February 2013 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Fwd: Reminder: Peer to Peer Finance unConference on the 23 Feb 2013
by Michel Bauwens 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: All Street <invite(a)eventbrite.com> Date: Mon, Feb 4, 2013 at 1:34 PM Subject: Reminder: Peer to Peer Finance unConference on the 23 Feb 2013 To: michel(a)p2pfoundation.net ** * Hello Michel, * You are invited to the following event: Alternative Finance unConference: Peer to Peer Finance in Focus <http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4867967221/?ref=enivtefor001&invite=MzA0MDY…> [image: divider] Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: <http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4867967221/?ref=enivtefor001&invite=MzA0MDY…> Saturday, 23 February 2013 from 10:00 to 17:00 (GMT) *Innovation Warehouse* 1 East Poultry Avenue EC1A 9PT London United Kingdom View Map<http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1+East+Poultry+Avenue,+London,+Gt+Lon+EC1A+9P…> * Attend Event * <http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4867967221/?ref=enivtefor001&invite=MzA0MDY…> *Share this event:* [image: Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fallstreetconversations.eve…> [image: Twitter] <http://twitter.com/home?status=I%27m+attending+Alternative+Finance+unConfer…> [image: LinkedIn] <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallstreetco…> [image: divider] Power Shift: Alternative Finance Players changing the Banking System Action Point: Join us and find out how they do it What to expect: Nothing like a traditional conference. Details below Who should attend? Anyone who wants to find out what's... Read More<http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/4867967221/?ref=enivtefor001&utm_source=e…> Share this event on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A//allstreetconversations.eventbr…>and Twitter<http://twitter.com/home?status=http%3A//allstreetconversations.eventbrite.c…> We hope you can make it! Cheers, All Street [image: eventbrite] [image: Eventbrite] <http://www.eventbrite.com/r/enivtefor001?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=ema…> This invitation was sent to michel(a)p2pfoundation.net by All Street<http://www.eventbrite.com/org/2955197585>the organiser. To stop receiving invitations from this organiser, you can unsubscribe<http://www.eventbrite.com/inviteunsubscribe?email=michel%40p2pfoundation.ne…>. [image: Eventbrite] <http://www.eventbrite.com/home/?ref=eemail&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=e…> Eventbrite | 651 Brannan St. Suite 110 | San Francisco, CA 94107 -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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New Documentary on Inequality
by Kevin F 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/02/inequality-for-all-us-economy-ro… -- ============================================================================= GPG KEY ============================================================================= If this email is not signed or encrypted its because it is sent via the browser. For private communications I encourage friends to use GPG. If you are interested in learning more about GPG try the Enigmail plugin with the Thuderbird email client. A quick search for 'kev.flanagan(a)gmail.com' on public keyservers should find my most up to date key. For example try - http://sks.spodhuis.org:11371/pks/lookup?op=index&search=kev.flanagan%40gma… OR http://pool.sks-keyservers.net:11371/pks/lookup?op=vindex&search=kev.flanag… =============================================================================

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Adam Curtis on Engineering and Central Planning in the Soviet Union
by Kevin Flanagan 02 Feb '13

02 Feb '13

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello, More often than not the fall of the Soviet Union is attributed to the failure of Central Planning. Adam Curtis explores this theme in his documentary 'Pandora's Box - The Engineers' Plot' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gwyHNo7MI He begins telling the story of how science and engineering were seen as key to making the USSR an industrial super power with standards of living comparable to those of the USA. He explores how the economy was planned and organised and how while despite initial success it eventually failed. Kevin -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJRDTfGAAoJEBeq+iFtt1vtwKEH/AiNuxitrMGJOMpocU9y20ri 80ZM/xQG3diDyYs0qPxnjUseuYLfhWZf2U4+eGrTzFetrKPA8bk+JiBOpwr4f9RN 6J7EvefuXD0FSghKRK6E5YmOpjyn2JdBVSD854wv4pAmH/ebN1IjnM8mwKf7ZcNE jN9De4FP+NODb01RsRK+5FG/jW4wHdIYGZQPX2NbP/qcFOvGbosVlnR2YS6BpA/8 OuHLJKM+a4iwU6C0Jr6QMXtqVJ+5kF9hzwRxXJsPd+ZWAT2yoDjkgOZ+db9JCxkC oQNJ70Bxv3Z+HKKieEhPU9cAxbQ3SZTkgbd8dLNULb3GkovmuzrsP6KM2IrUTPs= =ZiF+ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Fwd: Synthesis - Social v Natural Complex Systems
by Michel Bauwens 02 Feb '13

