1
Dimensions of Planning in Commonism
First INDEP conference
Democratic Economic Planning for the Real World
as part of SASE conference
Inclusive Solidarities
Reimagining Boundaries in Divided Times
Montréal, 1-3 July 2025
Stefan Meretz, Bonn, Germany
kritik-utopie-transformation.de
commons-institut.org
keimform.de
No rights reserved. Do what you want
2
Generalization of commons and commoning
● Any commonly used resource can be made a commons
 Requires common availability of that resource (socialization)
● Commoning is the social process of self-organization and
coordination that creates and maintains a commons
 Interpersonally through direct agreement
 Transpersonally through mediated agreement
► How to build anonymous coherent transpersonal mediation?
capitalism
commodity
commonism
commons
system form
social form
mediation
commoning market
3
Logic of inclusion instead of exclusion
● Participation in all required processes is voluntary
 Any form of coercion undermines motivation
 Forcing people to work is an inhumane artifact of commodity
producing societies (capitalism & real socialism)
● Possession = collective availability of necessary means
 Instead of property = general exclusion by means of law
► How can complex production chains be guaranteed?
logic of exclusion
exchange
logic of inclusion
voluntariness
property
possession
&
cooperation mode
availability mode
relationship mode
&
4
Commonist coordination and planning
separated
decentral
distributed
polycentral
„by value“
„in kind“
coordination
stigmergy
planning
& &
● Polycentral coordination of production
 Decentral when possible, central when necessary
● Regulatory “signs” are embedded in production = “in kind”
 Instead of a separate cycle “by value” with its own logic (profit)
● Distributed planning along production chains
► How to reconcile “central requirements” and “local wishes”?
5
On needs and voluntariness
● Two dimensions of needs:
 Sensual-vital needs („receiving needs“) – immediate & securing
 Productive needs („contributing needs“) – proactive & caring
● Capitalism:
 Vital needs: commodity consumption in exchange for money
 Productive needs: forced, alienated labor separated from care
● Real socialism and many DEP approaches:
 Vital needs: focus on provision in exchange for money/tokens
 Productive needs: mostly neglected, forcing people to work
● Commonism:
 Vital needs: free access to the means of subsistence for all
 Productive needs: motivated, proactively producing societal
conditions – only possible if contributions are voluntary
6
Five dimensions of commonist planning
(1) Planning as close to production as possible
(2) Meta-commons planning for other commons
(3) Planning in kind
(4) Planning based on digital networking
(5) Planning with consultation
7
(1) Planning as close to production as possible
● Alienation increases with distance from production
● Mix of local, regional/sectoral and central planning
● Polycentric networks best handle planning diversity
C
central
R / S
regional/sectoral
L
local
8
Network of polycentric production and planning
L
L
L
L L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L L
L
L L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
C
C
C
S S
S
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
L
L
S
9
(2) Meta-commons planning for other commons
● Small commons can plan themselves
● As commons grow, planning becomes a specialized task
● Planning can be outsourced to meta-commons
● Production chains may be too large for even meta-commons
● Sections of production chains can form federations
● Meta-commons can plan for these federations
● Federations reduce interfaces, thus, complexity
● In/Outsourcing = reducing/increasing manufacturing depth
10
Reducing complexity: federations
federation
11
(3) Planning in kind
● Planning with real variables, not accounting variables
 Real products reflect vital needs (“use value”)
 Real capabilities reflect productive needs (“use value”)
 Single unit of account (“value”) abstracts from these qualities
 Comparison of incommensurabilities→process optimization
 Exclusion of environment, care, working conditions, no-value
● Planning in kind is in situ and ex ante
 Inclusion of all aspects considered relevant→deliberation
 Increased planning effort→scenario optimization
 Digital networking for transparency and agreements
12
(4) Planning based on digital networking
● Insight into entire production chain→adjust local planning
 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) makes this possible (Heyer/Zeug)
● Agreement and adjustment along the production chain
 Protocols and tools are needed to facilitate the commitment
process (“All agree, production can go!”)
 Other models use centralized or cybernetic planning
 Example: Walmart uses ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
 Democratic Chain Resource Planning (CRP) is needed
 Models for democratic protocols already exist (e.g. ActivityPub)
● The goal is to replace anonymous market relations
13
Protocol-guided planning with single units
societal
goals
P
life/care means
P P P
P P P...
P...
information
/data
products/services
protocol data
CRP
planning
bus
open data
demand
14
open
data
Federational planning with meta units
P
life/care means
P P P
P P P...
