The social, environmental and economic crises that continue
to reap havoc across the globe provide a critical opportunity for ordinary
people to demand economic reform and political transformation says STWR's director, Rajesh Makwana, in an interview with John Habets & Henk Gloudemans.
Discussions and events that focus on sharing are becoming ever more mainstream in 2013, but the
broad conversation that encompasses the sharing economy also poses some challenges - especially when we consider what sharing means in international terms.
Read about STWR's work in 2012 and some of our planned participation at events over the coming year in the newsletter for March, which includes a run-down of recent articles and posts as well as an overview of our upcoming research priorities and a website redesign.
Governments must accept
that the root causes of poverty, inequality and climate change will never be
addressed without substantial reforms to the global economy. In the meanwhile,
the post-2015 development goals need to be much more ambitious about preventing
avoidable poverty-related deaths within an immediate timeframe.
Our latest Annual Review provides an overview of STWR’s key activities
over the course of 2012 as well as an insight into our plans for 2013, which
include a website redesign, the publication of further reports and our involvement
in a number of upcoming events.
In a recent webinar discussion STWR presented an overview of
what sharing means in economic and political terms, and outlined how the
principle of sharing could act as both a guide for policymakers and a rallying
platform for civil society in the urgent process of world reconstruction.
In a guest post on Friends of the Earth's Green Blog, Benita Matofska of The People Who Share says that a new model is emerging for how the world
could operate, and argues that the simple
solution to our most complex global problems is the sharing economy.
The seed freedom movement
is an inspiring example of how the principle of sharing is central to resolving
the crisis in agriculture, and highlights the urgency of resisting the powerful agribusinesses that seek to eliminate biodiversity and criminalise the saving and sharing of seed.
In order to stimulate further public engagement and activism
on global issues, it is important for those promoting the sharing economy to
place far greater emphasis on the environmental and social benefits of sharing
rather than any purely personal benefits, such as financial gain.
According to a growing body of psychological research, promoting intrinsic values can lead to better outcomes for the environment and society as a whole. Can a call for greater economic sharing help promote these values and unite progressives in a common cause that spans diverse cultures and multiple issues?
