Christian Felber: The Economy for the Common Good is an alternative economic order to the great historical experiences of capitalism and communism, which attempts to be in harmony with the values of life. That was the basic motive of a dozen entrepreneurs in Austria. Now we are 3 years young. Since October 6, 2010, 1400 companies from 27 countries have joined, 400 of which are pioneers in drawing up a common good balance sheet. We already have 1000 volunteers in German-speaking countries who define their roles creatively and independently.
Werner Lampert: If you look at the world now - exploitation is increasing, slavery is increasing - then it is quite clear that a different model has to come. Even the US President is aware of this.
I was heavily involved with anarchism in my youth, and I can see many of the approaches in your Economy for the Common Good.
Felber: I only see these similarities in part. Anarchism rejects the state and the market together and wants the free population to organize itself. I deeply believe in the fundamental value of self-determination and the freedom it brings.
In fact, we live in national states that are less and less democratic. We therefore propose a democratic process in which several communities predefine the basic features of an economic order and an economic constitution is developed through a synthesis process.
Lampert: There is a point in the Economy for the Common Good where it says that there should be no private ownership of land.
Felber: The goal is the common good, which is already enshrined in many constitutions. In contrast to this is the practice of the real economy, which has money and its increase as its primary goal. For me, this is clearly unconstitutional. Unfortunately, there is no legal recourse to date.
Among the 20 model building blocks of the economy for the common good is the idea that there should be no private ownership of nature. Nature created us! After all, we cannot claim ownership of our parents either. Albert Schweitzer's reverence for life is a recognized ecological ethic, one consequence of which would be that we do not own nature.
Lampert: An anthroposophical bank was founded in Bochum at the end of the 1960s, it only gave money to farmers if the land was handed over to a community. Is that your intention?
Felber: What you are talking about is a commons, which I would put on a voluntary basis. If a farmer wants to continue farming his land as a family business, he can do so. The only difference is that it is no longer called private property, but instead he has a right of use.
Lampert: And can he even bequeath to his children?
Felber: Yes! Otherwise the land goes back to Mother Earth. In young Latin American constitutions, such as Ecuador and Bolivia, nature is granted constitutional rights. It would be nice if many people would read Ecuador's constitution.
Lampert: That comes from indigenous traditions, of course.
Unfortunately, I experience the exact opposite in reality. I am experiencing industrialization, hardly any regional agriculture. The willingness to exploit land and animals has become a matter of course. We, as a society, are on the verge of destroying what we live on. Something has to happen!
Felber: In the economy for the common good, usage rights are only granted in exchange for specific needs, such as housing, agricultural use, etc., and agricultural use is tied to sustainable criteria. This would merely be the fulfillment of the constitutional mandate. The reduction of value is prohibited.
In the GDR there were large pig farms with 50,000 pigs, which was of course terrible. Now stables are being built by Dutch agricultural groups with 100,000 pigs, with particularly favorable loans, tax incentives and EU agricultural subsidies! This is exactly the opposite of what we are proposing.
If the population were allowed to decide, 90% would certainly be against this approach.
Lampert: You mentioned Ecuador. There is the wonderful constitution and there is the reality that oil is being extracted in the nature reserve.
Felber: The new constitution is still very young. Primarily, it was good that Ecuador and Bolivia withdrew from the international investment protection agreement ICSID. The power of corporate globalization is so strong that you have to slowly work your way out of it.
Lampert: In shaping the transition to an economy for the common good from a selfish society, where greed is the central driving force, there will always be disruptions.
Felber: In Germany and Austria there would be the resources for a constitutional complaint, hopefully this will still happen in Ecuador.
Lampert: You are proposing a common good balance sheet, what exactly does that mean?
Felber: The common good balance sheet measures the extent to which a company lives up to the five fundamental values that appear in almost all constitutions: Human Dignity, Justice, Sustainability, Solidarity and Democracy. For each product, a traffic light system would then be used to show how well the company performs when making a quick purchase decision. Detailed background information can be accessed via smartphone or the internet.
In addition: the better the common good balance sheet, the greater the legal benefits from taxes to customs duties and loans. This makes ethical products cheaper than junk.
Lampert: I looked into the economy for the common good and realized that there is no basic income.
Felber: It doesn't need that either. The reorientation of companies towards the common good would mean that giving takes precedence over taking and thus abundance. Like at a picnic where everyone contributes and there is always too much food.
Lampert: But there are two groups in society that are not in the work process and would benefit massively from a basic income: single parents and the elderly.
Felber: There are the following solutions: There would be a state minimum pension for older people. The care and education of children and the elderly would be recognized as a public good and well paid. Valuable services such as those provided by teachers, doctors, mothers etc. are well paid. The care of a hedge fund, on the other hand, should be paid less because it has a lower, even negative, social value.
Lampert: So mothers are paid by society, similar to a basic wage?
Felber: Yes, but this is linked to performance, a basic income is not! However, we propose that every tenth year should be a - paid - year off so that everyone can broaden their horizons.
Lampert: One group in our society has taken the common good under its fingernails and is playing the most terrible games, and that is our education system. It is a democratic system thanks to the trade unions!
Felber: I feel differently. In the education system, teachers, students, parents, etc. are affected, and they should also make the laws. At the moment, the only people who are not affected determine the education system, namely the civil servants in the ministry. Not all those affected have the same amount of influence, so it is not a democratic system.
Lampert: What time horizon do we have until those glorious times?
Felber: The world will end no matter when we save it, so let's not stress about it. I can't run any faster because the world will end tomorrow! I work every day for the common good bank for the common good economy, but I don't let myself be rushed, I try to enjoy every book, every conversation, every action.
Lampert: I was very fascinated by it! Unfortunately, our children are very strongly instructed to compete, and then it takes years of therapy for them to find themselves.
Felber: We know from psychology that competition is the worst way to achieve self-esteem, it is an extrinsic motivation. In contrast, when I know myself and give my life meaning, it feeds my self-esteem. Then I can cooperate and contribute to the community. Cooperation means shared success.
Lampert: It was wonderful with you! Don't you all want to start right away with the common good?
Christian Felber is a freelance author and publicist and co-founded and built up ATTAC Austria in 2000. He is co-initiator of the Democratic Bank and the Economy for the Common Good - an economic model for the future - and most recently wrote a book on the subject in 2012. Over 1,000 private individuals, politicians, initiatives and companies have already signed up to the idea and developed a strategy for the next five years. Felber is a lecturer at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He is a much sought-after speaker, commentator and interview partner.
Werner Lampert (born 1946 in Vorarlberg/Austria) is one of the pioneers in the field of sustainable products and their development in Europe. The organic pioneer has been intensively involved in organic farming since the 1970s. With Back to the origin (HOFER), retour aux sources (ALDI SUISSE) and Ja! Natürlich, he has developed three of the most successful organic brands in the German-speaking world.