02 Feb '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Greg Fisher <greg.fisher(a)synthesisips.net> Date: Sat, Feb 2, 2013 at 7:21 PM Subject: Synthesis - Social v Natural Complex Systems To: Michel Bauwens <michel(a)p2pfoundation.net> Dear Michel, *Social vs Natural** Complex Systems* *"*We might think of imagination as an emergent property of individual human beings. It is probably fair to say that *what we imagine* will be socially constructed but our ability to imagine results from our DNA and therefore evolution. One of the important phenomena that arises * collectively *i.e. within social systems, as a result of imagination is * reflexivity*. This concept is less commonly understood and discussed than it ought to be...*"* In this article I discuss an important issue for those of us who seek to use the complexity sciences to make sense of social systems and to inform public policy, which is the distinction between natural and social complex systems. It's important not to put people on a pedestal for the sake of self-flattery but we should also appreciate some fundamental differences between these two systems else we might end up mapping framings from the natural sciences inappropriately and underemphasising issues like reflexivity. http://www.synthesisips.net/blog/social-versus-natural-complex-systems/<http://synthesisips.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc156…> Best wishes, Greg Fisher Managing Director Synthesis IPS Check out our website: www.synthesisips.net Join us on twitter: @synthesisips<http://synthesisips.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc156…> p.s. if you would like to remain on our contacts database but would prefer to unsubscribe from blog notifications, you can do this by updating your profile here<http://synthesisips.us4.list-manage.com/profile?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc1561804…> . --------------------------- Unsubscribe<http://synthesisips.us4.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc156…>me from Synthesis' contacts database. Forward<http://us4.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc1561804&id=93…>this email to a friend. Update your profile<http://synthesisips.us4.list-manage.com/profile?u=5c4cc0cbd91536cfdc1561804…> . [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp]<http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…> -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Ideas for P2P workshop
by Michel Bauwens 02 Feb '13

02 Feb '13

great that you are sharing this with us ... there are really a great number of p2p facilitation methods ( http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Facilitation) such as open space, unconferences etc .. but if you have no experience, then your own design should be okay possible background reading are chapt. 1 (intro), 4 (peer production) and 5 (distributed infrastructures) of the http://p2pfoundation.net/Synthetic_Overview_of_the_Collaborative_Economy it's not light reading, so more like something to give them to go home chapt. 4 section 11 has about a dozen mindmaps on various domains such as p2p learning, p2p finance .. directory of open hardware, http://p2pfoundation.net/Product_Hacking just in case: most p2pfoundation.net wiki sections have selected citations that could be used as 'cards' for example, if you have eur 250 and a return ticket to spare, I could come for a quicky from Milan where I'm speaking on the 15th, Michel From: M?rt P?der <boamaod(a)gmail.com> Subject: [P2P-F] Ideas for P2P workshop To: p2p-foundation(a)lists.ourproject.org Message-ID: <CAJJ0NvoJyKy+iCMfoyOwPpH48Q7MUn_qzD_peeegvhvGUdwqcw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Hi everybody! I am helping to organize a P2P workshop in Tallinn, Estonia on February 16th (hopefully). Although a proponent of P2P practises (I am member of local Pirate Party and also an open source developer), I have not discussed P2P as a concept much and I haven't organized a workshop on that kind of topic before. I hope you can give me some ideas or references based on your experience. By now I imagine that the event should be something based on sort of open room method. First we have an introduction to P2P as a concept with some notable examples (file sharing, Wikipedia, some real world examples like recycle societies, protest movements like Occupy etc), then we will ask participants to brainstorm on new applications of P2P and propose number of issues, that could be handled with P2P. Then we'd let people group around ideas and form 2-4 workgroups to elaborate on those ideas for 3/4 hour or so and make some kind of presentation of their P2P action plan in the end. Does it sound meaningful? Is there better way to do it? I'd appreciate if you could suggest me things that you think would "work" in that kind of context. How to get people fascinated? How to explain the basics? Any good schemas, lists of P2P principles, videos, essays to give for reading? Is there something that I myself *must* read before the workshop? Actually, any comments are welcome. The workshop itself will be quite small, I'd say maximum 30 peole, it will be held in English and the participants are usually international people living in Tallinn and same minded locals. It's organized as a part of series of (Il)legal Aethethics workshops [1]. Myself, I am PhD student in University of Tartu, supposed to research Plato's concept of soul and education etc but in reality more active in other areas. Sincerely "etc" M?rt P?der [1] http://ptarmigan.ee/events/illegal-aesthetics-core-workshop -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Understanding and Changing: A discussion with Zak Cope, author of ‘Divided World, Divided Class,’ on the stratification of labour under global capitalism
by Anna Harris 02 Feb '13