P...
meta
CRP
planning
bus
goals
demand
products/services
protocol
data
information/data
15
(5) Planning with consultation
● Consultation is deeply embedded in polycentric structures
● Consultation is a peer relationship
 Stakeholders: are experts due to their actual/potential affection
 Re/producers: create material, symbolic, social means/services
● Stakeholders can also organize themselves in commons:
 including those “who cannot speak” (for various reasons)
 including that “what cannot speak” (more than human world)
● Stakeholders can be part of the planning process as consultants
● Receiving and contributing needs can be in tension:
 Stakeholders focus on receiving needs
 Re/producers focus on contributing needs
16
open
data
Federational planning with meta and consultant units
P
life/care means
P P P
P P P...
P...
meta
CRP
planning-bus
goals
consulting
protocol
data
stakeholders’ needs
17
Most advanced approach of Heyer/Zeug
● Cybernetic accounting (Cybernetism): “intermediate approach”
● Three UoA as tokens: raw material use, CO2e, working time
● Calculation of per capita budgets that respect planetary limits
 Distributed to UBI, UBS, Care, Invest, and Reserve
● Calculation of three-dimensional price of products through LCA
 raw material use, CO2 equivalent emission, working time
● Feedback loops bring budgets and prices in alignment
● Coordination through (limited) markets and competition
● Since tokens are non-circulating and non-accumulating the
value-good cycle is Good–Token–Good (analogous to C–M–C)
18
Coupling rate
Decentral Central
Polycentral
by
value
in
kind Commonism
Mediation
State
socialism
Free
market
Market
socialism
local optimization
information
load
command
production
societal
coherence
Mediation, coupling, and coherence
Cybernetism
19
Problems of the Cybernetic Model
Transitional path to commonism? Yes, but with dangers:
● Doubled cycles with different logics: goods and tokens
● Coupling of receiving and contributing undermines motivation
● Enterprises must compete for tokens in order to produce
● Bankruptcy is possible
● State is necessary to redistribute taxes (UBS, UBI)
● Property?
► Using tokens, markets, state, and competition as coordination
mechanisms eliminates inconvenient mediation tasks, but
creates problems found in capitalism.
20
Thank you! ☺
No rights reserved. Do what you want.
Discussion

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Dimensions of Societal Planning in Commonism

  • 1. 1 Dimensions of Planning in Commonism First INDEP conference Democratic Economic Planning for the Real World as part of SASE conference Inclusive Solidarities Reimagining Boundaries in Divided Times Montréal, 1-3 July 2025 Stefan Meretz, Bonn, Germany kritik-utopie-transformation.de commons-institut.org keimform.de No rights reserved. Do what you want
  • 2. 2 Generalization of commons and commoning ● Any commonly used resource can be made a commons  Requires common availability of that resource (socialization) ● Commoning is the social process of self-organization and coordination that creates and maintains a commons  Interpersonally through direct agreement  Transpersonally through mediated agreement ► How to build anonymous coherent transpersonal mediation? capitalism commodity commonism commons system form social form mediation commoning market
  • 3. 3 Logic of inclusion instead of exclusion ● Participation in all required processes is voluntary  Any form of coercion undermines motivation  Forcing people to work is an inhumane artifact of commodity producing societies (capitalism & real socialism) ● Possession = collective availability of necessary means  Instead of property = general exclusion by means of law ► How can complex production chains be guaranteed? logic of exclusion exchange logic of inclusion voluntariness property possession & cooperation mode availability mode relationship mode &
  • 4. 4 Commonist coordination and planning separated decentral distributed polycentral „by value“ „in kind“ coordination stigmergy planning & & ● Polycentral coordination of production  Decentral when possible, central when necessary ● Regulatory “signs” are embedded in production = “in kind”  Instead of a separate cycle “by value” with its own logic (profit) ● Distributed planning along production chains ► How to reconcile “central requirements” and “local wishes”?
