tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post82412522213999061..comments2024-03-17T08:30:21.129+00:00Comments on Open and Shut?: Working for a phase transition to an open commons-based knowledge society: Interview with Michel BauwensRichard Poynderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433823131339077354noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post-36296874361248967992014-06-16T06:25:44.533+00:002014-06-16T06:25:44.533+00:00In the wake of the Summit I posed the following ad...In the wake of the Summit I posed the following additional three questions to Bauwens: <br /><br /><b><i>RP: Now that the Summit is over, what would you say was achieved in Quito?</i></b><br /><br /><b>MB:</b> There is no doubt that the Summit itself was successful and that many of the attendees experienced it in that way. The process of getting from the papers to pilot projects and recommendations worked quite well, and of particular interest was the presence of officials from institutions like the planning bureau (Senplades) and the innovation secretariat (Senescyt), along with some others, who demonstrated a commitment to making pilot projects happen. <br /><br />And as is often the case with conferences, a lot happened through the horizontal connections, where different groups of attendees set about planning projects for the future. <br /><br /><b><i>RP: What was not achieved that you had hoped would be achieved, and what was achieved that you had not expected to be achieved?</i></b><br /><br /><b>MB:</b> The key problem is the lack of any clear commitment and engagement of the funding ministries. Just before the conference, it became clear that the President himself was not very aware of the transition project and that a particular minister had even forbidden the attendance of his officials (only to reverse that decision at the very last moment). <br /><br />So the contradiction is that although the President expressed his support on his weekly radio program, and lower level officials expressed their commitment for pilot projects, there is no clear path for any actual implementation of the legislative proposals. <br /><br />That doesn't mean that no progress will be made, but it does mean that the initial expectation of FLOK being a “strategic” transition project for Ecuador was unwarranted. Instead there will be proposals to install a small team in the country to monitor and lobby for progress on the implementations. <br /><br />What went beyond our expectations was the dynamic of the summit itself, and the clear engagement of lower level officials to go forward with pilot projects. <br /><br />My own experience was that many mini-networks have also been created for post-flok projects outside Ecuador, a number of which will be carried out.<br /><br /><b><i>RP: What is the next step, both for Ecuador and for the global P2P movement?</i></b><br /><br /><b>MB:</b> I keep to my original assessment that the production of a generic and integrated commons-oriented transition program is a historical first, and this has generated, and will continue to generate, further interest, and new projects. Both the research team, the p2p foundation, and the flok management are talking to new parties about post-flok projects. <br /><br />So we have to focus on two things: <br /><br />First, we have to continue the policy work at the theoretical and policy level aimed at introducing a third way in global and local politics. And for this an important seed has been planted here in Ecuador.<br /><br />Second, we need to pursue the possibility of creating actual flok-type projects in cities and regions across the world. We are already talking to specific political forces in Europe about commons transitions on the continent. <br /><br />In Ecuador itself, we can expect some pilot project implementations, but the rest is unclear at this stage. <br /><br />What was most exciting for me is the engagement of the mayor of Sigchos, Mario Andino, to carry forward the transformation of his region through distributed manufacturing for agricultural machines. I really hope that funding and resources will be forthcoming for that particular project.Richard Poynderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05433823131339077354noreply@blogger.com