02 Feb '13

Zak Cope *Divided World Divided Class: Global Political Economy and the Stratification of Labour Under Capitalism*,(exerts from interview) Full interview here<http://anti-imperialism.com/2012/09/18/understanding-and-changing-an-interv…> Pervasive national, racial and cultural chauvinism in the core capitalist countries is not primarily attributable to ‘false class consciousness’, ideological indoctrination or ignorance as much left and liberal thinking assumes. Rather, these and related forms of bigotry are concentrated expressions of the major social strata of the core capitalist nations’ shared economic interest in the exploitation and repression of dependent nations. First, the depredations of colonialism and slavery provided not only the historical impetus for the rise of capitalism, and for the birth of the working class as such, but also a crucial source of food, employment opportunities and land for metropolitan labour. Second, the book highlights a historical shift whereby metropolitan labour first depends upon colonial labour for its existence, then, later, increasingly for its sustenance, and finally, now, upon neo-colonial labour for its entire lifestyle. Third, the book shows that the tasks facing workers in the developed countries are not those facing the workers of the underdeveloped countries. That fact may seem obvious, but the book goes further and shows that there is a deeply rooted contradiction between the aims and interests of the respective workforces, as demonstrated by metropolitan labour’s active engagement in colonial and neo-colonial politics. My initial motivations for writing the book were threefold. Firstly, I wanted to examine why workers in the rich countries seemed to have given up on socialism. As Donald Sassoon’s magisterial *One Hundred Years of Socialism* shows, the working class of the imperialist countries has for a century and more struggled to regulate and socialise capitalism, not replace it. If it is true that capitalism is an inherently exploitative and oppressive socioeconomic system how is it that workers in the rich countries have been so content to put up with it? Moreover, how is it that workers in the developed capitalist countries are so far from having, as Marx wrote, “nothing to lose but their chains”? My second motivation, then, was to counter those ideologies on the left which seek to explain these phenomena (that is, metropolitan working class conservatism and * embourgeoisement*). So, for much of the left, it is its militancy, its productivity or a combination of both, that explains metropolitan labour’s relative affluence. Paradoxically, however, the Western left has felt the need to explain working class conservatism by something other than this. Thus it has tried to excuse metropolitan labour’s conservative, complacent and fully reactionary politics with reference to its having been brainwashed or divaricated from its revolutionary tasks by all-powerful ideological state apparatuses (attempts to excuse it with reference to job insecurity and “precarity” notwithstanding). In short, for much of what passes for the left, it is “false class consciousness” that has led the Western working class to prefer social democracy, social partnership, and blatant national chauvinism (all these predicated on a political alliance with the capitalist class and its representatives) to socialism. Finally, and most fundamentally, the book was motivated by a desire to reinvigorate an internationalist perspective which had been sorely neglected by a Marxism deeply marked by a pernicious Eurocentrism. In that sense, the book was motivated by wholehearted opposition to colonialism and imperialism, which provide the real underpinnings of *embourgeoisement*, reformism, and racism alike. ..the division between the rich and poor countries brought about by colonialism and imperialism is today the most fundamental “group relation” shaping peoples’ worldviews.

