Growing the Next Economy are new organizations that operate with a distinctive ‘DNA’ from that of the current economy and for that DNA to propagate seems to imply a transformation of the DNA of human culture and human settlement. These are big concepts and ideas and this article will attempt to provide some additional context and some examples that point towards the vision of both a transformed economy and, in concert, a transformed human culture.
Whole system finances – i.e., supportive of polyculture of regional currency and emergent currency models, direct public offerings, crowdfunding, living returns, revolving lending, peer-to-peer financing, gift economy, barter, etc.
Trust, sharing (space, resources, gifts, etc.
This article acknowledges that there may be deep psychological, even identity-level, mythological, conditions that enable current economic and cultural circumstance and does not ignore the importance (primacy?) of these aspects of human consciousness in the emergent transformation to the next economy. We posit that there might be a dynamic interplay between economy, culture, and social/individual psychological condition and that the achievable transformation of culture and economy today might help inform and inspire the transformation, over time, of human consciousness.
While these attempts and endeavors exist today, with few exceptions i. ii., most have not been conceived to model a pattern that could be replicated and adapted to urban, sub urban, and rural human settlements and be integrated into a full economic transformation to the next economy. This intersection appears to be the current edge of innovation where new organization forms and structures are emerging in concert with new cultural norms in mutually supportive ecosystem (organizations enabling culture change and culture change enabling the new DNA of next economy organizations). We look forward to seeing the innovative interdependent forms of organizations that create permanently affordable, limited equity ownership (or in trust) co-housing agrihoods with decentralized manufacturing and easy assets sharing and cooperative, preventative health care through decentralize clinics and decentralized, cooperative education and cooperative renewable energy microgrids, and more. Let’s do this!
LIFT is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. Next Economy Now podcast highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, democratic, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.Learn more about LiftEconomy and their articles.