equity Means Tackling Economic Disparities

Dana Brown
Truthout

Dana Brown, of the Democracy Collaborative, writes for Truthout about tackling the healthcare gap by addressing economic inequality. 

The horrifying specter of Trumpcare, the shortfalls of Obamacare and the continued rise in overall health care costs in the United States have provided an important opening for proponents to put single-payer back on the table. Attempts at creating a national health insurance scheme have come close but failed several times before in US history. However, while it is imperative to ensure that every American has equal access to quality care, single-payer is insufficient when it comes to ensuring our right to health and well-being.

Read more in Truthout 

Building on Tradition, Catholic Hospitals Invest in Community to Improve Health

Liz Duffrin
Crosswalk Magazine

In Crosswalk Magazine, Liz Duffrin, writes about local investments by Catholic Hospitals in their local communities:

Orders of women committed to serving impoverished communities built hospitals and schools because they observed those needs.

Red more here...

Newark's renaissance will be short-lived if companies don't hire locally

Kimberly McLain
Star-Ledger

Kimberly McLain writes for the Star-Ledger about the revitizaltion of Newark, NJ and makes an arguement about hiring locally:

[T]here are direct financial benefits to anchor institutions and businesses - hiring locally lowers recruiting costs, increases diversity and inclusiveness, strengthens employee commitment and loyalty, and reduces outsourcing costs.

You can read more here at the Star-Ledger...

Pluralism vs. Authoritarianism: Gar Alperovitz with Laura Flanders

Laura Flanders
The Laura Flanders Show

Co-op model as a vehicle of transformation in local government

Anca Voinea
Coop News

Writing for Co-op News, Anca Voinea takes a look at the new Co-op Party commmunity wealth building pamphlet:

Preston’s community wealth building model has its roots in the Cleveland Model promoted by the Democracy Collaborative in the USA. The approach is focused on getting anchor institutions such as universities, councils or hospitals to support local businesses, including co-operatives through procurement. Where gaps are identified the councils can support communities to set up new worker owned co-operatives to provide the services needed.

Read more about the Co-op Party pamphlet in Co-op News...

Reflecting and Planning Using a Community Wealth Building Lens

Brent Kakesako
Shelterforce

Writing for Shelterforce, Brent Kakesako takes a look at the 25th annivisary of the community wealth building field:

Our growing community wealth building field has the goal of building 'a new economic system where shared ownership and control creates more equitable and inclusive outcomes, fosters ecological sustainability, and promotes flourishing democratic and community life.'

Read more about the history of community wealth building in in Shelterforce ...

New Report on Opportunities for Impact Investing in Employee Ownership

Green Money
Green Money

Green Money reposts the Democracy Collaborative press release on Impact Investing

A new report by Mary Ann Beyster, president and trustee of the Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED), published by the Fifty by Fifty initiative of The Democracy Collaborative, examines the investing landscape for potential opportunities in employee ownership.

Read about it in Green Money 

The Shape of a New Economy

Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader Radio Hour

Gar Alperovitz is an historian, political economist, activist, writer, and government official.  In addition to a distinguished career in academia, he is also the a co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative, a research institution developing practical, policy-focused, and systematic paths towards ecologically sustainable, community-oriented change and the democratization of wealth.  His latest project is called the “Pluralist Commonwealth,” which is an economic model that is neither traditional corporate capitalism nor traditional state socialism.

Listen to Gar's interview with Ralph Nader here

Will Impact Investors Embrace Employee-Owned Companies?

Anne Field
Forbes

Writing for Forbes, Anne Field takes a look at our new report exploring the impact investing landscape for employee ownership:

For social entrepreneurs concerned about growing income inequality in the U.S. and around the world, one way to spread the wealth is through employee ownership. With that in mind, you’d think impact investors would be clamoring to invest in such companies....

Read more about Fifty By Fifty's new report in Forbes...