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Re: [P2P-F] The Economics of Monasticism by Nathan Smith
by Michel Bauwens 02 Feb '13

02 Feb '13

Thanks Kevin for these illuminating comments. - celibacy must also be seen in the context of their times, i.e. where unbridled sexuality with limited birth control technologies caused many additional social problems (child killing, child abandonment, child abuse, see the Institute for Psychohistory for their history of child abuse); the majority of monks were surplus males from both feudal and popular environments who could not benefit from inheritance mechanims, as well as a huge number of abandoned children which were routinely deposited at monastic doors (the famous 'tourniquet' were especially designed for that); with their mutualizing of knowledge and resources, they were essentially the intellectual class in their societies, next to the working farmers and warrior nobility, and especially in christian lands, they were the depositors and progenitors of technical knowledge and advancement in premodern worldviews, spiritual work was not parasitic on the contrary, it was seen as the pinnacle of civilization, and the population felt they had a huge debt to the monks and the Church for these intercessionary services; these apart from the fact that churches and monasteries were the very centers of social life, for festivals, medical care, food reserves, and the like; in times of routine feudal abuse, monastic lands were also the refuge for widows and orphans by the way, before the 11th cy, priests were married, and churches were often private property, while monasteries were generally run by the family members of the nobility on which lands they were settled (it was called the 'adelskirche' by historians) You could argue that intentional communities are the pluri-gender descendants of the monastic communities and they are doing quite well in our times; given the huge number of empty church buildings, there is a huge opportunity to create a new wave of spiritual co-working centers, such as the Borderlands Augustine ctr in Melbourne, The Monastery in Manchester, or the church building taken over by the p2p-oriented communautique in Montreal, Michel XXX Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:54:12 +0700 From: Kevin F <kev.flanagan(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [P2P-F] The Economics of Monasticism by Nathan Smith To: P2P Foundation mailing list <p2p-foundation(a)lists.ourproject.org> Message-ID: <CACpSwUeeaExQQ26TCkBFSyzsJsJbq+7ZX+s_CNLsS1fAppK6XQ(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Hi Anna, Monastics also provided services to the communities of which they are a part. In the past the monasteries were great repositories of knowledge. They were not limited to scriptural works alone. In the pre print era scribes also produced copies of philosophical, technical and historical works. They provided opportunities for people to educate themselves and in turn those same people became stewards of that knowledge which was of general benefit to communities that grew up around the monasteries. Now as you say it is true that as celibate institutions they fail to reproduce themselves. However it can also be said that the knowledge of which the monasteries were caretakers contributed to the sustainability and in turn the re-productivity of the lay communities and that seeing monasteries as socially valuable in this way was one reason people from those communities chose to join. Of course this is not the only motivation to join. For some it was to pursue the spiritual life, for others it was to escape poverty, while others joined because of social or family pressure. One of the big rules was that monks and nuns should not own property. If monks or nuns were to have families things become more complicated as humans tend to look out for the welfare of their own before that of the community as a whole. One of the arguments for celibacy in the church is that it acts as an anti corruption measure. When Priests, Abbots and Nuns have families it is easy for mini dynasties to emerge as quite quickly it is the son of the Abbot who inherits his fathers prestigious and influential role. This situation is avoided when they are required to be celibate. The other advantage of a celibate community is that its members have more time to focus on intellectual work. When this is applied to technical problems, inventive and innovative solutions can be shared, improving the health and sustainability of the broader lay community. All of these dynamics change as societies become better off. Today we no longer depend on monasteries to preserve and reproduce important texts. Nor do we depend on them for education or health. None of this was true 500 years ago. As the quality of life improves for people across the globe the appeal of monastic life is waning. Everywhere fewer and fewer young people are taking vocations. The tables have turned in a way. While at one time communities depended on monasteries today most monasteries depend heavily on charity. What they have to offer society more generally has come into question and their futures are indeed uncertain. I do not wish to romanticise the historical role of monasteries, I just want to point out that their social function has changed over time. While I agree that today these institutions have become in some sense parasitic my point is that it was not always so. What I gained from reading this paper was more from the analysis of incentives and motivations both of which can be applied to analysis of intentional communities. Also worth considering is the power of shared values that may be not be so strong in more secular arrangements. Regards Kevin -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Ideas for P2P workshop
by Märt Põder 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