  • 5. 5 On needs and voluntariness ● Two dimensions of needs:  Sensual-vital needs („receiving needs“) – immediate & securing  Productive needs („contributing needs“) – proactive & caring ● Capitalism:  Vital needs: commodity consumption in exchange for money  Productive needs: forced, alienated labor separated from care ● Real socialism and many DEP approaches:  Vital needs: focus on provision in exchange for money/tokens  Productive needs: mostly neglected, forcing people to work ● Commonism:  Vital needs: free access to the means of subsistence for all  Productive needs: motivated, proactively producing societal conditions – only possible if contributions are voluntary
  • 6. 6 Five dimensions of commonist planning (1) Planning as close to production as possible (2) Meta-commons planning for other commons (3) Planning in kind (4) Planning based on digital networking (5) Planning with consultation
  • 7. 7 (1) Planning as close to production as possible ● Alienation increases with distance from production ● Mix of local, regional/sectoral and central planning ● Polycentric networks best handle planning diversity C central R / S regional/sectoral L local
  • 8. 8 Network of polycentric production and planning L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L C C C S S S R R R R R R R L L S
  • 9. 9 (2) Meta-commons planning for other commons ● Small commons can plan themselves ● As commons grow, planning becomes a specialized task ● Planning can be outsourced to meta-commons ● Production chains may be too large for even meta-commons ● Sections of production chains can form federations ● Meta-commons can plan for these federations ● Federations reduce interfaces, thus, complexity ● In/Outsourcing = reducing/increasing manufacturing depth
  • 11. 11 (3) Planning in kind ● Planning with real variables, not accounting variables  Real products reflect vital needs (“use value”)  Real capabilities reflect productive needs (“use value”)  Single unit of account (“value”) abstracts from these qualities  Comparison of incommensurabilities→process optimization  Exclusion of environment, care, working conditions, no-value ● Planning in kind is in situ and ex ante  Inclusion of all aspects considered relevant→deliberation  Increased planning effort→scenario optimization  Digital networking for transparency and agreements
  • 12. 12 (4) Planning based on digital networking ● Insight into entire production chain→adjust local planning  Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) makes this possible (Heyer/Zeug) ● Agreement and adjustment along the production chain  Protocols and tools are needed to facilitate the commitment process (“All agree, production can go!”)  Other models use centralized or cybernetic planning  Example: Walmart uses ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)  Democratic Chain Resource Planning (CRP) is needed  Models for democratic protocols already exist (e.g. ActivityPub) ● The goal is to replace anonymous market relations
  • 13. 13 Protocol-guided planning with single units societal goals P life/care means P P P P P P... P... information /data products/services protocol data CRP planning bus open data demand
  • 14. 14 open data Federational planning with meta units P life/care means P P P P P P... P... meta CRP planning bus goals demand products/services protocol data information/data
  • 15. 15 (5) Planning with consultation ● Consultation is deeply embedded in polycentric structures ● Consultation is a peer relationship  Stakeholders: are experts due to their actual/potential affection  Re/producers: create material, symbolic, social means/services ● Stakeholders can also organize themselves in commons:  including those “who cannot speak” (for various reasons)  including that “what cannot speak” (more than human world) ● Stakeholders can be part of the planning process as consultants ● Receiving and contributing needs can be in tension:  Stakeholders focus on receiving needs  Re/producers focus on contributing needs
  • 16. 16 open data Federational planning with meta and consultant units P life/care means P P P P P P... P... meta CRP planning-bus goals consulting protocol data stakeholders’ needs
  • 17. 17 Most advanced approach of Heyer/Zeug ● Cybernetic accounting (Cybernetism): “intermediate approach” ● Three UoA as tokens: raw material use, CO2e, working time ● Calculation of per capita budgets that respect planetary limits  Distributed to UBI, UBS, Care, Invest, and Reserve ● Calculation of three-dimensional price of products through LCA  raw material use, CO2 equivalent emission, working time ● Feedback loops bring budgets and prices in alignment ● Coordination through (limited) markets and competition ● Since tokens are non-circulating and non-accumulating the value-good cycle is Good–Token–Good (analogous to C–M–C)
  • 18. 18 Coupling rate Decentral Central Polycentral by value in kind Commonism Mediation State socialism Free market Market socialism local optimization information load command production societal coherence Mediation, coupling, and coherence Cybernetism
  • 19. 19 Problems of the Cybernetic Model Transitional path to commonism? Yes, but with dangers: ● Doubled cycles with different logics: goods and tokens ● Coupling of receiving and contributing undermines motivation ● Enterprises must compete for tokens in order to produce ● Bankruptcy is possible ● State is necessary to redistribute taxes (UBS, UBI) ● Property? ► Using tokens, markets, state, and competition as coordination mechanisms eliminates inconvenient mediation tasks, but creates problems found in capitalism.
  • 20. 20 Thank you! ☺ No rights reserved. Do what you want. Discussion