Globalco-op
From BluWiki
New initiative 2006
Initiatives such as the Fair Trade ones are a drop in the ocean and could be expanded much more rapidly. How? Everyone can come up with ideas, but here’s one.
The internet has opened communication channels which can bring millions of like-thinking people together and turn a common project into reality. For example, it could bring people together to set up a trust fund which would invest in the most deprived areas worldwide so that whatever can be produced by them is not just sold at commodity prices for international businesses to make their profits from as happens now, but can be transformed locally into finished products, distributed in the local markets and any surpluses exported. This could be anything from drinks and food or health remedies to clothing and textiles, hard goods, indigenous crafts etc. The best projects could be voted on collectively by everyone who contributes. Then the communities where the investments were made would be given the opportunity to take them over using the income they earn and that money reinvested by the fund in new projects.
This would have to be done with a large fund and here is an example of how it could be done. Of the approximately 1 billion people in the richer parts of the world (OECD and emerging countries)if, say,
10,000 (0.001%) put in $1,000,000 each = $10,000 million
100,000 (0.01%) put in $ 100,000 each = $10,000 million
200,000 (0.02%) put in $ 50,000 each = $10,000 million
500,000 (0.05%) put in $ 20,000 each = $10,000 million
1,000,000 (0.1%)put in $ 10,000 each = $10,000 million
2,000,000 (0.2%)put in $ 5,000 each = $10,000 million
5,000,000 (0.5%)put in $ 2,000 each = $10,000 million
10,000,000 ( 1%)put in $ 1,000 each = $10,000 million
Total fund = $80,000 million
So, with a contribution from fewer than 2% of the richest populations, a fund equivalent in size to all but the top 25 US corporations could be set up. If you find this figure overwhelming don't worry. It's just an example and anything so ambitions would be developed from much more modest beginnings (see further on) which could still make a big difference to the poorest communities.
But as the fund would be not-for-profit the products would be able to readily compete with the prices of established commercial businesses. Even 1% of the price (compared with margins of 30 to 300% charged by businesses in the current market) of a product sold in the West would make a huge difference to the incomes of those in the poorest countries, living on as little as $1 a day. And if fund contributors bought the end products (through the internet for example) there would be a potential ready market of nearly 20 million. The way this is developed is by people getting together who have other ideas and the way to find out if they are possible to achieve is to get the word out and try. The internet empowers and if you feel frustrated because your voice isn’t being heard, you can do something practical to change the root causes. If you too would like to find out what can be achieved collectively, email me now (clicking on the button at the end of the page) and pass on the link for this website to as many people as you can. I’ll keep the site updated with response numbers and with your comments.
How would it be run?
Projects for investment would be set out for everyone who has contributed to examine and vote on. If agreed by contributors, an investment advisory panel could be set up to sift through projects and draw up a long-list which could be put to all contributors to vote on. All decisions, including decisions about how the plan is to be run in the future (constitution of advisory panel, administration of trust, auditing and management etc.) would be put to contributors to vote on and any contributors who did not agree with a majority decision would be entitled to ask for their contribution to be returned to them.
What can I do?
This is just an outline and all the details need to be worked out. Others will have their ideas and this is intended as a spur to develop it into something concrete. Obviously the size of trust fund described above would be highly ambitious and I have deliberately set the target high. However, even something 1000th of the size could have a substantial effect on some of the poorest regions of the world. If you are interested in being part of the co-op get in touch. Don't worry if you think $1000 is too much for you. Contributions could be lower than that, they could be put in by instalments over, say, 3 years, etc. At the moment I'm just looking to get this going. Feel free to edit this page adding your ideas too. This is as much yours as anyone else's. To email click here
External links
If you want to add your own, feel free, but please respect original order. You are also welcome to create subcategories of links but click on Discussion to consult on any major changes.
Option 10 No more nuclear power UK e-petition
11:11 The Consciousness Revolution
The Hunger Site - Give Food for Free to Hungry People in the World