Hi everybody! I am helping to organize a P2P workshop in Tallinn, Estonia on February 16th (hopefully). Although a proponent of P2P practises (I am member of local Pirate Party and also an open source developer), I have not discussed P2P as a concept much and I haven't organized a workshop on that kind of topic before. I hope you can give me some ideas or references based on your experience. By now I imagine that the event should be something based on sort of open room method. First we have an introduction to P2P as a concept with some notable examples (file sharing, Wikipedia, some real world examples like recycle societies, protest movements like Occupy etc), then we will ask participants to brainstorm on new applications of P2P and propose number of issues, that could be handled with P2P. Then we'd let people group around ideas and form 2-4 workgroups to elaborate on those ideas for 3/4 hour or so and make some kind of presentation of their P2P action plan in the end. Does it sound meaningful? Is there better way to do it? I'd appreciate if you could suggest me things that you think would "work" in that kind of context. How to get people fascinated? How to explain the basics? Any good schemas, lists of P2P principles, videos, essays to give for reading? Is there something that I myself *must* read before the workshop? Actually, any comments are welcome. The workshop itself will be quite small, I'd say maximum 30 peole, it will be held in English and the participants are usually international people living in Tallinn and same minded locals. It's organized as a part of series of (Il)legal Aethethics workshops [1]. Myself, I am PhD student in University of Tartu, supposed to research Plato's concept of soul and education etc but in reality more active in other areas. Sincerely "etc" Märt Põder [1] http://ptarmigan.ee/events/illegal-aesthetics-core-workshop

