Brian Hewlett, social scientist and edutainer

One of the major challenges President Obama’s Adminstration is trying to salvage a faltering U.S. economy. A major issue associated with that challenge is trying to overcome it while not trashing the country’s relationship with the capitalist model. Capitalism has been the cornerstone of the U.S. economy for at least since the time before World War I and many Americans go berzerk if any other type of economic model is suggested. Despite this uneasiness U.S. citizens have with change, the current situation warrants some type of alteration and the President himself has actually put out the call for the American people to come up with alternatives.

Much of the negative reaction that people have to alternatives to capitalism is based on the perception that any other model, will not allow individuals to dictate their own success in a free-market system. Unfortunately, this is a false perception that must be put to rest if another model is going to have a chance.

The key to individual success that people are concerned with is not based solely on individual production even in the capitalist system but in the opportunity provided by the market structure in which that individual is producing. In other words, I could produce all day long in a capitalist economy but if the economy does not give me the opportunity to trade what I produce, then I will not be successful.

The key to individual success is also not based on the fact that the system offers a free market in which individuals offer their products. A system where I am free to trade and others have freedom to trade with me means nothing if there is no benefit or incentive to trade and no value in what is being traded.

After hundreds of years in a system that Karl Marx described as where small groups of people control large amounts of money or capital and make the most important economic decisions, many people are starting to understand that the free-market is not really free at all but it is one that manipulated by these groups concentrating capital in relation to particular products that are not the best quality or necessary in terms of consumption. This manipulation unfortunately leads to a situation where there is little market value for most of what individuals produce, which leads to less profit relative to what is produced, and further leads to a hinderance in further production. One doesn’t have to be an economist to understand that if your cost get too high your abilty to produce is thwarted and if the ability of the majority to produce is stumped, the system will crash.

It is at this point that an alternative would be helpful. Enter resource exchange and collaboration. Resource exchange is the sharing of intellectual, human, financial, material, and any other resource by a group of producers. Collaboration is the group of producers working togethor to produce what is needed for the community of producers. Major benefits of both are the reduction in costs and the establishment of a community market. In a stituation that involves both of these elements, others will share with me the resources I need to produce because I will be producing what they need, which automatically gives what I produce value and insurance of trade and it drastically cuts the out of pocket costs.

I’m no economist but this seems like a pheasible alternative to the economic situation that is developing more and more as a result of the U.S. clinging to a model that many would argue is broken and needs to be fixed.

We are currently in the process of working with a number of community groups in Tucson, Phoenix, and in parts of Arizona to implement economic collaborations including a group fostering altenative currency, an organic farming group, and a group of entrepreneurs from various occupation sectors. If you are interested in engaging in resource sharing and collaborative production or you belong to a group that may be interested, contact us about including you in our research studies. Any type of collaboration is encouraged.

Let us know what you think with your comments and questions as well.