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Fwd: [gang8] How a revolution in business lending could transform the British economy - Telegraph
by Michel Bauwens 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9804025/How-a-revolut… How a revolution in business lending could transform the British economy Peer-to-peer lending has the potential to kickstart the economy by providing credit for small businesses, says James Meekings. [image: Business Secretary Vince Cable Speaks at Grovenor House in London] Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, has backed Funding Circle and other peer-to-peer lenders Photo: David Rose By James Meekings 9:00AM GMT 16 Jan 2013 Despite some encouraging signs, the UK economy remains in trouble. Growth remains weak and confidence fragile. Lending to small and medium businesses – the motor for job creation – has collapsed. A series of Government initiatives has so far failed to get the banks to start lending again. The result is that thousands of well-run and profitable businesses are struggling to get the money they need to invest, grow and hire more staff. Even when loan applications are approved by banks, businesses complain about long delays and the high interest rates they are charged. Given the rock-bottom rates at which the banks can borrow themselves, this only adds to their anger. With British businesses so important to growth, this is deeply damaging to hopes for economic recovery. It is why I am delighted to be taking part in the Daily Telegraph round-table discussion today to discuss with bankers, politicians and other experts about how we can get business credit flowing again. I believe Funding Circle and the peer-to-peer lending industry as a whole has an increasingly important role in this challenge. So, importantly, does the Government. Last month Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, announced he was investing £20 million of taxpayer’s money in small businesses through Funding Circle. The move underlined the determination of ministers to kick-start business lending and recognition that this won’t be achieved by simply repairing the old system. It was also a huge vote of confidence in peer-to-peer business lending and a sign of our growth and impact over the last 12 months. The banks’ failure to meet the needs of businesses has created the conditions for a whole host of new entrants to come into the market. These new types of businesses are leveraging the disruptive power of the internet to deliver solutions that are better, faster and more efficient than traditional operators. Funding Circle is one of these entrants. We match people who want to lend money with successful firms which want to borrow. All the businesses we back are British. From the moment we launched two years ago, it was clear that there was a need and appetite for what we offered. Within our first 10 weeks, we had arranged over £1 million of loans for established, growing businesses. By enabling people across the country to lend as little as £20 to individual businesses and enjoy a typical 6 per cent return, we’ve opened the door to a new army of potential investors. We have now helped more than 1,400 different businesses with loans totalling over £70 million. New borrowing is running at £7 million a month, a figure growing all the time. It’s not just the government which is channelling investment to small businesses through us. Local councils, too, are seeing Funding Circle as a way of lending to their local businesses, demonstrating that peer-to-peer lending is becoming a mainstream way to invest. Nor is Funding Circle alone in moving into the gap left by the established banks. There are a wide range of new entrants coming into the market. They include Credit Asset Management, Zopa and Boost & Co who are also being used to channel money from the Government to small businesses. This does not mean, of course, that the new challengers can immediately replace the banks as the prime source of business loans. These will, in the short and medium term, continue to come overwhelmingly from these traditional financial institutions. But while we may still only represent a tiny part of the market, we are growing strongly. As the Bank of England’s Director of Stability Andy Haldane has pointed out, it was not that long ago when Google, too, was small. He said last month that the internet had already transformed many other business sectors and predicted it would have the same impact on small business high street banking. Skype, Amazon and a host of new travel and music businesses have already altered the landscape completely in their industries, providing increased competition, better service and lower costs for consumers. The Government’s decision to use new entrants to release the brake on small business lending will help a similar revolution in the financial sector gather speed. So, too, is the recent decision to regulate our industry – a step we have been urging. Sensible regulation which improves safeguards for investors without stifling innovation will give the sector added credibility. Both these important moves will help increase banking competition and, importantly, increase the flow of lending to British business. So what else could be considered which might accelerate these welcome changes? One reform is to make tax-free the interest investors receive on their loans to small businesses. This could perhaps be achieved by finding a way of bringing such loans within the overall tax-free wrappers of ISAs. It would not prove too expensive but would make investing in small firms even more attractive. But even without new moves, I see no reason why, over time, peer-to-peer lending should not provide 10 per cent of the small business loans market, in the same way that bond markets equate for a large proportion of big business finance. The last twelve months has seen peer-to-peer lending come of age. What was at the beginning of 2012 still a fledgling industry is now providing a real alternative for small businesses looking for investment and investors wanting a better return on their money. Thanks, in part, to the Government’s vote of confidence in our industry, I believe 2013 will be the year that peer-to-peer lending will become mainstream. This would be good news for small businesses, good news for investors and good news, above all, for the economy as a whole. *James Meekings is the founder of Funding Circle<https://www.fundingcircle.com/?gclid=CJ-Ns9vy6rQCFWbKtAoda2kAWw> * Related Articles - Consider changing the law to defend the right to wear crosses, says Pickles<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9803198/Consider-changing-the-law-to-defend…> 15 Jan 2013 - Yes Minister is essential training for Government<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9802332/Yes-Minister-is-essential-…> 15 Jan 2013 - Downing St warns Clegg over Europe<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9802967/No-10-rebukes-Nick-Clegg-o…> 15 Jan 2013 - EU referendum will have a 'chilling effect' on the economy, says Clegg<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9802042/Nick-Clegg-EU-referendum-w…> 15 Jan 2013 __._,_.___ Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxaGs3ZDRyBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcTB1YTBxBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/message/16962;_ylc=X3oDMTM2NHQyM2Y3BF9T…>(1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNzN0MTJmBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BG…> The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdHUycmxxBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyM…> Switch to: Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, Daily Digest <[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• Unsubscribe <gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> • Send us Feedback <[email protected]?subject=Feedback+on+the+redesigned+individual+mail+v1> . __,_._,___ ---------- From: *D.J.Bezemer* <d.j.bezemer(a)rug.nl> Date: Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 9:53 AM To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com ** Interesting - this is the rebirth of the old mutuals, with ICT. But they do not CREATE money - that part of the system remains stuck, and without it no tranformation of the econmoy can take place. Dirk __._,_.___ Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxdWt1azAwBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlc2NwNmo2BF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/message/16962;_ylc=X3oDMTM2NGdidnJvBF9T…>(2) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8;_ylc=X3oDMTJlM2c0M3E1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BG…> The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkczc0ZmFjBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyM…> Switch to: Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, Daily Digest <[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• Unsubscribe <gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> • Send us Feedback <[email protected]?subject=Feedback+on+the+redesigned+individual+mail+v1> . __,_._,___ ---------- From: *Hugh Whinfrey* <market(a)svarsmaal.dk> Date: Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 8:50 AM To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com ** ** I agree that these schemes are not creating money at present, inasmuch as we ignore the interest on these loans. However, the future of these things lies in building brands and brandname identification around the scheme. The step from there, especially during during a monetary crisis, to 'going rogue' and floating such a scheme as a separate 'currency' is a minor step once critical mass has been reached within a closed system with enough participants. For example, in the event of hyperinflation where existing money becomes essentially worthless, such a step could be easy to motivate and undertake in response. That makes the details of the organisation of the scheme a critical issue. Hugh __._,_.___ Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxOXBocnB2BF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcmpvb3BoBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/message/16962;_ylc=X3oDMTM2MnNpc2htBF9T…>(3) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8;_ylc=X3oDMTJldG1hNG5vBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BG…> The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkYzFobmFvBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyM…> Switch to: Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, Daily Digest <[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• Unsubscribe <gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> • Send us Feedback <[email protected]?subject=Feedback+on+the+redesigned+individual+mail+v1> . __,_._,___ ---------- From: *Geoffrey Gardiner* <geoffrey.gardiner(a)btinternet.com> Date: Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 9:27 PM To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com ** This is most amusing. The suggestions are primitive and a scheme like Japanese Loan Trusts is needed. I doubt if I have my files on the work we in Barclays did on it in 1974. The Japanese Trust bankers told me they had deposits from all Japanese. At that time the British public knew only National Savings and Building Societies. I have mentioned before that in 1976 I suggested to a very senior BofE official that they ought to look at foreign capital systems and he just went ballistic. Geoff *From:* Hugh Whinfrey <market(a)svarsmaal.dk> *Sent:* Saturday, January 19, 2013 7:50 AM *To:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com __._,_.___ Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxc25odmF2BF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bgang8%5D%20How%20a%20revolution%20in%20business%20lending%20could%20transform%20the%20British%20economy%20-%20Telegraph> Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMGVnOWxoBF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/message/16962;_ylc=X3oDMTM2b2RkZXFzBF9T…>(4) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcnVibWw0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BG…> The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkamQ0ODhhBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyM…> Switch to: Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, Daily Digest <[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• Unsubscribe <gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> • Send us Feedback <[email protected]?subject=Feedback+on+the+redesigned+individual+mail+v1> . __,_._,___ -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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The Economics of Monasticism by Nathan Smith
by Kevin F 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

Hello, I've been reading 'The Economics of Monasticism by Nathan Smith' over the past week. He makes some interesting points in comparing the sustainability of intentional communities with that of Christian monasteries. Citing a study by Rost et al (2008) that "An average longevity of 463 years makes monasteries more durable not only than firms, but even than most states." and further suggesting possibilities as to what makes them so successful. I will add it to the wiki when I get a chance over the coming days. The Economics of Monasticism - Nathan Smith "Since their emergence in ancient times, Christian monasteries have proven to be among the most durable of all human institutions, and in the medieval centuries made enormous contributions to the emergence of Western civilization. They are organized internally on socialist lines: monks own no property and owe total obedience to the abbot, making the monastery a miniature ‘centrally planned economy.’ A puzzling contrast exists between the longevity of monasteries and the transience of secular socialist communes. This paper presents a theoretical model which shows why voluntary socialist communes might be viable despite ‘shirking’ problems, yet fail due to turnover, and how worship, which induces people with high ‘spiritual capital’ to self-select into the monastery and then grows that spiritual capital through ‘learning-by-doing,’ can solve the turnover problem and make a worship-based socialist commune—a monastery—stable. Monasticism, like the market, is a form of ‘spontaneous order,’ but unlike the market, it does not depend on third-party enforcement (e.g., by a state) to function: this explains why monasticism (unlike capitalism) was able to thrive in the anarchic Dark Ages. Monasteries, in principle and largely in practice, are a form of society based on consent of the governed, unlike liberal states which preach but do not practice consensual governance, and it is interesting to juxtapose the real, live ‘social contracts’ of the monasteries with the notional social contracts of liberal political theory." http://www.thearda.com/workingpapers/monasticism.asp -- ============================================================================= GPG KEY ============================================================================= If this email is not signed or encrypted its because it is sent via the browser. For private communications I encourage friends to use GPG. If you are interested in learning more about GPG try the Enigmail plugin with the Thuderbird email client. A quick search for 'kev.flanagan(a)gmail.com' on public keyservers should find my most up to date key. For example try - http://sks.spodhuis.org:11371/pks/lookup?op=index&search=kev.flanagan%40gma… OR http://pool.sks-keyservers.net:11371/pks/lookup?op=vindex&search=kev.flanag… =============================================================================

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